Page 100 - The Myth and the Moment

Evening

“Actually, I considered doing that, Ham, but magnetic tape
disintegrates within a hundred years, and requires a very specific
device to play it back.”
“Eh? Say what?”
“Look, Ham: the cat’s out of the bag. Are you the only one who
doesn’t know what I’ve lost?”
“Screenplay for one of those shake-and-bake disaster movies?”
God!
“No, damn it! Not a commodity. A statement. Can you relate to
that?”
“Yeah, yeah, man. A manifesto. I’ve written a few, myself.”
“Well, this one wasn’t a political blast. Isn’t this your car?”
“None other like it on the road. Let me get the tape and run it
through the camera for you. Just take me a sec. Got to plug it into
the cigarette lighter. You’re going to love this. Let me fast-forward it
to the good part. Yeah. There. Take a look.”
Hmmm. He’s right, that’s Phil, doing a water ballet with a couple
of fallen angels, all in their birthday suits. Pan across the back of the
house for an establishing shot, then zoom right in on the shimmering
pink blobs. The Dragon Lady would flay him alive were she to get a
glimpse of this tape.
“Ain’t that a hoot?”
“Ham, your directorial talents are going to waste. This is a
masterpiece of cinéma-vérité.”
“I knew you’d like it. Now you see why Phil won’t give me any
trouble if I tell him to go to hell?”
“Yeah, guess I do. Okay, Ham. You’re right. I shouldn’t try to walk
home from here. I was going to take a cab, but they obviously aren’t
going to pick up an old bum like me.”
“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. Good night’s sleep and a
shower, and you’ll look like new.”
I’ll also be looking anew; but that’s my own business. If he’s
putting me on and tries to drive anywhere but back to my apartment,
I’ll threaten to throw his video camera out the window. And off we
go, at a pretty good clip—not much traffic now.
“Anyway, man, after Aestheria figured out you weren’t hanging
around her place, she sent me out on your trail. Her idea was you’d
head for Phil’s place. She wanted me to locate you and call the cops.

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