Mega Millions (5 page)
Michelle clinches her jaw shut and
purses her lips. "Yeah," she said, straining to keep a smile. "Me
too."
"Still it isn't like
home."
"Well wait a second. That's not
all…what's the one thing you enjoyed most when you came home after
work?"
"I don't know. What?"
"You come home, sit in your chair,
watch a game, and what else do you do?"
"Uh, masturba—?"
"No!" Michelle rolled her eyes.
"Jesus, Josh. Other than that."
Josh shrugged.
Michelle sighed. "Come on, this is
an easy one. You come home, sit down, watch a game and drink
what?"
Josh's eyes widened.
"Beer!"
Michelle nodded.
"You managed to get me
beer?"
"Yup, the new doctor is very
reasonable. I've arranged for the orderlies to supply you with a
six-pack a day during the week and a twelve-pack on the
weekends."
"Wow! Now that
is
like being at home."
"You're my husband and I want you
to be happy. You can sleep in, have fun, and relax. Why don't we go
see the new setup?"
The orderlies escorted Michelle
and Josh to the activities room. They walked hand in hand, that's
to say, Josh and Michelle, not the orderlies. For the first time in
six months Josh was smiling.
Upon arrival, Josh immediately
plopped down in his new chair. One of the orderlies turned on the
massager, and the other tuned the television to the sports network.
As he reclined, Michelle popped the tab on one of Josh's favorite
beers and handed it to him.
"Perfect," Josh said. "This is
really something. Thanks, Shelly. Thanks Bruno. Thanks
Clevis."
Tobias and Mike smiled at
Josh.
Michelle kissed Josh on the
forehead. "I have to go now."
Josh had already tuned out the
world.
Michelle shook her head and patted
Josh's shoulder. "Love you," she said and walked over to meet the
orderlies standing by the door.
Just then, a commercial came on,
breaking Josh's attention away from the television. Josh turned to
see Michelle walking out of the room. "Oh, hey, Shelly?"
"Yes?"
Josh scratched his head. "If it
wasn't real, how'd you know the jackpot was 999 million? Did I tell
you that?"
Michelle cocked her head to the
side. "Oh Josh, if you want to get out of here, you really need to
let that fantasy go. It's the only way."
Josh smiled. "You're right. I'm
going to sit here and relax. I'll drink my beer and watch a
game."
"Perfect."
"Bye, Shelly."
"I'll come to visit as soon as I
can."
Michelle waves goodbye and
continued out the door. The orderlies followed, and she said, "Make
sure he stays happy. That is your primary job. Remember
that."
Mike and Tobias say in unison,
"Yes, ma'am." The two orderlies nod and depart, heading toward the
nursing station.
Michelle headed for the exit.
After she cleared the new, tightened security, she reached into her
purse, brought out her cell, and quickly dialed a
number.
"Hello to you, too!" … "Yes, I'm
fine. I'm leaving Spring Grove now." … "Yeah, Josh is fine too.
Don't worry, he's happy. I'm calling to see if you received the
package today?" … "I won't be hearing from you again?" … "Great." …
"Well, I got to go. Enjoy Mumbai and don't spend it all in one
place." Michelle laughed. "Yeah, well, I still have to give Ted's
agent a call. He's expecting his share, too. Those bouncers you
mentioned are working out great for security, too. No one will
bother him." … "Will do. Take care, Kelly. Give my best to Dan
Guntherson and the rest of the guys. Oh, and my best to Mrs.
Tricia. Pleasure working with you, sweetheart. Ciao."
Michelle dropped her cell back
into her purse. She grabbed her car keys and hit the remote
start.
In the parking lot a Lamborghini
roared to life. Smiling, Michelle jumped in the driver's seat. She
carefully put her expensive jewelry back on, each ring worth more
than most people make in a year, each necklace worth more than a
middle class-home. She pulled a pair of designer sunglasses down
over her eyes and adjusted the rearview mirror to get a better look
at herself. "One of these days. Told you so, Josh." She smiled,
blew herself a kiss, and slammed on the gas.
At the same moment, Josh heard a
car burning rubber out of the parking lot. "Show-off," he
muttered.
As Michelle drove toward the
setting sun, she passed a sign that read:
NEW OWNERSHIP—SPRING GROVE IS NOW
THE JOSHUA HARRIS INSTITUTION—NO TRESPASSING!
Just then, a new commercial began
playing on the station Josh had been watching. It was for a product
designed to help prevent the spread of genital herpes. A man and
women were horseback riding, they were both smiling, and the man
said, "I've got herpes, but I don't let it control my
life."
Josh leaned closer, and squinted.
"Hey, wait a minute…. Goddamn, that guy looks
exactly
like my new
doctor."
FIN
Mega Millions is an old story from
my teenage years. It's been in the pile for a long time. I've
edited over the years, just making changes to see how it might
evolve. It's always had that fun, absurd feel for me and I hoped
that readers would find it fun, too.
Spring Grove is where a lot of
crazy characters wound up. You might see it mentioned
elsewhere.
Thanks for reading.
Kristopher Mallory has no interest
in mastering kung fu or underwater basket weaving, but he does
enjoy throwing out the occasional random non sequitur. As for
favorite animals, he's a big fan of sloths and hedgehogs. In fact,
he once owned a hedgehog named Princess Pokey. He hasn't devised a
plan to obtain a sloth...yet.
When it comes to writing, Kris
enjoys horror and sci-fi. He's actively trying to be a gooder
writer and hopes to one day join the SFWA. Another focus is the
Daylight Dims horror anthology, and Stealth Fiction
publishing.
Outside of writing, he traveled
the world while serving as an aircrew member in the Air Force and
currently works in I.T. around the D.C. area. He lives with his
Wife, Son, Daughter, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Beta fish,
an imaginary Easter Bunny, and with luck someone will give him a
Sloth.
You can connect with Kris at the
following locations:
Website:
KristopherMallory.com
Social Media:
Facebook
THE DEATH AGREEMENT
By Jon Randon (Kristopher
Mallory)
Coming this November from
Stealth
Fiction Publishing
.
~~~~~
We made a pact. He lived up to his
end by dying. I tried to live up to my end by following The Death
Agreement.
What you will find within these
pages is a true recounting of a man's life as seen through my eyes.
It's almost an impossible task when some of what you see can't be
real and what is real you may refuse to see.
Human beings have a capacity to
dread the truth, to distort facts when they don't fit our
predefined notions of how the world should work. We forget that
reality isn't what we want it to be. We ignore the signs that our
universe doesn't care about us. It constantly changes to suit its
own needs. Nothing is perfect. This includes the focus of my story.
People come and go. Pieces don't fit neatly together. Doubt clouds
judgment. Mistakes are made. All hell breaks loose when no one is
looking. I guess that's how life is supposed to be.
For me, it doesn't matter anymore.
What happened, happened, and I'm still bound by the terms
set.
Please consider this a warning
sticker. Come in if you dare, leave if you don't. Some might call
this experience horror. It is that, no doubt, but at the root I
suppose it's a tale of transformation.
Speaking of transforming: Have you
ever stood in a dim bathroom and stared at a mirror? For the past
18 months, I've done that every day. What I see in the glass
consumes me. My silhouette fades into a thousand different
terrifying faces; each sharpens to crystal clarity before morphing
into someone else. I don't know who these people are, but I
recognize them all. I've learned that what we see isn't a
reflection. We are the reflection.
My name is Jon Randon and I'm
going to tell you a story.
THESE BAD DREAMS COMBINED
This suspense thriller is now
available. For more information on this book, please visit
the
Stealth Fiction Publishing
website.
~~~~~
A man struggles to deal with
severe nightmares. A new medical trial is his last chance at a
normal life.
~~~~~
Praise for These Bad Dreams
Combined:
"Twisted. Had me hooked from the
first nightmare." –
Anonymous
