1)      Its called progeny. In David’s case the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. His father before him and his grandfather had been abusive alcoholics so it is no surprise that he turned out the way he did. A bottle of whiskey a day was normal for him and so was the ensuing anger that always followed it. David thought about this often when he was admitted to the hospital for liver disease last fall. He would cry sometimes for hours and speak to himself about his failures in life. Day after day lying in that bed he regretted everything he had ever done or said but no one was around for him to apologize to. There were no visitors to comfort him because he had driven them all away many years ago. There was only one person that worked the night shift who knew his first name. He was left a lonely old man with nothing but bad memories to die with. Even now at his funeral there are only enough people to fill a New York taxi cab. Its obvious that they are having a hard time finding any good words to speak about him and their eyes are as dry as sand in a desert. As I walk away I place a single yellow tulip on his casket as a symbol of my sympathy. I need to get going my shift starts in an hour.

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2)       So you want to hear about all the weird shit that happened to me yesterday morning. Okay. It was supposed to be a good day but it ended up becoming one of the worst and weirdest days I’ve ever had. It started when I woke up to some cheesy AM radio talk show that i was too tired to turn off while I tried to find my new suit I had bought in New York last week. The damn thing just up and disappeared on me so I had to wear an older suit. It was a little tight because I’ve gained a couple pounds but I looked smaller in the pin stripes. Then, when I tried to get some breakfast in me, I found that I only had a couple pieces of fruit on the counter to eat. I never keep food in this house anyways so I ate a few oranges and called it a meal. The house is more to look at then it is functional to live in. My wife spends a fortune keeping fresh tulips around the house on the slim chance we have company when we are in town. Yeah, she always thinks of dumb shit like that.

The next problem was the traffic on the way to the studio. When I drive my ‘67 Shelby GT 500 I really want to drive fast but its hard to even get up to the speed limit. It’s a real piece of machinery; platinum silver with black racing stripes. You see lots of nice cars around the streets of L.A. but this car stands out with the best of them. Anyways, right before I got to Oprah’s set to shoot my interview, I saw the weirdest thing. Some guy that was dressed like an old Uncle Sam poster was waving to the cars that drove by. The crazy bastard didn’t even know where he was I don’t think. I was so stunned that I almost hit a fire truck stopped in the middle of the damn street. It was so close that the number 12 on the side of the truck was all I could see through my windshield.

I came to find out the studio was closed for the day because some angry extra on a movie set started a fire. He was pissed off that his part was cut from production on the first day of filming so he totally lost his mind and freaked out. So in one day I lost a suit, starved through slow traffic, almost got into an accident and saw some lunatic waving at cars. On top of all that I never made it to filming so my slot was dropped from the show and all of this because some asshole didn’t get to play pirate.

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3)         Almost everything had been packed and there had been little conversation between the two because it was so early in the morning. The man was actually putting things into the car while his wife ‘supervised’ his activities while drinking a cup of coffee.
“Did you remember to pack the flashlights and extra sleeping bags?”
Shauna was always double checking everything her husband did, even though he was an extremely reliable person. They were packing Pat’s car with all the sorts of things someone might need for a 3 day camping trip. It wasn’t a quick getaway but more of an obligation to fulfill. Shauna’s parents were having a family get together in a park a few hours from their home. Pat, of course, was not very thrilled to spend the weekend with his in-laws instead of sleeping or reading magazines.
“Yes Babe. They are right next to the kitchen sink in the back seat.”
“Well I’m glad you took your funny pill this morning. Have you decided which way to go because taking exit 36 off the highway and going straight north on route 55 is the fastest way to get there? Those are the directions my dad gave me.”
“Yep.”
“Oh. That was easier than normal. Is everything about ready then.”
“Yeah let’s get an early start. Beat the traffic.”
There wasn’t much talking going on besides a few remarks from Shauna about how good it was going to be to see her sisters and all of her cousins. Pat was extra quite in the morning so his wife, like most women, was trying to get him to say something.
“We have been making good time so far. It is only a couple miles from the ramp to route 55.This exit is number 35, so number 36 should be coming up soon.”
“I’m gonna take I-63.”
“Didn’t you say that you were going to get off at exit 36 and drive the straight route because it would save us some time?”
“No you said that. I said I decided which way I was going to take.”
“Well, taking 36 is the faster way to go and it would be easier.”
“There are more turns and stoplights that way.”
“I looked up the directions online yesterday and it showed my way to be the fastest way. Maybe we should trust the people that make those directions, don’t you think?”
“Nope”
“Why not?”
“’Cause I’ve been there before. The interstate is faster.”
“Well you might drive faster but the distance is longer, so it would still be faster taking the next exit which is coming up in about 2 miles.”
“Trust me. It’s a shortcut.”
“Well now I know that it is going to take longer your way. Your shortcuts always take longer even if we don’t get lost.”
“Babe, if you were driving we’d go your way.”
“Well pull over and let me drive the rest of the way.”
“If we took your car then you could drive.”
“When we left this morning you insisted on taking your car and that you would drive!”
“Exactly.”

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4)          I wanted to believe my wounds would heal with time. All these years have not diluted this unbearable pain. My world has crumbled in my own hands. These sad words from a broken man. Never again to feel as before. A numbness of my soul. I’m left cold, alone. No way out. My curse. Life.

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5)          I didn't have any trouble finding the building because i had attended school there some 15 years ago. It was only a small school then and held grades K-3. It is much bigger now. They added several additions a few years after i had left to accommodate more students and the school now holds grades 4-6 as well. I knew where to find the classroom because the fourth grade students' classrooms were in the old section of the school. As I reached for the doorknob my hand was trembling and I began to sweat even though the air conditioners kept the hallways quite cold. Just as I turned the handle, I squeaked out a few words to myself. "You are 23 years old. You can handle a group of fourth graders."

I walked into the room expecting everyone to be seated and prepared for class but apparently the students had been told they were having a substitute on Wednesday. I found myself swallowing simple commands before they were spoken aloud like "please take your seats" and "quiet down please." The words wouldn't come out. Instead of just standing there I wrote my name on the chalkboard. Then I turned and muttered "Excuse me." Not one of the students responded so I slowly walked out back into the hallway as if I had forgot something.

I shut the door and took a few minutes to collect myself. I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. When I turned to open the door, my hand gripped the handle firmly. I entered the room a second time and said "Students, please take your seats." in a bold tone. All the children sat down slowly at first until they saw the serious look on my face. I had taken the first step of a long journey but I knew the key was to not show any weakness.

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6)          There was only one thing on Dillon’s mind as he dragged himself out of bed on this Saturday morning, pain. He was accustomed to it as his routine dictated that he train, everyday, his body’s strength and its skill at performing fighting techniques. He was not by nature an angry man nor did he have any hostility toward people in general. He simply prepared but he didn’t know for what. As a child he was raised normally in a quite setting near a small rural town. There were no indications of his predisposition to be overly protective until he had become a young man with the means to dissolve any situation. He had a few friends in his life but never felt too close with any of them. His attachment was more general to all people. He would always help out those in need if only for the reward of calming a raging storm in his soul. Upon arriving at the gym Dillon was greeted by a young woman who had just started working at the front desk a week ago. She had called him Mr. Mathews which made him feel a little uncomfortable only being in his late 20s and not looking a day over 18. He was a big man standing 6’ 1” and weighing around 250 pounds of lean muscle but for some reason he went by unnoticed by most people. It was the way he carried himself in a slouching kind of way and walking with a slight sway from side to side. His body was wrapped with pain from the previous five days of exercise. This was somehow a comfort to him as if it almost defined who he was and what he had accomplished. After a quick shower and a long wait at the drinking fountain, Dillon left out the side door of the gym into the alley which he had always done. Today was different, however. There was a man holding the girl who worked at the front desk with a gun in his hand. She had been slightly beaten but the damage would heal in a few weeks if she took care of it. Dillon had prepared for such a moment his entire life he had thought. Making a decision was done in an instant as he ran toward the girl and her capture. Five piercing noises echoed in the air as he reached the man and connected a solid punch to the man’s face. The girl ran inside where a bunch of men had heard the noise and gathered to see the cause of the disruption. Dillon fell to his knees and leaned against the building. Four bullets had ripped through his chest and abdomen. The other man pulled himself off the ground where the punch had landed him and picked up the .357 magnum lying in a shallow puddle. There was one shot still left in the chamber Dillon knew. As he stared down the barrel at the lone remaining bullet, he smiled. His life wasn’t a waste after all.