Meeting One: Sammy & The Unseen Man
He walked through the main revolving door at the entrance just like he was told.He crossed the marble floored hallway, just like he was told.Walked to the reception, at the sign that read "Concierge" just like he was told.
A small tingle shivered down his spine as he placed his palm on the counter for support, he was weak at the knees....It was getting to him.
It's Just one of those dark and sketchy meetings he convinced himself...the ones you enter into your calendar or Diary as a "Ma2moreyya" or "gym with trainer" to fool yourself into believing its not as big as what it really is...such a conundrum, an induced white lie for comfort..., not the recipients comfort, but that of the Liars..
for both persons are merely one and the same in this situation.
The concierge handed him an envelope with the agreed lie written on it"for Sammy..." it read.He flipped it over to open it, and reveal to his anxious eyes the contents. He was prepared until this moment. He was given instructions until this phase, the rest he will just follow.
he felt excitement,
he felt fear...
the two adjoined can be overwhelming.
The envelope contained a small 10 by 4 card..
a business card, same texture same thickness.. no details, just dead center in the middle it read....... Room 613.
He asked the bellhop for the directon to the elevator, he gestured him to head down the narrow corridor to the right, the one furnished with a red velvety wall to wall rug.As he walked down the narrow crevice, the air went stale, with a prominent whiff of cheap cigarette tobacco, he could tell its one of those old regal like hotels that are withering away with the times. neglected and left to rot.The perfect setting.
As he leaves the brass elevator door on the sixth floor, he looks left and right..he sees a brown wooden door, with a golden doorknob at the end of the corridor to his left, it read 611...so he knew where to head down.
He stopped in front of the door of 613, realizing finally that he has reached his destination. This is it, it will all be over soon. He recollected himself before knocking, formed his fingers into a makeshift comb and ran them through his hair three times, re-adjusted the knot on his brimmed tie, and fidgeted with the unshapely lapels of his raincoat, and knocked.The minimal force of the rap his knuckles made on the door while knocking just swung it ajar. Its open he realized.
He walked into a dark room, the lights from the outside seeped through the white silk curtains giving an air of blueish white to the room, the light reflected off the bed, the desk and mirrors. he didn't need to turn on the light to know he was in just another hotel room clean and neat. The arrangement of furniture screamed standard Hotel configuration. Bed faced by mirror and desk, TV on Desk, Closet to the right of the beds, bathroom right next to the door and a small table and arm chair across the corner by or in front of the balcony.The balcony sliding glass door was open, allowing a breeze to come in to give life to the white silk curtains.He could see an orange glow from behind the curtains, moving and glowing more intense after a movement...Cigarette he concluded, He awaits me outside.He passed through the curtains, only to find a white plastic round table, and two plastic white chairs on either side of the table. The farthest one, was occupied by a silhouette of a bald headed man in glasses, super fit, legs crossed over the table, ashtray in lap, and an almost spent cigarette that will be a butt in less than 30 seconds in his right hand.A voice said sit down, he didn't see the lips move, he can barely see the face despite the light source reflecting on everything else. He only assumed the voice was that of the man, since nobody else was around.
"It's a pleasure to.."
"Shut up..." Interrupted the unseen man.. "did you get it?"
The unseen man's voice was so raspy, it distorted in your ears.
" yes, here is the confirmation of the bank transfer.."
"Don't you just feel important saying that..? probably it lost its flavor ages ago...you said it a hundred times before to impress yourself, it gives you a false feeling of importance doesn't it? It also makes you feel important if anyone is listening in to your conversation, you think they would probably think you are some hotshot don't you... I just ask why? why do the likes of you have this unnecessary need to feel important, what have you invested...what did you put all your money on, what did you REALLY go through to have this need to reassure yourself that it paid off? you probably didn't get a bicycle for Christmas on your 8th Birthday because daddy had a bad year..or didn't have enough time to bother and get you a Christmas gift was that it? did that make you feel worthless? and hence you spent the rest of your life chasing recognition that you are worthy? was that what put you through the bullies at school , through an Ivy League education paid by a bank loan you probably paid off in less than 5 years of working your ass off for a fortune 500 company? did it also put you through the ruthless competition offered by your peers who wanted your next promotion for themselves? and you worked at it after hours with no overtime and through the night? till you proved yourself worthy to that unknown close to retirement manager in the corner office who was your ticket to board room meetings? which a few years later landed you with an incomprehensible title that sounds important? which in turn meant more zeros on your paycheck? it made you feel better about yourself didn't it? and to reward yourself you probably leased a nice two doored sports car? you think that's original? you think you are the only one on the planet who wants one? who can get one? well lets not get into that, but you probably think you are something, and felt it for a few years, until it got normal...boring, the usual...and then comes the need to be special again...the moment it was mentioned we will "utilize the services of a professional who can make our problems go away" I am sure you felt stunned...enthralled, wished you can personally be the one who goes to "utilize such services" and that's why you are here...all you want to do is feel important..
at a very high expense..
I wish i was your Father, I woulda just got you the fucking bicycle..."
Meeting Two: Horton & The Woman in Red Stilettos
His impeccably shiny cuff links glimmered across the place,attention to such detail only tells you how well dressed and well groomed this middle aged man is. He keeped his eyes fixed on the bartender as a comfortable space, he always did that when he was under the spotlight.
She was expecting an elaboration.
"look Selma, you have to understand, i will divorce her anyway you know these things take time".
"No, you understand you dick...I am not your Bitch...I am not a Bitch...you will not leave me high and dry after you took what you want.."
"That is why I am saying we should stop seeing one another, at least until I settle things with my Wife.."
"And what if you dont?"
"Then we dont keep a bad thing going..."
It took her a few seconds for her to fathom what he was implying. It shook her on the inside..like thunder booming all of her insides, she needed the few seconds to wait for everything to settle, then she can resume normal biological activity.
She resumed, more composed...she reached for her bag, and pulled out her phone, she said the following while she was fiddling with her phone, it looks like she was looking for something.
"you see,........................technology.........can...be a good thing..., back in the day...women in my position didnt...have anything to protect themselves with" she flipped the phone so he can see the screen...she gleamed in ecstacy when she saw the look on his face, she never saw his eyes so wide, they were big and wide enough that she can actually see the reflection of the images he is seeing now.
First he was shocked...
Then when the thought of how she had him grabbed from a very weak spot sunk in, the shock turned to fear,
and in an instant...
less than an instant actually...
the Fear turned into anger....
They were both old enough to be composed despite the provocation.
"Listen, I know exactly what you are, and i dont need to say it, I am sure you are smart enough to figure out what you are, what do people call the filth who do things like what you just did. Its sad really, it sad that you are weak enough to be a victim of circumstance, to let your past, your history and what you have gone through during your life dictate upon you what to become. You might have a noble cause, you crave security and provision much like any other woman. You were deprived of it with your first husband, instead of security he gave you imprisonment, and yes, he did provide you alright, he provided you with all sorts of cuts and bruises. The last straw was when he beat your second baby out of you. that was the last straw, and thats what everyone knows, ever since then and you have been conniving and plotting to get a man, a better one , one who will not beat you, one who will worship the ground you walk on, give you all you need and more. A mere creation of Fantasy, a man too good to exist, You must understand that men have limited means, if their means were unlimited they would provide endlessly, but an unchangeable fact is, they will always have limited means. Should you refuse to accept that, you will never be at peace...argue all you want, deny all you want, it will not change a thing, its like trying to scratch the wall with your nails. You think if you are nice enough, sexy enough they will fall and give you all you want. So you open your legs, you lift up your skirt.. but what you dont realize, that what they gave you before that, is all that they can ever give. So they dont budge, and you go on to the next one, theyre all standing in line, yes, they are drooling, yes they want you..you provide for them what their own wives should provide for...and then they label you as the Housebreaker when its the wives that shoulda taken care of their men...cause if they did their business.. you would be out of business. But what you dont get is, you would be silly to ever think they would give away what they had, what took them years to build and choose you over that...if it ever happens it would be that a good one of them is punishing himself and is trying to right his wrongs by taking you in, and losing what he held so dear as penalty for his infidelities, but you would be silly to think he wants you over them. You are nothing but an Orgasm..a minute of intense pleasure, then he goes back to his life again."
already in tears mid monologue, Selma sobs, sniffs and almost collapsing..her wrists weaken, she cant look him in the face anymore, and hides in her hair facing the table..
he lifts up her head from the chin..gently, looks into her eyes and says:
"You did that to yourself..
I would marry you just because its the responsible thing...
I would marry you just because i am sick and tired of the home i have
They lost me, you found me..
I dont need you opening your legs so that i can pierce you...and make you feel vunerable, or violated,
I know what you are..
I understand what you are..
but with that stunt you pulled, I really dont think we stand a chance...
if its security and protection you seek...just be a dear and hand me that phone..."
Meeting Three: Vincent and the Boy with No Hair
"sorry i am late" he said, as he grabbed a seat in the food court...
"its okay dad, work getting the best of you as usual i assume..."
"story of my life...so tell me whats going on with yours?"
"hows mom?"
"shes better..i just texted the nurse, she says theirs slight improvement with her eye movement..tell me, do you need money?"
The Boy was infuriated...but kept it all in...he can't beleive his father, he can't beleive that his father doesnt see it, he doesnt see that his neglect for everything in his life at the expense of his job is making everything else crumble, he cant see that what happened that day a few months ago was a final and desperate call for attention, that he has become a "pervert" as his father called him out of his loathing for his dad, he refuses to share anything with his father, even his fathers sexual orientation. He resents his father for what he has done, and he hates the concept of a family and what it represents out of what his father has done to him and his mother..
Of course the mother wasnt as strong, she got a nervous breakdown when she found out her only child was gay, she went into a coma and is improving slightly...All his father cared about was work, he couldnt get time off to care for his love of 30 years and decided to get a nurse...he texts her three times a day, and just works works works...you would assume he runs a country, but in the end its just a biotechnology company that does medical research and sells it to whomever is interested, pharmaceuticals, universities, governments, etc...
He even tried to think about things objectively..could it be that maybe his father was escaping? fleeing from the hardships of life in his job...distracting himself from all the problems he has to face, that he has failed as a husband? a father? a neighbour and a friend?
His Blackberry is his only friend....his only family, his company is his only son...
He ignored all that and said...
"yes, i will be needing money to cover my operation"
"what operation?"
"my sex-change operation"
Meeting Four: Just a Couple of Regular Fellows (inspired by that scene)
{Int. coffeehouse, smoky bar occupying far side of establishment, full house, waiters passing by with trays, noisy clatter of cutlery...zoom in on table mid-room...table for two...two middle aged men seated across one another Bobby & Al}
Al: so, you workin on something big
Bobby: [grimace] yeah..a lil bit
Al: you know, someone lookin at us now, would probably think we are friends...a coupla regular fellas..but theres something you gotta get, if it comes down to you...or the cop you are about to turn your wife into a widow..you're goin down!
Bobby: I do what i do best, i take out scores..and you, you do what you do best, try to take out guys like me...
Al: and what makes you think i wont be able to take you out?
Bobby: a friend of mine once told me...never let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat once you feel the heat..coming from around the corner.
Al: so what do you got to give me?
Bobby: A guy, old school...washed out, he now works on dirty jobs for fortune 500 companies...calls himslef "Murk", the fuck wears sunglasses at night and chain smokes... hes taking out some guy thats supposed to testify infront of a grand jury, about some biotech company doing human genome cloning...theyre american but have all their cloning activites in Hamburg, if you squeeze him, he'll give you all hes done in the past 20 years, ...Mob hits, gun running, clombian coke..the guy's a veteran
Al: whats in it for him..
Bobby: give him immunity...hes got all the dough he needs...the guy is smooth, try to involve the feds as well...theres a guy over there.. his name's Hoit..hes worked up a case on the guy..has a keen interest, the guy took out his partner over a decade ago...he'll help you...
Al: what are your sources..
Bobby: did a job with him once, we met at a Damien King party..hes good to work with...
Al: King?
Bobby: nah...King's an asshole..I meant Murk... will you get the check?
Al: nah, your treat this time...
Meeting Five: The Boardroom
Gentlemen, after obtaining quorum, I now commence the board 6th and final board meeting of Lifetech-Roslin for the year 2008, in the presence of the following individuals:
1- Myself Dr. Eliot Campbell Chairman of the Board
2- Mr. Vincent Mead Managing Director
3- Mr. Horton Finch Financial Director
4- Mr. Samuel Taurel Executive Director
5- Mr. Sid Goode of external legal counsel
After discussing the items on the agenda we have unanimously adopted the following Resolutions:
Resolution one : approving the minutes of our last meeting held on the 1st of October 2008
Resolution two: approving the financial balances proposed by Mr.Finch for the year closing December 31st 2008 to be finalized by January 10th 2009 and sent to our financial auditors for approval
Resolution three: approving the appointment of Sid Goode, of Goode, Marshall and Partners as external legal counsel for Financial Year 2009
Resolution four: removing the sum of 15,000,000 USD accrued for pending litigation and releasing them back into capital since charges have been dropped
Resolution five: Alotting 1% of annual profit to Research & Development.
With that, the meeting conlcuded and I thank the Atendees for their participation, Thank you..Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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