That’s the Ticket! Pt. 5 (Final Episode)

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 1

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 2

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 3

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 4

Glenn was violently brought back to reality when someone tackled him. A few other valiant movie goers decided to jump onto the pile of bodies, probably seeking their own personal moment of heroism. Glenn felt like he was suffocating.

Despite an elbow smashing his face, he managed to say “He had a gun”

Someone close to him heard the words and cried for the mob to let up. The message spread slowly and Glenn felt a little relief. Then came confirmation, “Holy shit! Guy DID have a gun!” This informant had rolled the corpse over, exposing the firearm.

A few people in the mob offered apologies to Glenn. There were even a few shouts of “He’s a hero!” and “He saved our lives!”

Glenn’s mind went back to Heather. Surely she was somewhere in the menagerie of bodies. He even called out, “Heather!” A few Heathers even answered, but none where the one he was interested in.

The mall was shut down and a few people, including Glenn, were held for questioning about the event. Glenn sent off a few more messages to Heather, the last being –I hope you are safe-

As the police were wrapping up their investigation, their radios went crazy. A shooting had taken place at the Somerset Mall, across town. There were murmurs of it being a tandem crime. It happened at the movie theater at the same time the premier of the same film was about to be shown.

*          *          *          *          *

As Heather and her boyfriend filed into the screening room she took on last glance at her phone. “I hope you’re safe???” she read aloud. “Well that’s fucking creepy. I guess he figured out what happened and now he’s pissed”

“If that nerd-loser is threatening you, I’ll kick his …” her boyfriend’s words were cut short by screams. The crowd started to stampede. It quickly was made clear as to why. At first, the bursts of noises were thought to be fireworks going off, maybe even some pyrotechnics in honor of the big premier. Then the crowd grew wise and cries of “Gun!” rang out.

Heather got pushed over. She cried out to her boyfriend but he had already shoved his way through the crowd and was well ahead of her heading towards the exit. She first felt her legs and hands get trampled, then her torso. It became difficult to breathe. She couldn’t get up. She went into panic. She felt as if she was in the ocean and a wave had knocked her over and was holding her under water. After some excruciating time and a few unfortunate stomps, she cried the last tears of her short life.

Her boyfriend thought he was going to get out unscathed. Little did he know, he was pushing his way right towards the shooter. When he was confident he would finally escape, he came face to face with the deranged gunman. The man was expressionless. He uttered the words “pretty boy” before foiling the escape plans and claiming one more victim.

*          *          *          *          *

Glenn never spoke to Heather again. After a few days of trying to call and message her to no avail, he gave up. He fathomed that she must have been traumatized by the events at the theater and wanted to move on with her life. He still believed that their meeting was impeded by the averted tragedy. He had never learned of her fate. He shunned the news because he didn’t want to see his face anymore. He was considered a national hero and reluctantly did a media tour around the country. He only took up the offer as a way to see the country.

The pinnacle of Glenn’s rewards was a private screening of the movie he so dearly wanted to see. The whole cast showed up. It was a red carpet event. When the invitation was extended, he thought of asking Heather to accompany him. Although he decided against it, he did fantasize about walking the red carpet, hand in hand with her.

 

The End.

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 4

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 1

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 2

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 3

A half hour past and Glenn hadn’t received a reply. She must be busy getting herself ready, he justified. She is probably finishing up and almost ready to leave or on her way even. The crowd was getting large and Glenn was getting nervous that they might have difficulty finding one another. He sent off another message with his exact location to make sure that didn’t happen.

Glenn was too preoccupied to notice a strange man pacing nervously about ten feet from him. The man was inappropriately dressed for the balmy summer evening. His baggy Cleveland Browns jacket caught Glenn’s attention. His father was from Cleveland and a die-hard Browns fan. The man’s behavior made Glenn pay attention to him.

Besides pacing, the man looked as though he was talking to himself, like he was psyching himself up. Glenn found the look on the man’s face unsettling as well. Glenn was so focused on the man that he had stopped looking at his phone impulsively every other second.

In fact, he had been so focused on the man that he hadn’t noticed the lobby of the movie theater fill to a shoulder to shoulder crowd that spilled into the mall itself. The man’s strange energy was a magnet for Glenn’s attention. Not even the freaks in cosplay could peal it away. His heartbeat increased and his palms were sweaty.

The man took a deep breath with his eyes closed and flung his jacket open. Glenn was given instant justification for his fight or flight response to the man. Tucked into the man’s pants was a firearm, a rifle of sorts. Glenn didn’t know what kind but it looked real.

In an instant, Glenn’s world was only this man and himself in a tunnel. He heard nothing. There was only a dark void in his peripheral vision. Immediately behind the man stood a no-smoking sign on a pole with a heavy metal base.

Without even thinking, as the man reached for the weapon, Glenn sprung from his seat and grabbed the sign. He held it like a baseball bat with the heavy metal base in the air. Remembering his days of junior high baseball, he stepped into a swing. The man didn’t see it coming. The base smashed in his cranium. The bone split open with a sickening crack. Blood splashed the crowd. The man fell dead upon his weapon, hiding it from the mass of people that was now horrified and starting to come online as to what happened.

Glenn stood there, chest heaving, with the bloody sign in his hands. As he dropped it to the floor he heard voices in the crowd calling out to apprehend him.

To be continued…

 

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 3

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 1

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 2

Glenn was pacing around his tiny apartment for at least a half hour since his last shower. He had already taken three due to his excessive perspiration. He even had to throw the tee-shirt he had bought for this occasion in the dryer. Despite all this activity, he still had three hours to kill.

He already put the Sun Valley Mall into his GPS despite having gone there since he was a child. He could probably walk there blind folded if he had to. Apparently all the clocks in his house were broken because none of them were moving forward; at least in his perception.

This won’t do, he thought.  I’m going to go crazy waiting. He decided to go to the mall to pass the time. At least there was air conditioning there.

As Glenn pulled into the mall parking lot, he was down to only two hours before the big moment. As he strolled around, he was struck by how many happy couples there were. Admittedly, he used to feel a little envy seeing such happy pairs holding hands, sharing a good time. Not now, because he knew that would be him in the near future. He could see himself hand in hand with Heather. He pictured himself sitting on a footstool with her purse on his lap as she tried on clothes she didn’t really need but claimed she did.

With one hour left until starting time and a half hour until the rendezvous, he decided it would be better to go to the spot they decided to meet. He sat down and pulled out his phone. He took a moment to think of a clever thing to write to Heather.

-I don’t know what I am more excited about, the movie or meeting you-  perfect, he thought as he pushed send.

Riding in the passenger side of her boyfriend’s car, on the other side of town, Heather received Glenn’s text. She burst out laughing.

“Don’t tell me it’s that dork” her boyfriend said.

“That dork is the reason you’re gonna get to see the movie” she said, still laughing, “I almost feel bad for him, but, my God, how could he even think I’d give him the time of day?”

Meanwhile back at the Sun Valley Mall, Glenn sat staring at the two blue check marks next to his message that signified it was received and read. He all but held his breath waiting for a reply.

To be continued…

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 4

 

 

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 2

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 1

Glenn scoured the internet for tickets. He checked other zip codes. There were no tickets available in the whole tri-state area. Glenn’s anxiety had never been higher. He felt he was blowing his big chance. His hopes were hinging on taking Heather to the premier.

When he was about to give up hope, he received a text.

-Hey handsome. Did u track down a ticket 4 me?- needless to say, it was from Heather.

-Still working on it- he wrote back. He started and subsequently deleted the next text message twelve times before finally sending –Don’t worry, I’ll find one :)-

Glenn didn’t sleep that night. He saw the sun rise from behind his monitor. He went to work with deep circles under his eyes. When he closed his eyes, he saw movie ticket sites; start times and seating charts.

Seven cups of coffee got him through until lunch time. With a jittery hand, he reached for his cellphone. He was about to send a text of capitulation when he phone vibrated.

-Any luck?- Heather wrote.

-Well…- he started to answer back.

-I have an idea! I’m gonna call u- she wrote before he could wave his white flag of defeat.

His phone rang. He momentarily contemplated throwing it in the trash, changing operators and moving out of the state. Instead, he swiped the green circle and said “Hello”

“Hey! I bet you didn’t have much luck…Lord knows how hard I tried” Heather said.

“I searched the internet all night. I’m like a zombie today” he answered with a feigned laugh.

“Listen, I have a friend that works in the Cineplex at the Sun Valley Mall. He said he could easily get one of us in! Did you buy your ticket on Ticket-king.com?” she asked.

“Yes!” he answered, seeing his chances coming back like a boomerang that almost flew into a neighbor’s yard.

“Awesome! That means it can be used in any theater in the entire country. So, transfer your ticket to me, then we can meet at the mall and my friend will get you in. Then afterwards, we can get drinks at my place”

Glenn pretty much only heard that last part; at least it was the only part he paid any real attention to.

“That sounds great!” Glenn said, again with focus only on the last thing she said and not really analyzing the rest.

“Ok! Do it now, with me on the phone” she prodded.

“Done” Glenn responded after only a few beats of silence.

“Hmmmm, that was quick! I can’t wait to see you again. Send the confirmation code, please?”

“I already have”

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 3

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 1

 

All Glenn could think about for the past few months was the upcoming release of the latest installment of his favorite super hero movie. Just the mere idea that he would be whisked away to a fantasy land for a few hours in the dark, with popcorn in hand, gave him a thrill. It gave him a jolt of excitement he could feel in his belly. He even bought a new t-shirt, online, just for the occasion.

While in line for his morning coffee and bagel, a stunning woman caught his eye. He had to do a double take because he imagined that she was looking at him. Upon a second glance, it was confirmed. She was looking at him.

He immediately felt self-conscious. He must have had toothpaste on his face or his fly was probably open. Those would be reasonable motives for a woman of this caliber to be looking at him. The thoughts were washed away by sheer panic. She was coming towards him! He started to fidget. He contemplated running.

“Hi” the woman said, extending her right hand. Damn she moves fast, Glenn thought, “I’m Heather”

“Hi, I’m…” Glenn blanked, his mouth hadn’t felt this dry in a while. He managed to lick his lips and remembered his name after and awkwardly long time, “uh…Glenn”

“Hi Glenn, I love your tie” she said as she plucked it from his torso by her thumb and forefinger “I’m a huge fan myself” The tie was branded with images of Glenn’s super hero in a questionably tasteful manner.

“My mom bought it for me” Glenn said, immediately scolding himself for saying that.

“That’s cute!” Are you going to the premier?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything” Glenn said, “I already got a ticket!”

“Neat! I’d love to go but I don’t know anyone who would like to go with me and I hate going to the movies alone”

With clumsy timing Glenn blurted out, “You could go with me” his face instantly burned with embarrassment, he braced himself for rejection, yet he was proud of himself for his boldness.

“Why, I’d love that!” she said, “Let’s exchange numbers. We’ll work out the details”

Glenn was dizzy with euphoria and a touch of disbelief. He barely remembered his number and stammered as he recited it. As they parted ways at the front door of the bagel shop, Heather put her hand to her head with the thumb at her ear and pinky finger at her mouth and said, “Call me!”

As Glenn sat in his car and fastened his seatbelt, reality punched him in the gut. He said aloud “How in the world am I going to get another ticket? For sure they are all sold out! Shit, shit, shit!”

To be continued…

That’s the Ticket! Pt. 2

 

 

 

A Wedge Between Pt. 1

Frank Stodler, mostly known as just Stodler, met Isabel during his first week of attending Brown University. Isabel’s family tree has roots that burrow into Brown’s soil before the Civil War. Stodler, on the other hand, was the first in his family to go to college. Isabel came from a long line of money and privilege. Stodler came from a long line of poverty and struggle.

Stodler was able to go to Brown due to a generous benefactor from his home town. Every year, the benefactor choose one extraordinary and needy student and paid for four years of college. This year his generosity would be tested. Brown is much more expensive than the usual state schools or community colleges he was used to paying for.

Stodler fell in love with Isabel the moment he saw her. He left their first meeting floating in thin air, getting a boost higher every time he mouthed her name  “I S A B E L ”. The name echoed in his head. The best or worst part, depending on the point of view, was that this was his first time in love.

As months passed by, their relationship progressed. Isabel fell just as hard for Stodler as he had for her. They were practically inseparable. They only parted when Isabel spent time with her friends and family. She told Stodler a healthy relationship needed some separation to flourish. The separation that Isabel required grew so radical that Stodler became suspicious.

Stodler’s suspicions were somewhat confirmed. Though he thought Isabel was ashamed of his social status, she really wasn’t, but word of their romantic bond could never be heard by her father. Her father wouldn’t accept her dating anything less than a future senator; and even that was aiming low in his estimation.

One afternoon Isabel’s treachery was discovered. She explained herself to Stodler. He took it well. In fact, knowing that they would have to be a little sneaky excited Stodler. He took pride in knowing he was “sticking it to the man” while “giving it to his daughter”. Little did he know, he was playing with fire.

To be continued….

A Wedge Between Pt. 2

A Wedge Between Pt. 3

A Wedge Between Pt. 4

 

The Connection

Beverly´s only real skill in life was being attractive to the opposite sex. She honed this skill the way a fighter hones various angles of his game, only with less hard work, dedication and honor involved in the process. She was constantly changing looks. Beverly didn´t really like men. She was not a lesbian, but she was in not sexually attracted to men. In fact, she really didn´t like much of anything about them. There was one thing she like in a man, money.

Beverly´s lack of attraction didn´t matter because she could fake it like an academy award winning actress. She could make a man feel like he was the only man she had ever truly loved. Many men to this day think of her as the women who fell the hardest for them.

In her younger days, Beverly would just drift from city to city spending a few months here, a few years there. She always found her way into the most posh apartments, finest restaurants and rubbing elbows in the highest social circles wherever she was. But now her years were catching up to her.

It was not that her looks were diminishing. She seemed to become more beautiful with age. It was that moving so often was getting tiresome and lonely. She wanted to stop. She wanted to live in familiarity for once. New was becoming boring.

She created a profile on a website specifically for women looking for men with money. She went to the trouble to buy a few expensive outfits and had professional pictures taken. She threw the bait out. Now she waited to land her whale.

Among the many messages she received over the first week. One caught her eye in particular. His name was Henry. His profile stated he was an entrepreneur, a very wealthy one at that. Beverly was not destitute by any means. She was smart over the years creating various accounts, depositing gifts from her suitors.

Beverly exchanged many messages with Henry and became very interested. He might be able to provide the soft landing she was looking for. And strangely, she felt that she might like him.

After a few weeks of back and forth they decided to meet. They decided to do it in a big way. They were to rendezvous in Cancun for an extended weekend. Henry had given Beverly a long story of how he had some funds frozen due to litigation in Europe and he asked her to spot him. He would pay her back as soon as the matter cleared. Beverly obliged. It was a mere investment in her eyes.

They spent the most fabulous weekend imaginable. Beverly was more sure than ever that she was on the right path. Henry, besides demonstrating great wealth, was handsome and fun to be around. His legal woes in Europe had increased and now a Chinese court was looking into a business of his. Beverly did not think twice about helping him out. Help him out now, help me out in the future, she thought.

After a few more sob stories and a few more wire transfers, Beverly´s funds started to get alarmingly low. When Henry asked for help again, Beverly had to deny. She hadn´t the funds he required. Soon after, Henry disappeared. He no longer answered e-mails. His cell phone was disconnected. Beverly was devastated.

She took what little funds she had and hired a private investigator to track Henry down. After a few weeks, the investigator found all he needed and closed the case. He brought his findings to Beverly. Henry, or Roberto, his birth name, had a criminal record thicker than Beverly´s passport from all the extra pages she needed. All of his crimes were of the white collar ilk. He had never done time. He was good. Apparently, better than Beverly.

Márcia

She entered the pool.

She made a splash.

Now I am all wet.

I do not know what to do.

I am all wet. Soggy.

I do not want to dry off.

I want to stay here. Dripping. Forever.

Forever shivering.

With the cold wetness she gives me.

Dripping with the sweet water of her.

Wet. Forever.

*Note from the author:  This bad poem converted a girlfriend into a wife. My unrelenting awesomeness made her an ex.