Million Dollar Baby at a five and ten cent store ( E wrote the part in italics)
The sunlight glinted off the pavement, the prison guards patrolling the above walkways, the dust and the sun casting waves of heat, I’m standing there waiting a fan in my gloved right hand, an old hudson behind me as more men come out a sign in my left hand that said C.A.Floyd, I knew your wife though we weren’t close and i knew someone should be here on the day you tasted freedom.
With hands and ankles still in chains they give me my old stuff back, my suit dirty and way too big for me now, they unchain me finally, the freedom of movement as I change back out of the worn out strips into the dark blue suit I loved so much. Giving me a comb and some simple devices I use to clean myself up, after all I ain’t ever going to be in this joint again, never. turning around as they open one of the doors for me, I enter the hall one more time, this time with no number tag on me nor any chains, I hear hoots and hollers of “pretty boy looki’n damn good, or where he goi’n to his death, and another I hear loud as a train” You’ll always be one of us Chock” Yells Adam….Rot in hell I think to myself” the guards yell at them inside the halls threatening with those damn billy clubs… I swear on my mama’s grave, never again…
“Well how would you feel about some food then I can tell you straight” I say keeping my eyes on the road, hands clenching and unclutching the wheel trying to keep my breathing even to keep the car steady on the broken up road ” I figure you need a job and a place to say, your wife…” I stopped before I blurted what I really thought about her, keeping my thoughts together, I couldn’t get attached this had to remain business I reminded myself whatever feelings I had in the past had to stay in the past I mumbled quietly under my breathe swearing as I had to swerve hard to avoid a rabbit that bounced infront of the car, causing it to hit a pot hole and die in a hissing stuttering steam “oh…sugar sugar sugar” I hiss smacking the stearing wheel, smacking the dashboard as well as if to ease the frustration of a having been sold a used car that clearly had seen better days.

I let out a sigh of relief walking over to watch watching you intently, wincing as your hand got nicked ”Charley..I’m sorry I bad mouthed your wife, she must mean lots to you” I say quietly, as the heat comes back up in waves a police car patrolling the highway in case of runaways, praying this won’t get in the way of my main plan, “you sure its that easy”…I know she divorced you in a letter, and I know you probably don’t remember me after all, it was more than five years ago, and the back of a barn that was having a dance, I knew you were a rover, there’s something wild in you even just being around you again made something in me rise up like a storm…but I had to stick to my plan if I was to get away from Him..

Smiling up at you as I say quickly retighten the gasket lid “yes we lost some liquid but we should be able to re fill that no problem within the next hour or so” smiling as I fix it all and look at the few cuts and nicks on my hands, cussing quietly to myself using that handkerchief “she should be done in a jiffy”, wincing as I got some oil into the cut. Bending down to make sure that’s all that came loose, I hear a car approaching. looking over the mirror I see the police car come cruising up, great I think just what I need to get put back again, the officer nods at us and keeps driving letting a breath of relief, feeling so thankful I wasn’t given the grey to big prison suit that I still had my own clothing.. I watch them go by praying they keep going and dont make anything harder for me, and especially for you… Quickly I look back at you and smile, “there she’ll run, and don’t you worry… Ruby ( the words catches in my throat then I spit it out) is better off without me interfering in her perfect life” I say with a sour taste in my mouth ” I did ..love her…but i was foolish and young, then…” as I wipe the sweat off my brow as you get back into the car. As she starts off, we keep going down the road, the breeze feeling nice, the road just passing us by forever traveling on wards.




