'Sure, get me on another government tracking system. That's just what they'd want.'
'So are you going to the Mission?'
'To get out of here and then I'll go out for a walk and split.'
'And wind up in the park and get your ass kicked again?'
'It's not the park that's getting my ass kicked. It's what I know.' He looked out the window and then around the room.
'Shit, they could be right here. I'm such a fool!' Karl dropped his head into his hands and started crying. He cried so hard he shook. It was pathetic.
'You want to stay with me and Al?' I heard come out of my mouth.
Karl sniffled away some tears and looked up at me with a squint.
'What?'
'Stay at my place. It's not the Trump tower, it's a trailer, but if you can stand basset hound flatulence, it ain't half bad.' Karl looked down, back up at me, and then down again.
'Why do you want me at your place?' He said it without the paranoid tone. It was more of a tone of disbelief.
'I don't know. You wanna come or not?' He snickered and smiled on one side of his face. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
'The dog lives right inside with you?'
'Yeah.'
'I'm in,' Karl said.
I had no idea what had gotten in to me.
Karl signed a bunch of papers and I signed some more. I'm sure I had just released me and my heirs from every possible right under the sun and agreed to reimburse everyone in North America for all their expenses for the next fifty years. I had gotten over worrying about such things.
I wheeled Karl out to the curb and told him I'd pull the car around for him. He didn't object, mentioned something about still being a little weak in the legs. The problem was working my way around the labyrinth of a parking lot and finding where I had been. I walked up to the second level and couldn't find the El Dorado. Although I swore I'd parked it on the second level, the place was confusing enough that I thought I just might've been on the third level.
I headed to the stairwell and saw a soda machine. I went to get a diet Pepsi, but there was some sort of Army guy standing in front of the thing, apparently unable to decide between a Pepsi and a Mountain Dew. I guess after a few years of leaving the thinking up to someone else that sort of thing can happen.
I got to the third level of the garage. It didn't look familiar at all though that didn't really surprise me much, because I didn't pay attention to anything when I parked except for what level I was on. Two more guys in Army get-ups passed me. I figured somebody in the reserves must've got hurt doing weekend maneuvers or whatever it is they do.
I walked around level three for a few minutes and decided that wasn't right. So I headed back down the stairs. The three Army guys gathered around the soda machine talking, but they got quiet when I came down the stairs. Now all three of them stared at the soda machine, which seemed a bit odd.
'Hey fellas, there's no chance you guys saw an old orange El Dorado on any of these levels?' One of the guys grunted and none of them looked at me. I stood there kind of waiting for an answer. Finally, I just turned and went through the doorway to the second level.
As I stepped out of the door's threshold, a car came screaming around the tight turn of the garage, coming so close to me I had to jump back. As I jumped back I felt a sharp whack to the back of my head, like I banged my head against something. Everything went a little wobbly and when I turned, things were a bit murky. The pain was sharp and a weird wobbly feeling came over me. I looked up the three guys in fatigues stood in front of me. The one in the middle, the biggest guy of the three, threw a punch right square into the side of my head.
I went down and everything went black.
18
'I think he's coming around,' the soupy voice said.
'Duffy-Duffy. He's blinking like he hears me,' I recognized Trina's voice.
'Easy, kid, easy.' That was Rudy.
I wasn't in a ring. I was in a hospital bed and my head really fuckin' hurt. I had one of those rubber ID bracelets on that said
'D. Dombrowski', with a long number next to it. There was tape on the back of my head and I wore one of those silly dresses they give you when you're in the hospital. I had taken a shot to the head, but the last I remember, I was working with Tayshaun and he wasn't in any kind of shape.
'Phew…kid you had us scared,' Rudy said. I looked at him and thought about speaking, but I still felt detached.
'Don't worry kid, they got you on some shit to make you comfortable. It's why you feel weird,' Rudy said. Trina was crying. She still looked good, but she was crying.
'It's all my fault for getting him involved.' A voice came from somewhere behind Rudy, but lower. Rudy half turned around. There was Karl in his Redskin's helmet still sitting in a wheel chair.
'Did they get you?' came out of my mouth. It came out slushy.
'Not this time, my friend. They got you instead. From the way it looks, I don't think they counted on you waking up at all.'
'That's enough, Karl,' Rudy said.
A male nurse, or at least an official looking male who wasn't a doctor, came in and asked everyone to leave except Rudy. Trina kissed me, sniffled, and scurried away.
'I ain't got nowhere to go. I'm staying,' Karl said.
'Is he family?' The male nurse guy said. I looked quickly at Karl, who had a panicked expression on his face.
'Yeah, he can stay,' I said.
I heard someone else crying, and looked toward the doorway to my room. It was Rene.
'I'm okay. I'm okay…take it easy,' I said and smiled. My head really, really hurt.
She just stared at me and got really pale. The room got uncomfortably quiet.
Rene looked me up and down and then looked at Rudy and Karl.
'Can I be alone with Duffy for a minute?' She said without expression. Rudy nodded and he and Karl walked out.
'I'm okay, I'm okay. It's not-'
'Duff, the timing of this sucks but I have to tell you something. I can't live like this. I won't.' She sniffled. I just looked at her.
'I'm moving on. I can't marry you. I just can't.' I went to say something, but nothing came out.
'I'm sorry I had to say it to you like this, but I'm moving. I have to go in the morning. I'm sorry.' She stopped crying. She wasn't looking at me, but she wasn't crying either.
'Good bye, Duff,' She said and left. Just like that. Rudy came back into the room.
'What was that all about?'
I just shook my head. I was having problems thinking. Things didn't quite feel real.
'Look, Kid, I have to talk to you a bit,' Rudy said. He touched my arm and my focus sort of returned.
'Yeah, go ahead.'
'You got a concussion and it's nothing to fool around with this time.'
'Yeah, yeah…'
Rudy looked down for a full a few seconds.
'That's not all Duff, they found damage.'
'What do you mean 'damage?''
