Life goes on

In a brightly coloured room lit with countless small and modern fixtures, the hundreds of men and women of the Corporation toiled-as they had since the dawn of time. At the very center of the room was a large crystalline model of the Earth, spinning absentmindedly like it was in no rush to get anywhere. On its clear blue surface were miniscule red lights that were scattered along the whole globe, though concentrated in several areas more than others. The lights would appear and extinguish faster than any eye could keep track of, almost like a disco-ball- had it been invented in the twenty-second century. Cubicles lined across the outer walls, each accompanied with its own worker which spent little time outside of them. If one of them were to stop what they were doing and look carefully at the very top of the room, they would find a small pane of glass above, overlooking the whole operation below. Nobody ever knew what went on up there, only that they all had a job that needed to be done.

***

Chapter 1: Fired

Clutching the car’s cupholder for support as the coupe throttled wildly down the freeway, Charlie Minnows screamed as the car spouted a wake of black exhaust for anyone unfortunate enough to be driving behind them. On his left, his driver screeched with glee as he floored it, engine blaring as he sped on ahead. The noises the car was making were just loud enough to overpower Charlie's pleas to drive in a straight line.

“Charlie, you have no idea,” Mango howled with laughter. “She’s my baby. She really is. I love her.” Mango Pacquiera gave Charlie a huge child-like grin, as he often did. “I feel like I’m in a dream amigo! Who in their right mind would want to scrap this ride?!”

Once he felt capable enough to, Charlie goggled at his stout friend in adrenaline-fueled disbelief. As he strengthened his grip on the cupholder with one hand and his box wrapped around his other, he decided he didn’t want to answer. Not because he couldn’t, he could think of twenty reasons any sane person wouldn’t want the vehicle, rather it was more so that Charlie was tired.

Above all else, Charlie wanted to go home. He wanted to make some English tea and stare at a wall until the day was over. Charlie also knew that nothing he could say would dissuade Mango to return the car with mismatched tires and two missing doors to the junkyard it belonged in. Maybe there was a small part of him that just didn't care anymore, to simply say nothing and let fate decide.

But in hindsight, he was really looking forward to that tea.

“Are the seatbelts in the trunk?” Charlie asked hopefully.

“Trunk doesn’t open. There was a spare key, but it got stuck in the keyhole,” Mango shrugged. “You sure you don't want me to tie you to the seat? I do have some cables in the back."

"I'm sure," Charlie wiggled around in his seat. He wasn't entirely sure if it was even attached to the vehicle. "Mango, I actually don't see any cables back there."

"What?" Mango jerked around. The car did too to a lesser extent. "Oh, god dammit. Those doors better be coming in soon, it's been two weeks since I placed an order on them."

"That long huh? I thought the mechanic shop had a bunch of people that had stuff like that."

"We do. It's just that you don't really see this type of car anymore. They discontinued this model back in 73'. Only a handful of these puppies even made it to the road," Mango said proudly.

"So, why'd they discontinue it?"

"Listen, this is like a dream car, for me. You know how long I've been searching for something like this? Don't worry your pretty little head about the details, güey. Those seatbelts you like are coming in tomorrow."

“Amazing,” Charlie replied numbly.

“Listen, you don’t need to worry about me. She’s a bit of a fixer-upper, I know, I'm not blind or anything. But listen bro, I got a guy for that,” Mango averted his gaze. “You, my friend; gotta start worrying less about other people and more about yourself.”

“Mango, I worry all the time just fine without you,” Charlie stared at the box full of his slightly roasted belongings, all of which had been neatly organized around his office just twenty minutes before. It rested uncomfortably on his lap, but it was as close to a seatbelt that he was going to get, so it wasn’t all bad in hindsight.

While the drive with Mango had been terrifying in itself, it was still only the second worst thing to happen today. First place rightfully belonged to his office building burning down. Along with it, his career in real-estate which he had built diligently for half a decade, had gone out in smoke.

“Look, how about we go get something to eat, yeah?” Mango carefully changed the subject. “You’re hungry, right? No? Well, how about we get a drink then?”

“It’s eleven AM, Mango.”

“Aie, I know that Charlie. I didn’t say we’re gonna get black out drunk on a Wednesday,” Mango snorted. “Tea, frappucinnos, whatever you hipster types like to sip on.”

“Just cause I treat myself with something I like makes me a hipster now? That’s ridiculous.”

“I’m just saying,” Mango let out a painful sigh. “I’d never spend eight bucks on a triple-dipple ultra expresso. Don’t look at me like that, I don’t drink that fancy shmancy stuff. Gimme some cola or iced tea in a can and I'm a happy man. See, I don’t have the urge to show everyone around me that I’m classy. I know what I want, people should sip for themselves, not for others.”

“That’s really not the point here. It’s just nice to have, like once in a while,” Charlie shot back, self-consciously. “I couldn’t care less what people think about me, much less what I drink.”

“Alright, relax. I’m not here to drink-shame you.”

“That’s exactly what you were doing!”

“Hey, I’m sorry alright. It was a joke in poor taste... like yours,” Mango smirked.

“Alright, just take me home. It’s been a long day and I’ve got a lot to think about,” Charlie slumped in his seat carefully. He wasn't in the mood for any of this.

“Órale! But it’s eleven AM, Charlie,” Mango said mockingly. “Besides, I can’t just send you home like nothing happened, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself."

"I'm really not feeling it right now."

"You were in a burning building for crying out loud! What the hell kind of friend would I be if I just tossed you home, huh? Come on, Charlie. We should go somewhere, for old times’ sake.”

“Fuckin' hell. Fine.” Charlie gave up. “I'm hungry, I guess.”

“See! I know you too well, amigo. It just so happens that I have these coupons for Paulo’s that I hafta use this week...”

“Whatever. If you wanna go eat at Paulo’s, just say so!” Charlie held on to the cupholder again as the car’s engine started making bird calls. “Hey, is this car going to be alright?"

“Yeaaaaah buddy! Takes more than unemployment and a near death experience to take down the C-Man,” Mango drove on, ignoring Charlie’s last comment. “Chin up bud, say lovely- like them French say, right?”

“What?”

“Everything happens for a reason. Somebody up there’s got a plan for me, you, and everyone else around. Say lovely,” Mango said sagely as he spun the wheel stiffly to the right.

The coupe screamed as it tumbled out the exit, its fumes following closely behind like an ill-fitted cape.

***

“Lovely,” Charlie sighed. “Know what? Bar isn’t looking too bad about now.”

In front of him was Paulo’s Burger Shop. It held a special place in Charlie’s heart, being one of the places he spent most of his adolescence.

During his early college years, he had managed to survive off of a diet of fries and glass mugs filled with root beer, right up until the day that he felt like he had trouble breathing after putting on his shoes. Upon self-diagnosing himself with hypertension, he frequented the burger joint far less often, but still caved to temptation on occasion.

Today would not be one of those days.

“No!” Mango flailed as a couple of people held him back from the inferno. “NO!” he repeated louder for added emphasis as he cried out in dismay.

Charlie’s workplace had burned down earlier that day due to a mishap in the kitchen that involved some bread, a toaster, and a lack of attention on Charlie’s part. Coincidentally, Paulo’s Burger Shop had suffered a similar fate a few minutes before Charlie and Mango arrived.

The restaurant was still glowing bright orange by the time they got there, a crowd of onlookers shoving each other out of the way, scrambling to take the best picture from outside the wall of yellow tape and emergency personnel. Several firemen were hosing down the blaze from the outside, but it was clear that the best they could do was keep the fires from spreading to nearby buildings.

“Charlie, Manny!” a familiar voice called from the right. The two of them turned to see a short man with a plaid, buttoned suit stumbled towards them from down the parking lot. Whilst continuing to towards them, he began waving his hands like one of those balloon men Charlie often saw in front of car dealerships.

“Ivan?” Charlie turned to Mango, as his eyes went wide in disbelief. “What the hell is he doing here?”

These days, he hadn’t seen a lot of Ivan. The last time he had seen him, he was flying business class to every state under the sun trying to maintain appointments with various influential, important people who made more in a hour than Charlie and Mango would ever hope to see in a week.

Despite all this, it seemed that Ivan’s fashion sense had nevertheless, remained the same. Just like the last time they had seen him, he gave the impression that he was very much like a pine tree that was brought in and decorated on Christmas day. As he came closer to them, Charlie noticed that he also seemed to be missing a shoe for some reason.

Then, it hit him. “You were planning on coming here from the beginning, weren’t you? Unbelievable,” Charlie cried in disbelief as Mango attempted and failed to come up with a plausible excuse. "Where the hell did you even find him?"

"He showed up at my house a couple days ago. Said he needed a place to say. How could I say no?" replied Manny. "Anisha will warm up to him eventually."

Eventually, Ivan pushed through the crowds of onlookers, then settled beside his two friends with a lopsided smirk. His face was ashen, quite literally in an even layer of dust that reached up to his jet black hair, toning it down calm grey.

“Manny, why you ask me to come here? I almost die, and not even lunchtime,” Ivan mused, tapping his Rollex with his finger. “And greetings to you Charlie. Hope all is well, although I hear you almost die today too. Very good you did not meet death. Very happy you are still breathing too.”

“Likewise, buddy,” Charlie took Ivan’s hand and gave it a firm shake. All three of them had known each other since the first grade. Through thick and thin, their friendship had remained as strong as ever, even when Ivan left town to work for the government.

Neither Mango nor Charlie actually knew what it was that Ivan actually did for a living. Whenever they tried to ask, he would quickly change the subject or feign ignorance of the English language. Whatever he did seemed to pay the bills quite nicely though.

“Yo, were you in there?!” Mango gaped at what was left of Paulo’s, then shook Ivan’s shoulders pleadingly. “Dude, I am so sorry. To think that I almost lost my two best friends today... Shit, I had no idea the place was going to be on fire!”

“Usually the case with most fires,” Charlie chimed in, helpfully.

“Don’t apologize. I escape before... How you say, shit fly off fan,” Ivan nodded gravely. “Very lucky for me, but is unfortunate my other shoe did not make it. Small price to pay for body and spirit however,” he shrugged. “I was promised a meal with my friends, Manny. Let us leave this dangerous place.”

Nobody had any objections, so the three of them crossed the crowded street to see if the bar was open. Once inside, the barkeep seemed to recognize Ivan, then ushered them all in hurriedly and pleasantly. Fortunately, nothing there seemed to be on fire, so they took a seat on some squeaky stools and laughed and reminisced about life like they used to.

For a brief moment, Charlie was given an opportunity to forget about the past couple of hours. It had been a while since they’d all met up like this. He would try and enjoy this while it lasted, even though he knew what was coming next.

Charlie Minnows had no delusions about his life. At present he was unemployed, which was not a very good thing.

Another not very good thing was the imminent and very likely case of litigation coming his way. The fact of the matter was that he was the only person in the building when his workplace burned down. That made him responsible for all this. He felt the dread in his gut churn as he imagined how many other lives that he had just messed up. A father coming home to his wife and child, trying to explain to them that the reason he can’t put food on the table, was because some jackass at work didn’t know how to make French toast. In a twisted sense, he was somewhat glad that he wouldn’t have to go back there to see everyone else.

And then there was his mother. The thought made him wince unconsciously. That was a whole other can of worms that he wasn't quite prepared to deal with. Family matters were another mess entirely that he didn’t wish in the slightest to think about.

Right now, he felt very lucky that he still had friends like Mango and Ivan by his side. He knew that as the years went by, there wouldn’t be many more days like this. Mango would probably get married to Anisha and move somewhere nicer to settle down as a family. Maybe, closer to his parents-like they’ve always asked him to. Ivan would become a stockbroker, or a politician, or the President. Charlie sincerely believed that whatever Ivan ended up doing, he’d probably be perfectly happy and completely capable of achieving it.

Charlie, on the other hand, never felt very confident about his future. That anxiety always seemed to linger within him, like a starved chimpanzee groaning miserably in his ear. It felt paralyzing at times, knowing that in his heart of hearts; he could have done so many things differently. Once again, he found himself at another crossroad, dreading to take yet another wrong turn. Charlie loosened his grip on his glass and slowed his breathing. Calm down. He couldn't afford to make any more mistakes now, because he wasn't sure if he could handle it.

“I am glad to see you two again. It has been almost year’s half, but it feels as though not a day is gone by,” Ivan downed another shot glass and gestured for the next. “Very sorry for your business, Charlie. Breaks do not seem to want to catch up with you. Please, you are free to drink away career sorrows today, but be advised of tomorrow’s hangover.”

“No need for that Ivan. You know I’m not really much of a drinker,” Charlie took a swig of some frothy mix that he couldn’t quite pronounce which Ivan had recommended. He made a small mental note to remember what it was, so he would know to never drink it again. Before he knew it, the minutes of small talk had turned to hours of entertainment. By then, the bar table had attached itself to Mango's semi-conscious face, while Ivan and Charlie carried on with the afternoon.

“To Paulo’s,” Mango unstuck his face from the table, held his glass valiantly to the center of the table, then took an awkward sip when nobody followed the gesture.

"What?"

“Never shoulda asssssked you to go there,” Mango paused, wobbled a bit, then remembered what he was going to say. “Iiivan, I almost gotcha killed today! I’m so sorry man,” Mango sobbed and sipped again to calm his nerves. “Whatsss wrong with me?”

“Lady luck has been kind to me. Please keep your sorry and give it to Charlie instead. For all my life, I do not know why Lady luck is such bitch to my friend,” Ivan patted Charlie’s shoulder with his jeweled fingers pitifully. “To Bad Luck Charlie,” he toasted innocently, and Mango returned the gesture.

“Don’t call me that,” Charlie frowned disdainfully at his nickname. “Sometimes life gives you a bad hand. Eventually, the deck gives you something to work with,” he stated as if it was common sense.

“Hmm. Gambling is bad habit,” Ivan said reproachfully. Charlie rolled his eyes as Ivan finished off his twelfth shot of vodka. He was now cheerfully making a little house out of his empty glasses.

“Alright, everyboooody shut up please. To our friendship, then!” Mango raised his glass triumphantly before losing consciousness. With lighting reflexes, Ivan caught Mango’s arm before he would hit the ground, head-first. Charlie stared amazed as Ivan set Mango down gently on a chair, effortless and with little resistance despite being about half Mango’s size.

“To our friendship!” Ivan clinked his thirteenth glass with Charlie’s mug.

“To our friendship,” Charlie glanced at his fallen friend who was beginning to snore. “Forgot how much of a lightweight he is,” he laughed. “You know, he doesn’t usually drink that much these days.”

“Ah, is Mister Charlie keeping him on leash of tightness?”

“Nah, not me. His missus is- well, doing her best to keep him out of trouble.”

“Who is he missing?”

“Sorry, I was taking about his girlfriend.”

“Oh, I see. Mishka, yes? The girl who sings in shower? She is good person for Manny, maybe too good."”

“Anisha, yeah. Three years now, still going strong. I’m proud of him.”

“Three years,” Ivan whistled. “Good for Manny, he seem like good family man. But I see no ring, so there was no popping question.”

“Nope, they’re not engaged yet. Probably just a matter of time though,” he nodded. “What about you? Looks like you’ve been popping lots of questions,” Charlie smirked.

For a second, Ivan looked like he had short-circuited, but he quickly recovered.

“Aha, you are talking about my many rings. You scare me Charlie, I’m not ready for such big commission,” he blushed, turning his ashen pale face to a pastel gray.

“Commitment. So, what’s up with all that bling you’ve got?” Charlie poked at Ivan playfully. “Ladykiller like you, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re leading a double-life out there.”

“They...” Ivan paused to find his words. “I promise I am killing no women. This… bling; they are gifts from the company, that’s all,” he stared at his watch. “You like... my bling?”

“It’s uh, glamorous. I guess,” Charlie replied noticing that Ivan was starting to fidget uncomfortably with the mention of his job. “You know, glamorous. Glittery, expensive.”

Despite living here for two decades, Ivan’s grasp of English was still far from perfect. In fact, there were many occasions that his poor choice of words had landed him in trouble that he couldn’t help but try solving with more words. Ivan was somebody who always had the best of intentions, but often seemed to go punished for them.

Charlie respected Ivan for that, for being a genuine person; honest and true to his heart, and always ready to challenge everything wrong with the world through literal and metaphorical rose tinted glasses.

Though they had known each other since sophomore year, Charlie could never guess where exactly Ivan was originally from. The most he ever got out of Ivan was this brief description: there is many wolves, little sunlight, no hot water. Then, when he once asked him if he would ever go back to visit, he told him that there was nothing left to visit there. Both Mango and Charlie decided to leave it at that, out of respect for their friend.

“Yeah, I like them. Bling is nice,” Charlie smiled, giving Ivan a friendly tap on the shoulder. We all have our secrets. Beside the both of them, Mango snored loudly. Charlie and Ivan said nothing for a while.

“My friend,” Ivan finally said. “Have I told you the story of the lamb before?”

“That the one with the sheep who decides to fistfight a bear?” Charlie was met with a confused expression. “Oh, I don’t know Ivan. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between your stories and one of my sleep paralysis demons.”

“Ah! That is different story! This is story from my country about lamb that travel up mountain. Please, I see eyes rolling already. It will only take minute, this is okay?”

“All right,” Charlie said reluctantly. “Hit me with it. No, put that down- just tell me the story.”

Ivan put down the wine list, then made a thoughtful motion involving his hand and stubbled chin.

“Okay, the story is going like this. So, there was little lamb at bottom of mountain. He is small, and weak. Friends say not to climb mountain, that this is very silly, stupid idea.” Ivan narrated enthusiastically.

“Uh huh.”

“Little lamb did not listen. He hears from Fox that there is paradise at the top of mountain, where there no wolves, and plenty of green grass during the cold, dark winter. So, hopeful little lamb start to climb while friends laugh at him.”

“Am I the lamb, Ivan?” Charlie raised an eyebrow. “This is an underdog story. David and Goliath? Look, I’ve seen Rocky before, I know what this is.”

“Charlie, please let me finish. Is good story.”

“Fine.”

“So, great mountain is not nice to little lamb,” Ivan continued on. “Fox did not say that the wind howls and claws at poor lamb, like the hungry wolf it runs from. It gets colder, and colder as he go up and up. But, little lamb does not give up. He is small, but has heart like bear. One year pass by, and lamb finally make it to top of mountain. He is not little or weak anymore, though. Through pain of climb, and snowness of snow- he grow into the strongest sheep in the country. There, he finds his paradise at the top of the mountain, more beautiful than he could ever be imagining.”

“Oh wow, good for him,” Charlie said, genuinely happy for the lamb.

“But, he too busy looking around him that he forget to look in front of him,” Ivan said gravely. “Even though paradise, Sheep forget that it is still a mountaintop. This is unfortunate for Sheep, because he was not looking. At the top of mountain, Sheep suddenly slip on ice and fall very badly. Sheep now has broken neck, very sad.”

“What the fuck, Ivan.”

“I think moral of story is how you Americans say; shit happens. You are strong, Charlie. Neck is not broken. Story is not over for Charlie, it only beginning.”

“Thanks for the drink,” Charlie stood up, suddenly sobered by Ivan’s story. “I think I’ll call a cab. Great talk, as always.”

“No need,” Ivan waved his hand. “This is my car, I am here for the rest of week.” He then reached into his back pocket, then tossed Charlie a small black tab that resembled a lighter. “No key, just push button. Very easy, very smart car.”

Before Charlie could object, Ivan started to push him toward the door, past Mango and a half-dozen other patrons of the bar which paid him no mind.

“Really, Ivan. I’m fine on my own,” Charlie protested ineffectively. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I have upset you,” he frowned. “This I know. I will stay with Manny, who has baby body that cannot handle the drink. This one should not drive, yes,” he dragged Charlie, whose objections were falling on deaf ears. “I will take care of him, while you take care of my car please. Beware of the ice, friend, and I will come get car later.”

Before long, the bar door shut behind Charlie as he found himself outside, feeling a bit flustered, confused, and annoyed. Feeling the autumn chill bite at his neck, Charlie buttoned on his denim jacket and walked away from the lively bar, silently wondering why a lamb would scale a mountain anyways.