In the morning, Charlie was confused. He remembered escaping the hospital but remember anything before that. He assumed that his injuries were from the fight-- What happened? His apartment was trashed. Beer bottles littered the floor, both broken and intact. An empty liqueur bottle lay in a puddle of vodka and cigarette butts. In the kitchen a bowl of snacks was overturned. The phone display read 0 new calls. This was strange. It would be very improbable that Charlie's phone didn't ring once in 36 hours. someone must have been there to check the messages. The phone rang.
"Charlie? Charlie.. are you there?"
"yes mom"
"Charlie how are you, I've been meaning to congratulate you on your win yesterday. You really put up a fight out there."
"What? won? did I really?"
"Of course you won Charlie. Don't try to fool me. I know what I know. You don't have to act like you don't even remember you know. There is no reason not to enjoy winning."
"No, no there isn't."
"Charlie?"
"Yes"
"Charlie I do worry sometimes."
"What for?"
"Don't you think It's dangerous. All this fighting business i mean.
"No not what do you worry about. Why? Why do you worry?"
"Charlie? are you there Charlie?"
"Yes. Right here."
"Charlie, you put up a wonderful show yesterday."
"That's what you told me mom."
"Oh did I? How is Caroline? you will Tell her I said hello won't you?"
"Yes I'll tell her you said hello. Bye Mom." Caroline was Charlie's only child-- the last tie to a miserable marriage. Until she disappeared a week before she turned 21. But Charlie couldn't bear to tell his mom again only to hear her cry for 5 minutes before forgetting completely.
"Charlie, how are you holding up Charlie." He hung up. She would forget it anyway.
Vinny ought to know something more about this mess, He thought. Vinny was a long-time friend of Charlie's. So he left.
Vinny was in a frenzy. "He's gone Chuck."
"Who? What?"
"It's Laney. She is gone. She was abducted from the Bathroom in the Orphanage. She's gone."
Chuck didn't know what to say. It would have been rude to burden Vinny further in his unstable condition. Instead chuck just sat there in silence.
"This town is going down in flames," Vinny said. Chuck followed his gaze out the window. Sure enough the forever 21 was on fire.
"Yes it is, but you and me, were not going down with it"
"Charlie? Charlie.. are you there?"
"yes mom"
"Charlie how are you, I've been meaning to congratulate you on your win yesterday. You really put up a fight out there."
"What? won? did I really?"
"Of course you won Charlie. Don't try to fool me. I know what I know. You don't have to act like you don't even remember you know. There is no reason not to enjoy winning."
"No, no there isn't."
"Charlie?"
"Yes"
"Charlie I do worry sometimes."
"What for?"
"Don't you think It's dangerous. All this fighting business i mean.
"No not what do you worry about. Why? Why do you worry?"
"Charlie? are you there Charlie?"
"Yes. Right here."
"Charlie, you put up a wonderful show yesterday."
"That's what you told me mom."
"Oh did I? How is Caroline? you will Tell her I said hello won't you?"
"Yes I'll tell her you said hello. Bye Mom." Caroline was Charlie's only child-- the last tie to a miserable marriage. Until she disappeared a week before she turned 21. But Charlie couldn't bear to tell his mom again only to hear her cry for 5 minutes before forgetting completely.
"Charlie, how are you holding up Charlie." He hung up. She would forget it anyway.
Vinny ought to know something more about this mess, He thought. Vinny was a long-time friend of Charlie's. So he left.
Vinny was in a frenzy. "He's gone Chuck."
"Who? What?"
"It's Laney. She is gone. She was abducted from the Bathroom in the Orphanage. She's gone."
Chuck didn't know what to say. It would have been rude to burden Vinny further in his unstable condition. Instead chuck just sat there in silence.
"This town is going down in flames," Vinny said. Chuck followed his gaze out the window. Sure enough the forever 21 was on fire.
"Yes it is, but you and me, were not going down with it"
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