"Don't even bother taking off your
coat," said Cherry Valentine to Simon "Corpse-maker" Refing as he walked through
the doors of the Damsel Strip Club.
"What?"
"Don't bother taking off your coat. I
want you to do something for me. Do something for yourself!"
Cherry was heated. Simon could tell.
Being ordered around before he could take a breath, made Simon hot too.
"Take it easy, Cherry. What's this all
about?"
"Just before you got here to start your
shift Kitten Kaboodle was scheduled to go on."
"Yeah, so?"
"Did you not hear how I phrased that
Simon? She didn't fucking go on! She hasn't gone on in a week! She doesn't
return my phone calls. I have a feeling she doesn't return yours! You know this
is your fault Simon Refing, you dumbass mother fucker! I want you out on the
streets looking for her."
"Cherry, listen I..."
"I don't want to hear it Simon! You and
your macho attitude are only good for one thing, hurting people! Get out there!
Go find your ex-girlfriend or whatever she was to you. I have to stay here. I
have to do my job. You have to do your job, and your job is about protecting
us! So go out and find Kitten!"
As Cherry yelled at Simon through the
main door of the Damsel, Simon could see a shallow stream of water run down the
corner of Cherry's eye. It was faint, so faint it didn't smear her makeup on
the way down. Simon barely listened to Cherry's screams but he was enthralled
by her tear. He saw himself in her tear like a reflection in a pond. He saw his
own soul inside her tear. The single tear was greater than any emotion Simon
had ever had. He wished he was Cherry's tear. He wished he could form the tear
that Cherry had formed. He wanted to cry for Kitten. He wanted to cry for
himself, for Jacquie, for all the lives he had messed up, ruined, and ended. He
could not cry. He could not form a single tear. He could not be a tear. He did
not have a soul.
Suddenly Simon pushed Cherry back
through the door of the Damsel. He saw her smack into the back of a patron as
he closed the door. He pulled up the collar on his coat and walked away from
the Damsel back to his car. As he walked away he heard the door open again and
the voice of Cherry shouting something threatening. Simon hunched over and
continued to walk to his car.
He was going to drive until he found
Kitten. He was going to set his life right. He was going to earn back a piece
of his soul.
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