New Words and Pictures by Wayne H. W Wolfson

THE JOB Part 2

A 3 panel movie. Cheap Marker on 5x8 Paper 2 minute sketches, late night free jazz of the pen. Soundtrack: Clifford Gilberto "The 10th Victim" from Xen Cuts (Ninja Tune)

Part one; It's On

"I have known you all these years, you are really going to make me stick a domino through the mail slot?"

I remained silent,

"Look I got the money right here, cash of course and probably more than the job is worth"

I shrugged but after quickly looking around rweached my hand out.

"My sister says hello by the way."

I pocketed the money.

"You still owe me a domino."

End part one

Part Two; Hard Eights

I went to Spontini's to make my final arrangements. We went over the last details, I always liked to have a back up plan too, What if I did not find him, what if I did and he was with her? How much did Aubrey want me to weight in either situation? 

"How are you going?"

"I will drive."

"But you hate cars, you never drive."

"That is exactly why no one will notice or expect me"

From the corner stool Ana was nursing the first drink of last call. She never talked out of school and so had witnessed who knows how many scenes like this. A Dutch-Cuban beauty with an over riding thing for feet of all shapes and sizes. 

"If you get tired take your shoes off, drive barefoot."

I half raised my glass to her in salute without turning my head. 

The half a second he bent below the bar I had to ask myself as anyone in my position should,in between two hard heartbeats, is this it then. is this how it ends? He popped back up and slid a manilla envelope across the bar. I put it in my coat pocket. I turned around to leave.

"Oh one more thing."

I turned around, a double six, white with black dots was handed to me.

End Part Two

END SCENE; A Lion Alone

I had found them together, His idea of laying low had been the back table of a Chinese restaurant. The scent of jasmine tea and burnt cooking oil. His first instinct had been to sacrifice her and that I thought was about right. He begged, pleaded and when the futility of that became evident threatened which was followed by a sort of wide eyed hands over mouth regret for having done the later. Of course he brought up the old times, the "good old days" .

"They had not been that good for me."

He pushed her into me as to run for the back door, the first mess made. An exhaling of breath, the icon stare towards a cheap drop down ceiling that had seen its share of pu pu platters and late night pai gow games. I lay her down on her back in the booth and nodded to the waiter that it was ok to call somebody. I chased him but knew it would be over before it became interesting. I read somewhere once that when a child is lost he will automatically head up where as an adult to the center. He had-had it soft his whole life his positions always being given because he was a legacy member. And even as he rose in the organization he did very little actual work, save entertain out of town guests taking them to all the places to do the things he would have been doing any ways but now he did not have to foot the bill. He ran up the fire escape. I followed but could take my time as there was nowhere left to go. The roof top. He stood with his back to the neon skyline. He was babbling in a panic now. I let it flow for a minute or two.

"Look, even if I let you go, they know where you are someone else will come. You have never been good at saving that is half the reason why you are in this mess. I am sorry, it is over."

He decided not to go out with grace, he began taking off his watch extending his hands from which it hung off clammy fingertips towards me. I did not say anything which he took as hope but was really my temper about to flare up.

"Why, why do this, you are not even one of us, you are just a lion alone, you can let me go, give them the money back, I will give you the fee."

It was starting to rain. I thought of something funny, not an articulate thought but a small component of something. So vivid was the image I started to laugh which momentarily mixed with a scream, an opera duet as could have been described by Dante and it was over.

FINIS 

- Wayne H. W Wolfson 2012