Red Room Where the Writers Are

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The Parking Spot  An angry, grungy twenty five year old man covered in tattoos bursts through the front door of his small, unkempt, shack of a house and rushes to his late seventies Ford pickup truck. His dingy girlfriend stands at the screen door that is ready to fall off the hinges, a cigarette dangles from her lips as she yells. “Don’t forget the duck sauce Victor!”A cloud of smoke blows from his tailpipe as he backs out of the dirt driveway onto the pavement of the street. He lights a cigarette and yells out of his window. “Just set the dang table Annie!” A mild mannered thirty four year old man, Charles, drives along in his Honda Accord passing store fronts in a parking lot. The large, red, Chinese Food sign is lit up just around sunset. He notices an empty parking space right in front. He begins to turn in as Victor recklessly cuts him off in his pickup truck, almost hitting the cars on either side of the space.Charles leans on his horn and raises his hands up before beginning the search for a new spot.Victor gets out of his truck and flicks his cigarette onto Charles’ windshield just before giving Charles the middle finger. “Too slow asshole!”Charles is stunned as he hollers out his passenger side window. “Are you serious?”“Come on out and find out how serious I am little man.”Charles shakes his head and continues to find a spot.Victor walks into the Chinese restaurant. All eyes are on him. Two disturbing looking, muscular, bald men with mustaches that pass their chins sit at a table under a painting of the Great Wall. A young boy sits with his mom as they wait for their order. The young boy repeats everything the Chinese woman behind the counter yells out. He enjoys her accent. He finds it humorous. “Chicken fry rice!”“Chicken fry rice!”His mother puts he finger over her lips to shush him. The waitress calls out a phone number of an order that is ready. A large brunette woman shakes the floor as she makes her way over to pick it up. She fills her bag with sauces and napkins. She passes Victor who takes one look at her and can’t help but snicker and whisper to himself. “Slob.”The woman finds a young gentleman holding the door for her before he enters. It is Charles. Victor notices him right away. “You decided to finish what you started?”Everyone watches the two of them.“What I started?”“That’s what I said.”“If I’m not mistaken.”Victor cuts him off in mid sentence. “You are mistaken. You have to make a choice now. Would you like to just be mistaken? Or would you also like to be in the worst pain of your life?”“Let it end.”“I guess you’re smarter than you look.”The two bald men eat and enjoy the entertainment. The woman calls out another phone number as a man grabs his order while watching Victor and Charles. The young boy repeats the phone number not paying any mind to Victor and Charles. The boy’s mother laughs nervously to encourage him to continue repeating.“But you’re just as cowardly as you look.”“I just want to place an order.”“You think you can walk past me?”The woman calls out another phone number.“Lucky for you, that’s my food. If I had another minute to spare, I would have beat you’re dumb ass senseless around the parking lot.”Victor’s phone number is called again. He raises his hand and begins to pay. Charles opens his cell phone. The young boy repeats the number. Victor attempts to brush up against Charles while exiting. Charles backs off while keying into his cell phone.Victor gets in his truck and lights a cigarette. A cloud of smoke blows from his tailpipe as he backs out of the parking spot.Charles gets in his car while holding his phone to his ear. A woman’s voice is heard. “Yea?”“Who is this?” Charles pulls out of his parking spot.“Annie.”“Hi Annie. Is someone supposed to bring you Chinese food?”“Yes, who is this?”“Who’s supposed to bring it?”“My boyfriend, Victor.”Charles drives right behind Victor’s truck. “I’m sorry but, Victor won’t be coming home tonight.”