Page 39 - The Myth and the Moment

Afternoon

“Nope. Ain’t my business, anyway.”
“Ah, but saying it all very calmly like that has put it in proper
perspective for me. I was in a daze, in shock. The stuff I lost means a
great deal to me.”
“I can dig it. I’ve lost a lot myself.”
“You look healthy enough. I mean, you’re still active, working,
making a living, right?”
“Ha! Yeah, you could call it that.”
“Aren’t you videotaping for some local TV station?”
“Not exactly. It’s for some independent producers.”
“Okay, okay. I don’t mean to pry. It’s been nice seeing you again.
Quite a coincidence. This morning I saw a couple of people from the
old days, and now you.”
“Oh, yeah? Who was that?”
“Phil Kolpak and Allison Schlimmer. But she’s got some new sort
of stage name. Now I can’t think of it.”
“Aestheria.”
“You know her, too?”
“Hey, this ain’t a big town, if you know the right people,
Evangelino.”
“Call me Nate. You used to call me Nate.”
“Okay, Nate, that’s cool. Yeah, Aestheria and I go way back. We
were in Shrapnel for Shirley together, and maybe another play or two.
But then I didn’t see her, you know, like she had quit the scene.
Now she’s a guru.”
“A what?”
“Ha-ha-ha! I must have done the same double-take when I heard
the news. Really, I don’t know how much of it she believes; you can
still talk to her like she was a normal person, you know. But she’s got
a good scam, as far as I can see; found her true calling, you dig?”
“And Kolpak? What is his scam?”
“You don’t know? Never heard of Kolpak Productions? TV series,
man. He controls the scripts. Has a bunch of writers churning out the
dialogue for I don’t know how many shows. Yeah, he’s made it all
right. Rolling in dough. I see him every now and again.”
Could the veil be lifting? Phil kept asking me about my old plays,
and then they wouldn’t let me leave without getting my address. And
then to strike out at me like that—within minutes, it must have been.

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