Marshall awakened Monday morning with an effulgent smile. Like a westward expansion squatter, his smile had taken up permanent residence in the area just north of his cleft chin, just south of his freckled nose, and perfectly equidistant between his high, freckled cheek bones. As he ran through his morning routine then headed for work, his thoughts wandered to Kat, which wasn’t unusual in the least, as most days and nights he found them invariably turning to her. She had claimed dominion over his mind and had quietly carved a niche for herself in his heart – a niche that was rapidly expanding to the size of the Taj Majal.
In all his past, no woman ever made him feel the way Kat did. It wasn’t that she showered him with special favors or praised him effusively; she was simply herself, a mirror to show him a better man – a man he wanted to be for himself, for her, for the world. The miracle, if he believed in such things, was that Kat felt similarly. Mirrored in Marshall, she had rediscovered a kinder, more compassionate person who had long ago been buried deep within her courtesy of countless callous exes. She knew a greater connection to friends and loved ones. She was inspired by him and understood a grander sense of purpose. She now felt more alive than at any point previously in her life. She was positively vibrant. The effects of this connection were so great they seemed almost tangible as anyone even remotely close to her would attest.
He couldn’t believe it had already been two months since their first weekend together and that each successive meeting was as pleasurable as the one preceding. Where had the time gone? They spent afternoons and evenings attending sporting events or watching them on TV, often celebrating with their own unique brand of fanaticism; whiled away hours winding their way from one discussion naturally into another even if the topics on the surface seemed disparate; enjoyed the simple, quiet pleasures of reading to each other or to themselves while lounging together – the magnets beneath the surface of their skin keeping them connected; and, oh, the sex was undeniably amazing. Just the thought of a mischievous grin from Kat combined with that look from her eyes – simultaneously dictating and imploring his next move – would cause him to stir deep within his core. These thoughts swirled about his head as he finally pulled into the parking lot at work. He needed a few moments to regain his composure lest he be forced to relive his grade school days which provided him with numerous zeros.
Marshall entered the red brick building and made his way past the customer reception area, restrooms, and on through the hallways with the sharp scent of solvents welcoming him to the work week. Most of the building’s walls were lined with multiple “Best of” awards from the past decade framed in Kat’s flea market finds – there was simply no better independently-owned-and-operated auto detailing establishment. Marshal found his way to the sparsely appointed office area he shared with his mother, Michelle, who had accepted the receptionist position when booming business needs demanded it and his father, Craig.
Craig Jackson, had built The Devil’s In The Details auto detailing facility in the early 1980′s from a solitary location in Rock Island, Illinois to a chain of fourteen businesses presently servicing the West-central region of Illinois. As the years progressed, Marshall had reluctantly assumed more responsibility in the family business and was made a junior partner on July 11, 2007. Make no mistake, nepotism was not the rule at Devil’s as the locals quaintly coined it. Craig Jackson prided himself on his staunch, old-world work ethic – he “lived to work” and expected his employees to follow suit. All of them. Marshall considered himself more the “work to live” type, although, many at Devil’s confidentially classified him as the “work if I have to” type. Old-world and modern-day work ethics clashed. Often. Regardless of the contempt Craig held for Marshall’s often times bewildering day-to-day methods, he could never dispute the results – Marshall always came through. Big. Gun to his head, Craig would admit no matter what decision Marshall made – as foolish and impractical as they appeared at the time – it always eventually turned beneficial for Devil’s and he was damned if he could figure out how. Prosperity had them poised to open an additional six locations within the region and soon thereafter three more in Eastern Iowa. The future had never looked brighter.
Michelle Jackson was a model of efficiency – as well as busybody-ness – and ensured Devil’s ran as smoothly as possible. This was no small feat in and of itself as she found herself quite often playing peace keeper between father and son during many heated business “discussions” – the Jackson’s weren’t the type of family who fought. Michelle frequently interjected herself into the middle of things for the sake of the business and, more importantly, the family regardless of the consequences. Currently that cost included increasing clumps of gray strands streaking through her shoulder-length auburn hair adding an extra decade to her, until recently, surprisingly youthful appearance. After sixty plus years, she was now finally showing her age and she wore her weariness like a wedding veil.
Craig and Michelle, both slack-jawed, stared blankly ahead into nothing. Their eyes were glossed over as Marshall entered the office to the sound of a busy signal emanating from his father’s phone.
Snapping from her abstraction, Michelle said, “Craig, we have to. Don’t we? How can we dismiss this?”
Returning the receiver to the cradle, Craig said, “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.” The shock of the last phone call still held him dumbfounded.
Marshall tossed his keys in the center desk drawer and closed it with a thump. “What’s up you two? Have you been hitting the pipe again?”
Although Craig and Michelle had lived through the Sixties, they were by no means the type to engage in any sort of illicit activities. Marshall was certain that his parents’ lives in the era of Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll was better described as the era of Abstinence, Abstinence, and More Abstinence – he was adopted after all. The irony of his comment was not lost on him.
“You’re not funny, you know?” said Craig. Marshall had a way of setting him off like no one else.
“Oh, he’s just joking and you know it,” said Michelle, “so why don’t you just relax and explain what happened with that last phone call.”
“Well not everything in this world is a joke!”
Craig was unusually tense in light of his recent conversation; he counted to ten in his head before turning to Marshall. “I just got off the phone with Greg James, the president and CEO of Dyn-auto Industries. They want to buy us.”
Marshall snorted. “So? They’ve made us offers in the past and, even when times weren’t the greatest, you’ve always refused them. What, has hell suddenly frozen over?”
Craig carefully considered Marshall’s comments for a moment. Dyn-auto Industries was a national chain of one-stop, quick-service auto care centers offering such combined services as car washes, oil changes, and auto detailing to name a few. Dyn-auto Industries had only been in existence for three years and already they had proven to have the fastest growing business model of any industry with facilities in every state in the US and just as many worldwide. Not only were they now the big kid on the block, they were the bully. Their business practices weren’t the most ethical. Their executives spewed corporate buzzwords more often than teenagers spout “like” or “awesome”. Their employees weren’t so much prized for their individual talents and skill sets as for their basic heat and drone-like efficiency. Where Devil’s prided themselves on their attention to detail and customer satisfaction, Dyn-auto offered speed and reduced pricing. Dyn-auto was the antithesis of Devil’s and Craig had sworn to fight them with his dying breath.
“They’re offering us eleven times the value of the business including the nine we have projected in the coming year.” Craig said. “They want it all, from the industrial vacuums down to the staples in our desks. They even want to keep all the employees. We would all be multi-millionaires.” He stared off into nothingness again.
“So what did you tell them? You said no, right? You always claimed that no amount of money could make you sell to a soulless entity like that.” Marshall said.
“I still can’t wrap my head around that much money.” said Michelle as she mimicked Craig’s blank expression.
“To the last, I will grapple with thee… from Hell’s heart, I stab at thee! For hate’s sake, I spit my last breath at thee!” said Marshall. “Ringing any bells here, Khan?”
Craig closed his eyes, sighed deeply, and slowly shook his head, “How many times do I have to remind you? Herman Melville. Moby Dick. I told them I needed time to think. Your mother may be right, though, how can we dismiss that kind of offer?”
“So much for integrity, eh dad? I can’t believe you’d sell out. I’m going for a drive to clear my head.” said Marshall as he scooped his keys from the desk drawer and headed back out to his car.
Craig said, “Get your butt back in here mister! You don’t get to drop that on me and leave! Hey! You have work to do! Marshall!”
Cutting him off in mid-scream Michelle said, “Just let him go. You both need time to calm down and clarify your thoughts. It’s better you can do it without the other around at the moment.”
Marshall left the parking lot without any idea of where he was headed, he just knew he needed to get out on the highway and drive. He wasn’t quite sure why he had felt compelled to antagonize his dad by making such a big deal about Dyn-auto’s offer. It wasn’t that he really cared at all – he didn’t enjoy his job as it was neither inspiring nor fulfilling. The money would afford him the luxury to do anything he wanted or nothing at all. It would be total freedom. The more he considered it, however, total freedom seemed more daunting than liberating. What would he do? What could he do? Auto detailing was all he really knew and the thought of starting up his own business was utterly unappealing. Absent-mindedly he fumbled for his Bluetooth headset in the center console. Powering it on and placing it in his right ear, he said, “Call Kat mobile” and the cell phone dialed.
“Hi babe!” came the sweetest voice to his ears. The little terms of endearment were new to their relationship, but they came easily and gave them each a silly satisfaction. “What’s going on?” Kat’s voice had a calming effect on Marshall. No matter what stress or anxiety he was feeling, she could always melt it away within moments. He wanted to open up to her and explain what had just transpired.
“How would the most beautiful woman in the world like to be taken to lunch?” said Marshall.
“It’s kind of early for that, but I’ll ask her for you.”
“Ha ha.” he said. Sarcasm dripped from his lips. “You know I mean you, ya goof.” He could sense her smile through the phone.
“Yeah, I do, I just like teasing you. I’m sorry, though, I actually can’t join you today because we’re having a going away lunch over at Dali’s Deli for my co-worker, Susan. I really shouldn’t miss it.”
“Ah, ok, I understand. Please wish Susan the best of luck for me, hon?”
“Will do! You sound irritated or upset, are you okay?” She could already read him like no one else.
“Yeah, I’m okay I guess. We can talk about it later; I don’t want to bother you any more than necessary while you’re working.”
“No problem sweetie! Uh-oh, semi-emergency, gotta go, I’ll talk to you later tonight if that’s all right with you.”
“Sure, I’ll talk to you then.”
As they said goodbye and hung up, Marshall turned and headed back to work feeling better about everything. He thought to himself how amazing Kat was before it sank in what an understatement that was.
Kat placed her cell phone back in her purse and cheerfully waved in the female employee who had been patiently waiting at her door trying not to eavesdrop. Sara Wrighte was an administrative assistant and she had come to Kat for career help – her job made her feel miserable to the point she believed she died a little inside each day. Kat had been working for 4 years in the Human Resources department at Star Tech, an IT solutions group. While she was adept at disseminating all the mundane insurance information and company policies and procedures, she was truly gifted at identifying an employee’s strengths and placing them in the best possible job to maximize their career goals. Until this point, nothing had made her happier than unlocking someone’s potential and watching them flourish.
“Ok Marshall, I have the results of your strengths-based test here.” said Kat as she searched the stack of papers on her desk.
Sara said, “Excuse me?”
Kat immediately blushed. “I’m sorry. Sara, I have your results here.” She produced a two-page document and proceeded to walk Sara through what each strength was and what it entailed for her. Marshall’s face kept popping into Kat’s mind and it would cause her to pause and lose her train of thought.
Sara said, “I don’t mean to pry, but you seem to be awfully preoccupied. Does this have anything to do with the person you were talking to on the phone?”
The redness in Kat’s face deepened as she smiled and briefly averted her gaze. “Is it that obvious?” she said. A knock came from the door and broke the awkwardness as Susan entered without hesitation.
Susan said, “I have those files I promised to get you and oh my gosh your face is so red!” She turned to Sara, “Was she just on the phone?”
“Yeah, I think I interrupted something.” said Sara.
“Marshall.” Susan said, “I’ll bet she was talking to her new boyfriend, Marshall. You better be careful Kat or everyone around here is going to know you’re in love.” Susan made sure to elongate the word love to achieve maximum teasing results.
Kat couldn’t muster a word and tried her best to fight the gleeful grin that was spreading from ear to ear. Finally she had regained enough control to tell Susan, “Shush you! I’ll talk to you later.” Susan snickered softly and wheeled around to head out the door. Just before she left, she spun back around and mouthed the words, “Everyone already knows”. Kat emphatically raised both her eyebrows and pointed out the door. Susan was right, though, she was hopelessly, helplessly in love. It was just then that it dawned on her. Marshall made her even happier than her job and that was saying something.
Returning her attention back to Sara, she informed her that with the strengths she possessed, she would be a perfect fit in HR and she was in luck as a position was about to come open. Kat was a firm believer in the idea that when one door closes, another one opens. Sara considered Kat’s words carefully before realizing she was dead-on in her assessment. She submitted her name for the position, thanked Kat profusely, and went back to work with the weight of the world safely removed from her shoulders.
Lunch time arrived and found Kat seated in Dali’s Deli at a four-top table with her co-workers: Kris on her right, Susan across the table, and Steph on her left. While they awaited their orders, their conversation came at a rapid-fire pace and, much to her chagrin, it was focused on Kat.
“Girl, of course everyone knows,” said Susan, “you’re positively…”
“Glowing!” said Susan, Kris, and Steph simultaneously.
“You’re smiling all the time.” said Kris.
“You’re like J.D. on Scrubs. You constantly seem to blissfully drift off into one daydream or another”, said Steph, “and it doesn’t matter who you’re talking to at the time. Oh, and for the record, when you make up your excuses for why you’re distracted, I hope you realize that we can see right through you.” She snickered at Kat.
“It’s not like you weren’t ever nice to people before, but lately you seem extra nice.” said Kris.
“I don’t know if I can describe it exactly, but you just have a brighter disposition when you interact with people.” said Steph.
“For you to always be in this good of a mood, the sex must be amazing!” said Susan.
Kat was now completely red-faced and put-off by all the attention to her private life. She glared at Susan and said, “Can we get off me and get back on you?”
“Ding. What did Kat say to Marshall last night in bed?” said Kris in mock game show fashion.
Kat turned her glare to Kris and held it there for as long as she could before busting out laughing. “Ok, ok, can we please talk about someone else? Like Susan? Since she’s leaving us, isn’t she the woman of the hour?” she said.
“We can talk about me some other time. It’s not like I’m dying, I’m just going to another job. You’re the one who’s like, ‘lottery lucky’. We want to hear more about you and Marshall.” said Susan.
Like a child with an aluminum can on a lonely country road, Kat kicked around the phrase ‘lottery lucky’ in her head and grasped how apropos it was. “I suppose it’s true, but any of you could find someone who makes you feel the same”, she said as she began to giggle and point to three different men seated in the room, “like him or him or him.” Although she hadn’t realized it, she had giggled loud enough on the final “him” to draw the attention of the last man who had stood up and was now approaching the four ladies.
“Where is our food? I’m starved!” said Steph as she looked up to see the man now standing beside their table. “Oh, sweet Jesus, you scared me!” she said. “Can we help you?”
Beside their table stood the man named Apathy. His stature was squat and he was bedecked in a stained, dull-gray, Velour sweatsuit and white Chuck Taylor Oxfords. The dark horseshoe of hair that rimmed his head contrasted the pallor of his scalp and complemented his plain black, birth control-style glasses. While the four ladies would never catch his name, they would recall him, nevertheless, like a commercial jingle.
“Something amusing, ladies?” said Apathy with perfect evenness.
Their order, finally ready, was bellowed over the loudspeaker. “Number fifty-two, your order is ready, number fifty-two.” Not one of the ladies moved to collect their waiting meals. They sat stunned, taking in Apathy for what seemed an eternity until he cleared his throat and broke the trance.
Kat was the first to speak. “Oh, no,” she said, “I was merely pointing out potential partners to my friends here. I’m sorry if it appeared I was making fun of you.”
“Potential partner? Me?” said Apathy bemusedly.
“No offense, but she was just speaking extemporaneously. She could just as well have pointed to someone else.” said Susan.
“Number fifty-two, your order is ready, number fifty-two.” came the loudspeaker voice more emphatically.
Apathy stood for awhile considering the scope of the term “potential partner”.
“I understand.” he said before pausing for a few more moments. “I’m just contemplating the extremes of living as though floating on the highest cloud, every day a singular joy to behold and cherish versus realizing you’re born alone, you die alone, and every moment in between you’ll always be alone. What happens if you believe you have the first only to realize you have the second? Is it possible to go from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high? More importantly, I wonder what’s the point?” said Apathy flatly. His words gently washed over the four women causing each to slip into introspection.
“Number fifty-two, your order is ready, number fifty-two.” came the loudspeaker voice almost painfully loud, breaking their reflection.
“Excuse us, that’s our order.” said Kris as they all stood and retrieved their food.
“Certainly, goodbye ladies.” said Apathy.
They returned to their table and continued their lunch in silence, lost in their own thoughts, before returning to work. The stranger’s words had penetrated and gripped their consciousness and weren’t letting go.
————————————————–
The sun beamed brightly high above Destiny’s garden as a soft breeze lazily wagged the surrounding flora. Destiny floated over the garden walkways and while the bottom of his basic-gray robe grazed the ground, his feet did not. The oldest of The Endless, clutched the covers of the enormous, open, leather-bound book chained to his right wrist as the pages fluttered back and forth. He studied them with increasing agitation as he made his way to his gallery to call a family meeting.
Six life-sized portraits adorned the walls of Destiny’s gallery. He stood before the first and said, “Sister, it is Destiny. I stand in my gallery and I summon the family. Please attend me.” The image centered in the portrait shivered then came to life, stepped outside the frame and into Destiny’s gallery. Standing before Destiny was his younger sister – the second eldest of The Endless, Death. Death clad herself in a black blouse, jacket, and petticoat in stark opposition to her ivory skin. The corners of her eyes were decorated with hieroglyphs similar to the Eye of Horus. An ankh hung from the silver chain around her neck.
“Hi, big brother. You called, I came. What’s up?” said Death.
“All in good time my sister. We must await the remainder of the family.” said Destiny.
“I see. Perhaps you should get on with the summoning then. I have things I need to do and I’m sort of on a time limit here.” said Death.
Destiny merely headed for the next portrait.
“Sister Despair, it is I, Destiny of The Endless. I hold your sigil and call upon you to join our family gathering, please come.” Once again, the portrait shivered and Despair stepped through to his domain. Despair was Desire’s twin sister and where Desire inspired those to want – to desperately crave, Despair’s presence – cold and clammy – dashed the hopes of ever achieving those objects. Although she stood no taller than the petite Delirium, Despair was built like an ashen-skinned sumo wrestler and her voice grated at a whisper’s volume. She wore a hook signet ring and was prone to dragging it across her doughy physique, rending flesh when upset.
One by one, he summoned the remainder of his siblings Desire, Dream, and Delirium and they acquiesced.
“Greetings sibling, to what do we owe the honor of another family meeting so soon?” said Despair barely audibly.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you actually missed us.” said Desire.
“Sister Desire, you know better than to assume such trivial affectations of me. I am Destiny and I act as I am to act. Let us adjourn to the refectory that we might discuss matters more dire and pressing.”
“It’s called a joke, Destiny, and you should learn to laugh. Would you like me to assist you with that task?” said Desire. She enjoyed goading him.
“He doesn’t joke and the thought of him laughing is laughable in its own right.” said Despair.
“You would do well to mind your place, sister.” said Morpheus. The Dream Lord recalled her slight against him at the previous family meeting and still hadn’t forgiven her.
“I miss Destruction, he could always make me laugh. One time he told me this joke that was so funny. Wanna hear it?” said Delirium. Without waiting for anyone to answer, she continued. “This platypus walks into a bar and says to the bartender… wait, no. Knock knock.”
Silence was all that met Delirium as they arrived at the refectory.
“Who’s there?” said Delirium to herself. “Wait, no. What do you get when you cross the Tibetan spiritual leader with… wait, no. Well I thought it was funny anyway.”
Death placed a comforting arm around the youngest of The Endless and said, “I’m sure it was dear one.”
“Thanks, sis, but if you just give me another moment, I can…”
“Hush, please Delirium,” said Destiny, “you will not remember your joke and we have more urgent matters at hand. Before we begin, my servants shall attend you should you require sustenance.” A host of robed servants appeared with food and drink to suit each sibling’s whim.
“Ok, you’ve got us all here, so spill it.” said Death. She wasn’t pleased with the way Delirium had been summarily dismissed.
“I believe what our sister means to say is, ‘Thank you for your hospitality, brother, but what is the nature of this meeting?’” said Morpheus. Morpheus was always keenly aware of his responsibilities – to his realm, to the family, and beyond.
“You can stop speaking for me, Dream. I said what I meant,” said Death, “now let’s get on with it.” She held Dream’s gaze for several moments before sticking her tongue out at him.
“Very well then, to the point. Events have transpired in the Waking World that threaten to unravel the domains of the entire family. Three will come and our futures rest within their hands as much as our own – they are entwined.” said Destiny.
“And let me guess… that’s all that you will tell us? Your precious book mandates your path in this matter – a path of ambiguity to those unable to read its pages. Let me see that book!” said Desire.
“The path Destiny treads has always been his alone. In solitude he has carried the weight of the past and future outcomes on his own. Please, my twin, a little respect for the burden he bears.” said Despair.
“I thank you for your compassion dear Despair, but Desire is correct. That is all I will tell you,” said Destiny, “for that is all I can tell you. The pages which guide me – guide us all – now obscure their secrets. The text is disappearing. With each passage that vanishes, so too a piece of my domain dissolves into the ether.”
Destiny peered down at the volume in his hands. Transcribed within its pages were the events and dialogue that had just transpired in his refectory. As he reached the words “The text is disappearing. With each passage that vanishes, so too a piece of my domain dissolves into the ether.”, the page slowly emptied and a chill overtook him.
In a moment such as this, The Endless assembled understood with concise clarity the definition of the phrase “silent as the grave”.
(As always, thank you Neil)
[/caption]With all the forays into creative writing over the past year(s), I’ve developed a deeper desire to know more about the craft. After all, if you want to know if you’re headed in the right direction, why not snag a copy of On Writing and pick the brain of one of the more skilled writers of our time? Truth be told, I’ve never been a big Stephen King follower – certainly not like many others I know. I’ve read a few of his books and enjoyed them, but I wouldn’t throw him into that “I must devour whatever comes next” author categories. I don’t know if I even have that category reserved as I don’t read as much as I should – Stephen King’s Writer’s Cardinal Sin #1.