Part 65: Two Pair
Cecil let the smoke drift from his lips. He closed his eyes, relishing in the burning feeling he had his lungs. He had been smoking since he was 23 and didn’t really plan on stopping, no matter what the consequences. The old man was thankful for the ache in his body. It let him know he was still alive.
He then proceeded to cough. The pain in his lungs increased briefly but then faded when it was over. Cecil took in a deep breath and coughed again, spitting out mucus. He wondered how much longer it would take. How much time did he have left? Deciding not to think about it, he took one more drag off his cigarette. Then his view of the ocean was blocked by a shadow of the only other old man on the beach. “Hey, Bernard, “ he smiled, continuing to smoke, “How’s ya mama and them?”
“More than likely, it is the smoking that is making you cough,” the black man pointed out.
“No kidding,” Cecil said sarcastically.
“You’re going to run out anyway. Why not save what you have?”
“Cause the rescue boat will be here soon.”
“Really? And exactly how would you know such a thing?”
“Did you come here for a reason, Bernard or was it just to annoy me?” Cecil asked angrily.
“I am trying to understand you, Cecil. I am trying to understand why you seem hell bent on making everybody in the beach hate you.”
Cecil then looked up at the old black man and smiled, “Do you hate me?”
Bernard grunted as he sat down into the sand in front of the old man. “I am incapable of hate,” he whispered, “Instead, you have my pity.”
“Well, don’t worry about that. You continue to hang around me enough and that pity will turn to hate, I promise you.”
“Again, you seek nothing but our hate. Why?”
“How about Why Not?” Cecil grunted, “You ever think of that, old man?”
“Why Not is not a good enough reason. How about we talk about Mandy?” Bernard pointed out.
“How about we don’t and pretend we did?”
“How old are you, Cecil? Fifty four?”
“Fifty seven.” Cecil corrected him.
“That girl is old enough to be your daughter. There is wrong and there is that.”
“Do I look like I give a rats ass?” The old man threw his cigarette away, “That girl wanted it. If she didn’t, then she should have pushed me away.”
“You should have been man enough to step away.” Bernard glared.
“You want to tangle with me, old man? Go right ahead. I don’t have to justify myself to you.”
“No but you have to justify yourself to God. He will remember that incident.”
Cecil then started laughing. Bernard was puzzled at his reaction. After he laughed for a few minutes, Cecil started coughing again. After he was done, he spit once again, and then said, “God, huh? Yeah, that’s rich.”
“I take it then, you don’t believe in God.” Bernard muttered.
“No, I do believe in God and I am sure he’ll remember that INCIDENT, as you describe it, along with a ton of others.”
“Others?” Bernard said, “Are you trying to say that you’ve done this sort of thing before?”
“Well, not this sort of thing but definitely stuff just as bad. I can’t change who I am, Bernard.”
“Then it is not too late to repent your sins. Confess them to God and he will guide you into Heaven.”
Cecil chuckled as he stood up, brushing the sand off of his jeans. He popped another cigarette out of his pack and looked down at the sitting black man. “Let me let you in on a little secret, Bernard, “ Cecil puffed away, “Not even the Pope can get me into Heaven.”
Bernard watched the old man disappear into the distance of the beach. He just shook his head, realizing that Cecil didn’t hear a word he just said. The old black man had seen this sort of thing before. There were some that did bad things and had no remorse for their actions. Bernard stood up as he watched Cecil continue to walk down to the beach in the setting sun. “May God be with you, Cecil,” he whispered, “Cause, clearly, no one on this beach will be.”
Natasha flipped another page of the Trivia Calendar. She then turned it back to the front and then back to the answer once again. “I didn’t know that.” She whispered.
“Didn’t know what?” John said.
Natasha leaned up to see John hanging outside her tent. She immediately noticed that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. She smiled and turned to look back at the trivia calendar. “What was the first movie to have an entirely computer generated character?” she asked.
John kneeled down. “Hmm,” he said, rubbing his stubble, “ Jurassic Park?”
“Much earlier than that.”
“Uh . .Tron?” he blinked.
“Young Sherlock Holmes.” Natasha smiled.
“Young Sherlock . . . .wait, that piece of crap movie? Oh, my God, “ John slapped his head, “I remember seeing that when I was a kid. It was one of those summer passes at the Theater. One movie, one coke, and popcorn, all for five dollars.”
“Wow,” Natasha giggled, “Nowadays, it’s more like all that for 20 dollars.”
“Yeah, how the time flies.” John said, sitting cross-legged.
“So, John, what brings you into my parlor?” she said, flickering her eyebrows.
“I heard about the incident between you and Yolanda. I was coming to make sure you’re okay.”
“How sweet, but I am fine. It was just a slap. Besides, I don’t want to lose my coconut rights.”
John chuckled, “Yeah, I heard about that. Tony is a master negotiator.”
“Oh, yes. He knows how to take control of a situation.” Natasha smiled, leaning forward and placing her hand on his knee, “But I don’t think that is what made you come over here.”
“Oh?” John smirked, “And why did I come over here?”
“You come to me shirtless, John. Did you not think that would make me aroused?”
John blushed slightly, “I was hot, Natasha. I took off my shirt to cool down and the ocean breeze is helping.”
Natasha leaned back and started brushing the area of her chest between her breasts, “Then are you ready to get hot again?”
John gritted his teeth, feeling his erection starting to bulge in his pants, “You’re not making it easy for me.”
“Well, that’s my intent, sweetie,” she giggled.
“I think . . .I think I better go take a dip in the COLD ocean, “ John said, standing up, “Good night, Natasha.”
“Oh, John?” she called.
The archer turned around. The sexy brunette then gently blew him a kiss. John smiled, acting as if he caught it. He kissed his fist and placed the “kiss” into his pocket. He turned around and began to walk toward the encampment where he slept. Natasha smiled as she leaned back into her makeshift bed.
Perhaps she was finally getting through to him?
He then proceeded to cough. The pain in his lungs increased briefly but then faded when it was over. Cecil took in a deep breath and coughed again, spitting out mucus. He wondered how much longer it would take. How much time did he have left? Deciding not to think about it, he took one more drag off his cigarette. Then his view of the ocean was blocked by a shadow of the only other old man on the beach. “Hey, Bernard, “ he smiled, continuing to smoke, “How’s ya mama and them?”
“More than likely, it is the smoking that is making you cough,” the black man pointed out.
“No kidding,” Cecil said sarcastically.
“You’re going to run out anyway. Why not save what you have?”
“Cause the rescue boat will be here soon.”
“Really? And exactly how would you know such a thing?”
“Did you come here for a reason, Bernard or was it just to annoy me?” Cecil asked angrily.
“I am trying to understand you, Cecil. I am trying to understand why you seem hell bent on making everybody in the beach hate you.”
Cecil then looked up at the old black man and smiled, “Do you hate me?”
Bernard grunted as he sat down into the sand in front of the old man. “I am incapable of hate,” he whispered, “Instead, you have my pity.”
“Well, don’t worry about that. You continue to hang around me enough and that pity will turn to hate, I promise you.”
“Again, you seek nothing but our hate. Why?”
“How about Why Not?” Cecil grunted, “You ever think of that, old man?”
“Why Not is not a good enough reason. How about we talk about Mandy?” Bernard pointed out.
“How about we don’t and pretend we did?”
“How old are you, Cecil? Fifty four?”
“Fifty seven.” Cecil corrected him.
“That girl is old enough to be your daughter. There is wrong and there is that.”
“Do I look like I give a rats ass?” The old man threw his cigarette away, “That girl wanted it. If she didn’t, then she should have pushed me away.”
“You should have been man enough to step away.” Bernard glared.
“You want to tangle with me, old man? Go right ahead. I don’t have to justify myself to you.”
“No but you have to justify yourself to God. He will remember that incident.”
Cecil then started laughing. Bernard was puzzled at his reaction. After he laughed for a few minutes, Cecil started coughing again. After he was done, he spit once again, and then said, “God, huh? Yeah, that’s rich.”
“I take it then, you don’t believe in God.” Bernard muttered.
“No, I do believe in God and I am sure he’ll remember that INCIDENT, as you describe it, along with a ton of others.”
“Others?” Bernard said, “Are you trying to say that you’ve done this sort of thing before?”
“Well, not this sort of thing but definitely stuff just as bad. I can’t change who I am, Bernard.”
“Then it is not too late to repent your sins. Confess them to God and he will guide you into Heaven.”
Cecil chuckled as he stood up, brushing the sand off of his jeans. He popped another cigarette out of his pack and looked down at the sitting black man. “Let me let you in on a little secret, Bernard, “ Cecil puffed away, “Not even the Pope can get me into Heaven.”
Bernard watched the old man disappear into the distance of the beach. He just shook his head, realizing that Cecil didn’t hear a word he just said. The old black man had seen this sort of thing before. There were some that did bad things and had no remorse for their actions. Bernard stood up as he watched Cecil continue to walk down to the beach in the setting sun. “May God be with you, Cecil,” he whispered, “Cause, clearly, no one on this beach will be.”
Natasha flipped another page of the Trivia Calendar. She then turned it back to the front and then back to the answer once again. “I didn’t know that.” She whispered.
“Didn’t know what?” John said.
Natasha leaned up to see John hanging outside her tent. She immediately noticed that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. She smiled and turned to look back at the trivia calendar. “What was the first movie to have an entirely computer generated character?” she asked.
John kneeled down. “Hmm,” he said, rubbing his stubble, “ Jurassic Park?”
“Much earlier than that.”
“Uh . .Tron?” he blinked.
“Young Sherlock Holmes.” Natasha smiled.
“Young Sherlock . . . .wait, that piece of crap movie? Oh, my God, “ John slapped his head, “I remember seeing that when I was a kid. It was one of those summer passes at the Theater. One movie, one coke, and popcorn, all for five dollars.”
“Wow,” Natasha giggled, “Nowadays, it’s more like all that for 20 dollars.”
“Yeah, how the time flies.” John said, sitting cross-legged.
“So, John, what brings you into my parlor?” she said, flickering her eyebrows.
“I heard about the incident between you and Yolanda. I was coming to make sure you’re okay.”
“How sweet, but I am fine. It was just a slap. Besides, I don’t want to lose my coconut rights.”
John chuckled, “Yeah, I heard about that. Tony is a master negotiator.”
“Oh, yes. He knows how to take control of a situation.” Natasha smiled, leaning forward and placing her hand on his knee, “But I don’t think that is what made you come over here.”
“Oh?” John smirked, “And why did I come over here?”
“You come to me shirtless, John. Did you not think that would make me aroused?”
John blushed slightly, “I was hot, Natasha. I took off my shirt to cool down and the ocean breeze is helping.”
Natasha leaned back and started brushing the area of her chest between her breasts, “Then are you ready to get hot again?”
John gritted his teeth, feeling his erection starting to bulge in his pants, “You’re not making it easy for me.”
“Well, that’s my intent, sweetie,” she giggled.
“I think . . .I think I better go take a dip in the COLD ocean, “ John said, standing up, “Good night, Natasha.”
“Oh, John?” she called.
The archer turned around. The sexy brunette then gently blew him a kiss. John smiled, acting as if he caught it. He kissed his fist and placed the “kiss” into his pocket. He turned around and began to walk toward the encampment where he slept. Natasha smiled as she leaned back into her makeshift bed.
Perhaps she was finally getting through to him?
posted by Jason | 8:45 AM
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