C20
Public Record
Excerpt from novel: Best Cellar

Henry called me this morning.
Said he finally came under some luck.

It seems his wife was in a terrible accident at work —
she lost her arm in a cardboard bailer
but it wasn't her fault.
It turns out that when she started the job,
when she was filling out all the paperwork,
(she's barely literate, just so you know),
she had signed up for
"Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance”
by accident. They hadn't noticed the twelve cents a paycheck they were paying,
but if they had, they were the type of people
who would have called and asked for a refund.
“Thank God we never caught that,” he said.
“We've paid about five bucks for it total since she's started,
but now we're gonna finally hit it big.
Not just the insurance but with the suit and the workman's comp,
I'll finally be able to quit my job and start living life.
Take up a hobby or two.
I mean, terrible, yeah, for Noreen,
but I'll take real good care of her.
Make her breakfast in bed,
all that shit. I got a jewelry thing on credit last week
to celebrate.
Nothin' fancy or anything, just something to show Nor
that I’ve been thinkin' about her — proud of her.
I mean, not proud, but you get it.
Grateful I guess."

He was so excited I didn't have to say much.
"Man, do you remember all those crazy ideas I used to have?"

"Some of them,” I said.

"Like the uhh… those stickers that you put on all your shit so you won’t lose it?

"Yeah, I remember that.”

"Now I'll finally be able to make 'em!
Gotta spend money to make money and all that,
but I know those'll be a hit. Foolproof."

"Almost." I said, turning the channel to the news.

"I just gotta find the right guy to make the thing.
Put up an ad on the Record or something.
Everything's on the Record these days, you know?
I could find a smart guy on the Public Record to make them.
Can't be that hard."

"Sure."

“Everything’s gonna be easy now.
Life the way it was supposed to be.
Only cost me an arm and a leg!"
and he paused for a laugh.
I obliged him.
"Saved the leg even!
I'm gettin' a real bargain, huh?"

"Sure are, yeah.
Hey Hank, Carrie's car just pulled in.
I'm gonna go, alright?"

"Alright sure.
Hey I'll be prayin' for ya,
your big break's just around the corner ya know.
Carrie could stand to use a limb or two, huh!"

“Bye, Hank.”
I hung up and watched tv for too long.

Thresher Charles