THEY CALL IT THE CITY OF ANGELS
New Fiction By BUREAU Editor Joshua TRILIEGI
Each Chapter is Written Consecutively in a 24 Hour Period without Notes & Published
SEASON TWO / EPISODE 7 / CHAPTER 29
BOOKS
The only person who really gave Charles a hard time was his son Mickey's longtime girlfriend, Moon. She saw her boyfriend go from the king of the castle, to the simple son of a man who had been gone, missing in action, for a decade. Charles knew how Moon felt and he liked her for it that much more. He started to joke with her by saying things like, "Don't hold back now," or "Tell me how you really feel," and she did. Which was all the more frustrating for her because he could take whatever she could dish out. Finally, one afternoon, not long after Charles' escapade in the middle of the LA riots, Moon cut the man some slack and they talked heart to heart. On the days that followed the riots, Moon told Mickey, that she wanted to keep the bookstore open all day and all night and have local people, writers and some of the poets do a full days readings of the works of revolutionary poets, writers and works of social justice. She said it might be a good idea to have Charles and some of his biker pals camped out in front of the store to insure security and Mickey thought it was a good idea. "We need to teach people that a true revolution happens with education over time not in three days with fire." People got up and read Le Miserables, Angela Davis, John Reed, Russell Means, Allen Ginsberg, Sartre, The Bill of Rights, The Constitution, Thomas Paine, Black Elk Speaks, Bob Dylan, Malcolm X, Ken Kesey, Nelson Algren, William Seward Burroughs, Buddha, Amiri Baraka, The Abolishment of Slavery, Poetry of Struggle, Artaud and on and on. While the city was burning itself to the ground and the National Guard was marching in on the Presidents request, The Bookstore was teaming with words and music and a subverted energy that simply said, "We understand your frustration, now lets express ourselves to make real change." A group of younger readers got up and read songs as if they were poems, including the works of punk rock bands like The Circle Jerks, Suicidal Tendencies, TSOL, Black Flag, Red Kross, The Minutemen, Sex Pistols, The Clash. With lyrics like, "Wild in the streets, running, running, wild in the streets … " they brought a social commentary and an angst and expression that was wholly appropriate. During all this, Moon turned to Charles and said, "Well, what do you think ?" "About this ?", Charles asked, over the loud readers, crowd and general hum. "I think it's beautiful." She nodded in agreement. "What made you stay out there so long ?" Moon asked him. He breathed in a deep slow breath and then breathed out a long slow exhale, looked at her with his eyes beginning to well up, and said, "I am not entirely sure." Then he thought about it and continued. "There was a silence out there that became very necessary to me. Just a silence of the mind that seemed to make time itself pass rather quickly. I once sat in the same spot under a tree in the middle of a crowded intersection for at least a year. And to me, it seemed like about three or four days. Ya gotta understand, my life had happened at a tumultuous speed. The music, the bikes, the drugs, the times themselves, it was just all to quick and had happened all to fast and then it ended even quicker than it had actually happened. Maybe the thing it Vietnam didn't help. All I know is that, it all had passed so swiftly, I didn't even realize the time."
Moon stared at him. She saw something in him of a small boy. Then asked, "Did you ever think of your family ?" Charles replied, "Yes, All the time. The mind is a strange and interesting place to stay for ten years. I would gaze into the distance and recreate all my favorite people and just watch an interaction in my mind. But there would be no words, simply a beautiful interaction. Like making love or playing on the beach or walking through the forest and then my skill pattern became so focused that I could literally be in the middle of say a battlefield or a busy intersection or anywhere at all, in any weather condition and totally zone in on things. It got to the point where I could sit and watch the Civil War or the Meeting of the Great Chiefs or the entire concert at Woodstock, wether imagined or based on a real experience. I was out there, really and truly, out there. That doctor at the hospital said that if it had not been for the 'shock' of the accident with that bus driver, I may have just spent the rest of my life in that state of mind. He said it 'woke' me up." "Would you like to meet him ?", Moon countered. "Who ?" asked Charles. "Would you like to meet the bus driver ?" she replied. He thought she was joking with him. "He is actually a customer of ours. His rest point on that bus route was just around the corner. We had become friends long before the accident. Mickey rode that bus route into Malibu and even thought he saw you on the beach a week before the accident. He came home thinking that he was seeing things." Charles added, "Mickey's a hawk, he has always been a keen observer. As for meeting the bus driver, Yes. Maybe it would do him some good to know that he actually 'woke me up from a ten year slumber'. We should have someone read, 'Rip Van Winkle'. Then she added, "Charles, I know I've been giving you a hard time…" Just then Mickey and a few of his friends came walking in and interrupted, "Dad, I want you to meet a good friend of mine…" Charles got up and excused himself from the conversation with Moon. He didn't like sentimental apologies and knew that she was correct in criticizing his long absence. So he simply pretended not to know where she was going with that one. Moon watched the man and the son and his friends discussing something or other and she began to like the fact that a King had returned and maybe Mickey wasn't giving up his crown so quickly after all.
When Moon invited Jordan to meet Charles, she had decided to do it in a covert way. Jordan had given her the home number when Moon had convinced him that he should preorder a special collection of Maya Angelou Poetry and said, "We will call you when the books arrive." She was a savvy salesperson and made it extremely easy for people to buy books, either by order or layaway or any way she could. To her the bookstore experience was personal, life was personal and even her business style had become personal. Moon called the house and left a message saying that they had some new books put aside that Jordan would like and could he call the store sometime soon. When he finally got around to it, Moon answered the phone and Jordan said, "Someone called the house about some books I ordered." She replied, "Oh yes, this is Moon from the store in Venice Beach. I put some books aside for you and your lady that I thought would be good for your collection. I hope It's o.k. that we called you." Jordan said it was fine. In fact he explained that he had been thinking about her boyfriend. "You mean Micky ?", "Yeah" Jordan explained that he wanted to talk to Micky about possibly buying a motorcycle. "Well, thats interesting because were having a party at the new family salon next week. Maybe you and your lady…" She paused so that Jordan could fill in the blank, "… Wanda." He added. "Yes. Maybe you and Wanda would like to attend ? It's sort of an investors party, but I think it would be a great time for you to talk to Mick." She gave him the details of when and where and they both said goodbye. A week or so later, Jordan, Wanda and Jordan's mom, who went by the name of 'Baby' entered the Venice beach hair salon, which was not yet open to the public. This was an investors party,s o people were invited to consider investments in the new establishment and those who had already invested were present to see the progress and development so far. The salon itself was the brainchild of Mickey's sister Cali and her girlfriend JD or Jezz as Charles had begun to call her. Jordan had been feeling strange about what had happened out there on the coastline that day. It was bad enough that he had struck a pedestrian, but he had also grabbed a wrapped bundle of bills that had spilt out on the highway, just on reflex and was now wondering if keeping the cash was the right thing to do. The cash had been wrapped in paper that had once been dipped in LSD. It was part of Charles' leftover stash from one of his many post office box drops. So every time the bills were handled, there was always a chance that Jordan would begin to have light hallucinations and this had happened several times since the incident. He decided to bring the entire bundle with him to the salon, not knowing exactly what he would do. Jordan figured that if he ordered a motorcycle from Micky than he would be putting the money back into his hands, so to speak. He had originally been told by his lawyer who the man was and the background of their family, in the event that something such as a lawsuit were to occur, so there was no surprise when he found out that they owned the bookstore and that luckily, he knew Moon. Jordan believed in these types of occurrences and although he was not one to quote his beliefs system publicly. His friends would have easily said, "It is up to Allah." Jordan had a modern way of looking at his tradition. He felt a man had as much to do with the actions of the world as god himself and there were times when that belief both rewarded and seem to challenge his life.
The party was already on its way when Jordan's camp arrived. Moon immediately saw them enter and greeted the trio with beverages, found a seat for Wanda and Jordan's mother and led Jordan over to meet Mickey, who was standing with Charles. "Mickey, this is Jordan, you've met at the store once or twice." Then she turned and notice that Jordan was visibly nervous about meeting Charles. Jordan,"She said, "…this is Charles, Mickey's father." She had already told Charles about Jordan and so he was already well prepared to meet the young man. "So you're the guy who woke me from a ten year slumber." Charles stated rather loudly. "My doctor said that had I not been struck that day, I may not have even returned to the living. So after discussing it with Moon, we decided that a meeting was in order." Jordan didn't know what to say. "I felt terrible about what happened out there sir." Charles responded, "Well it wasn't exactly your fault now was it. Not only was the other driver in the wrong, but as I recall, my little shopping cart was out in the street. We would often do that so cars would not veer so close to the edge of the highway. 'We', meaning, me and my other roving compadres." Jordan felt a sigh of relief and began to reach into his pocket to give the man his money back. Just then, Cally and Jezz brought the meeting to order and announced that investments in the business would provide a return on the money within eighteen months and a percentage of the profits thereafter at such and such a rate. She had drawn out proposals and charts and projections as well as paper kits for attendees to take home. Investors would also be provided services at half rate for them and their loved ones. Then Mickey stepped up and said that the first person to invest over five thousand dollars in the business would also receive one of his motorcycles for half the price and he would provide a custom paint job to order. Now Jordan saw his way out of this without difficulty. He walked into the restroom, counted what was left of the bundle of hundred dollar bills, roughly about eight thousand dollars. He put the wrapper in his coat pocket and walked back into the salon. Jordan waived to Moon expressing that he wanted to talk to Mickey in private. They walked out back away from the crowd. "Hey man, I just want to say how sorry I am about …" Mickey interrupted him, "My dad would maybe never have been discovered if it wasn't for you. The hospital would never have called the house. Who knows how long he may have drifted, were grateful to you." Jordan said, "Well in that case, lets talk business," he pulled out a wad of bills, "I don't want my Lady or my Mother to know about this, so lets keep this in-house. Here is eight thousand dollars for the bike and the salon. I don't want anyone to know about this. Just say its by an anonymous investor. We can start an account for my kid with whatever comes back." Mickey looked at the money and laughed out loud, "All right." Jordan felt relieved, he shook Mickey's hand and mentioned that all the details could be settled at another time. Then he said goodbye to Charles and noticed that his Mother and Wanda were talking up a storm with Cally's girlfriend, Jezz. Jordan said he was tired and wanted to go home. Wanda and Baby said they wanted to stay. Then Cally announced that someone had invested a major amount anonymously and that the shop would be open in the next thirty days. Everybody cheered. Mickey held up his beer in Jordan's direction and Jordan took his left fist and held it in the air. They both smiled at one another. Jordan walked over to Moon and didn't exactly know what to say. Then he remarked, "You don't actually have any books for me at the store do you ?" She laughed, "Of course I do." Jordan looked her over, "But that's not why you invited me here is it ?" She giggled, "Not exactly." Then she added, "We all saw what happened to you with the transit authority, losing your job and all of that." He just looked down. Moon continued, "Jordan, your pretty well known now, maybe it's time you got into a new line of work. How would you like to sell books for a living ?" Jordan lifted his head up, he thought about the question more deeply and simply said, " BOOKS ? "
Here are THE New Chapters at the very Beginning of Part Two of the Fiction Project. The entire Part One is available on our Site BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE . Com as well as here on our Community Sites in L.A. / N.Y.C / S.F. / Santa Barbara / San Diego and the New International Literary Site with links to Publishers, Book Stores and Literary Events. This particular Excerpted Version is accompanied by the Fine Art Paintings of Contributing Artist David FeBLAND represented by George BILLIS Gallery in LA and NYC. The Paintings existed and were created without knowledge of the Novel Project, though we felt their presence here allowed for a visual narrative that compliments the Series.
Published at BUREAU of Arts and Culture Sites in: New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Santa Barbara and The Bureau International Literary Site in August 2014 Written by The Bureau Editor Joshua Triliegi Tune in Here Every day Monday to Friday for More ...Fine Art Paintings by New York Painter David FeBLAND with a featured Interview SUMMER
