MurderVerse

Another dream about my father

He was mad because I died before my mom and stuck

her with a big funeral bill

In my dreams dad was always upset

Always lecturing

Waking up was like swimming to the surface and gasping

for air

Relief.

Thankful to be awake

Soon after relief, my phone began buzzing

It was Max

She was uncharacteristically hysterical

Something about Gina, her bad boyfriend, black-eye, guy

needs a beating, he lied to my princess and deserves to die

I said I'd be over in an hour

Max was a mess

She was half drunk in her easy chair scribbling nonsense in

a tiny notebook

"Max are you alright?"

"I have to write this down before I forget, you'll need it

She tore the page out of her notebook and handed it to me

I couldn't read it

"Max read this to me"

She looked at the paper, "Martin, fun, al, Newark"

"What's that mean?"

"That's the guy needs a beating"

She was slurring her words, reaching for a bottle, knocking

things on the floor

Suddenly she threw up

"Oh no, look at that."

Gina showed up about thirty minutes after I called her

Max was doubled over in her easy chair, asleep

I had managed to clean up the puke, picked up the things

she'd knocked over and put her little notebook in my coat

pocket

Gina put the baby down and looked closely at her mom

"How long has she been like this?"

"I walked in she was like this, she handed me this piece of

paper with something written on it, I can't read it"

Gina looked at it. "Did she tell you what she'd written?"

"Something about a lie, a black eye, and a guy deserved to

die"

"Your quite the poet." She handed the paper back to me.

"Being a jerk doesn't qualify one for the death penalty"

The handwriting on this is so bad that I bet if I took this to

the pharmacy I could get you some painkillers for that

black eye"

She wasn't amused but couldn't help smiling

Laughter followed

We fell back on the sofa

"You know that's funny." I said

"Yeah, it's only...only you would come up with that..."

More laughter.

Then Max woke up. "What's all the racket?"

"Johnny made me laugh, ma."

"Then keep him."

Cut to: Gina's living room Later that night

Gina makes up the sofa so I can sleep over

Stand guard.

Protection from the bad boyfriend

She explained everything over coffee and cigarettes

"It's nice to have someone watch over me"

"Just trying to be of service"

"You were always a good boy, Johnny. Mom always liked

you."

I detected a slightly condescending tone

She smiled sweetly and for a second Gina was the little girl

I remembered from all those years ago

Following me, pushing a baby carriage

But we had grown up and tonight

I was the thug, she was the princess

A thug with bodies buried in various places

A Princess with a black eye.

Max was asleep