Friday, October 08, 2004
Sliver
After the (? incongruous) midnight mass ? celebrating Chinese New Year, he feels unusually tired. En route to home he catches himself dozing off at the wheel a couple of times, and decides that he's not probably safe for the road. He calls her and tells her that, and there's an angry silence. Her replies are almost petulent, bordering on the verge of tearful.
(But I didn't promise. You promised for me.)
He holds his ground and hangs up, and falls into bed.
Jerks awake with a start at the phone ringing and fumbles for it. What time is it anyhow. Oh.
It's her parents. Angry parents.
"What did you say to her???"
Apparently she's fled the house and the house party, with her best friend trailing after.
He climbs back into his clothes and into the car.
When he finally arrives, the situation is returning to normal, she's been found sobbing in the a playground to her best friend, ostensibly about her thoughtless bloke who doesn't care enough... We'll never know.
Everyone of course goes back to acting happy and clappy, since there are (?thirty) houseguests and everyone has to Keep Up with the Joneses. He feels vaguely nauseas, and isn't sure if it's simply from fatigue, from being manipulated, or from having to watch the rank hypocrisy before him. He returns to his customary position on her arm, and feels... ill.
The evening turns into a protracted poker game, and the mad glint in everyone's eyes as they call bets puts him off even more.
Eventually it gets too much for him and he excuses himself to wander upstairs and collapse dead on the floor.
The talk they have later about his not putting in enough effort is mildly amusing in retrospect. But wasn't, at the time.
(But I didn't promise. You promised for me.)
He holds his ground and hangs up, and falls into bed.
Jerks awake with a start at the phone ringing and fumbles for it. What time is it anyhow. Oh.
It's her parents. Angry parents.
"What did you say to her???"
Apparently she's fled the house and the house party, with her best friend trailing after.
He climbs back into his clothes and into the car.
When he finally arrives, the situation is returning to normal, she's been found sobbing in the a playground to her best friend, ostensibly about her thoughtless bloke who doesn't care enough... We'll never know.
Everyone of course goes back to acting happy and clappy, since there are (?thirty) houseguests and everyone has to Keep Up with the Joneses. He feels vaguely nauseas, and isn't sure if it's simply from fatigue, from being manipulated, or from having to watch the rank hypocrisy before him. He returns to his customary position on her arm, and feels... ill.
The evening turns into a protracted poker game, and the mad glint in everyone's eyes as they call bets puts him off even more.
Eventually it gets too much for him and he excuses himself to wander upstairs and collapse dead on the floor.
The talk they have later about his not putting in enough effort is mildly amusing in retrospect. But wasn't, at the time.
