Chapter 15
Julie woke, alone, disoriented, and with a smile on her face. She touched her lips, pulled down on them, as if to put them back in there normal position. Then she got up, dressed, and headed for the kitchen. Her mom was at the kitchen table drinking coffee, eating buttered toast, and Jon was sitting next to her, coffee set before him, reading a paper. It was not clear if mom was staring out into space, or looking at Jon. Jon was singing a song, Henry the 8th.
“Why are you still here?” Julie asked.
“I live here,” her mother said, coming out of her day dream. “Not you,” Julie said.
“What?”
Jon lowered the paper, smiled, and started a new round of the Henry song. “You don’t hear that?” Julie asked.
“I hear everything. And I really thought you were going to be in a better mood this morning after all that pillow humping you did last,” mom said. She pointed to the coffee. “Have some coffee.”
Mom pushed the coffee in front of Jon as towards her spot where she would sit and drink. “I don’t want coffee,” Julie said.
“You always drink coffee,” mom said. “I swear, if you don’t find a boyfriend soon, I am going to hire someone to put you in better mood.”
“Sex is not the answer to everything!” Julie said.
“Yeah it is,” mom and Jon said together. Mom continued, picking up her toast. “Like butter on toast. It just makes the world go down a little easier.”
“I am going to work,” Julie said.
Julie found her purse and headed for the door. Jon followed, taking the coffee. The cup and coffee remained behind, but a duplicate of the cup went with him. He was surprised by how 80’s the world looked. Sure, he knew it was the 80’s based on the paper he had been reading, but this just looked 80’s. He got in the passenger side.
“Get out,” Julie said.
“Can’t do that. You and I are a team until you complete your wishes,” Jon said. “Fuck that, get out,” Julie said.
“Can’t make me,” Jon said, leaning back. He started singing again. “Stop singing that,” Julie snapped. “Why are you singing that?”
“You will so appreciate this 8 years from now,” Jon said.
“UGH!” Julie said. She started the car and put it in drive.
“You really should be nicer to your mom. After all, you’re living with her,” Jon said. “She’s living with me! It’s my home. I pay the bills,” Julie said, pointing over the steering wheel. As if making a point. “She’s lucky she isn’t on the streets after all the crap she has pulled.”
“Sorry,” Jon said. “It was none of my business. It’s just, she seem nice. She is trying.”
“You fucked my mom?!” Julie said.
“I did not fuck your mom,” Jon said.
“But you were fucking hovering over her like a ghost?!” Julie said. “I was not hovering. I was reading the paper,” Jon said.
“But you would fuck her,” Julie said.
“Of course I would. She is a nice woman. Kind of curvy. You could buy her some dentures and she would have a great smile,” Jon said.
“Or, maybe if she stopped doing drugs she could buy her own damn teeth,” Julie said. Jon mused. “Then again, a woman without teeth also has its own appeal.”
“You are fucking sick. Why do I get the sick Jinn?” Julie asked.
“You know, I Dream of Jeannie really painted an unrealistic picture of the Jinn world,” Jon said. “Most Jinns are not just nice, cute women who want nothing more than to serve their masters and make them happy. And it was absolutely insane that the entire premise of the show was about the Major trying to contain her, and put her back in the bottle. He was a fucking astronaut and he couldn’t figure out that she could take him further than NASA ever would?
Anyway, beside the point. Most Jinns would have wasted your wishes, raped you, ate your big toe, and left you possessed with a baby Jinn. Not because they’re evil per say, but the ones you find in lamps and bottles are usually in there because they pissed someone off or they broke a law and were encapsulated or imprisoned to pay off Karma. When a human finds them, seemingly by accident, they earn an opportunity to repay some karma and get out of jail, but unfortunately, incarcerating people has never been an effective way to change people. It usually makes people worse, hence the high rates of recidivism. Interesting how humans and Jinns share that. We both think locking folks up will make them better, but generally when you put people in cages, they get worse. And if you put others in the cages with them, they get worse in groups, smarter, more devious, because that is survival of the fittest, they get preyed on, and then when they get out, you have smarter, more manipulative criminal.”
“They deserve what they get,” Julie said.
“Really? What if half of the people in prison are there because they were already wounded people? What if many of them were suffering from mental illness? Wouldn’t you want to treat a person and help them get better as opposed to locking them up? Don’t you want to build society, as opposed to just throwing people away?” Jon asked.
“If they’re mentally ill, shoot them in the head,” Julie said. “And being wounded because your parents neglected you or abused you, or because you were poor and the environment made you bad, is not an excuse. You don’t do bad things to people just because someone did bad things to you.”
“Interesting,” Jon said. “What?” Julie said.
“I just thought you would be more compassionate if you understood,” Jon said. “Why? Because I am fat I need to be happier and more loving?” Julie said.
Jon meditated over his coffee, looking at her. “Like Jinn, you’re trapped in a body you don’t like,” he said. “Has being in a place you don’t want to be helped you, or added to your weight?”
“Fuck you,” Julie said.
“Oh, you know I will. Anytime, anyplace,” Jon said.
“Fucking shut up I can’t hear myself think!” Julie snapped, grabbing the steering wheel and shaking her whole body.
Jon was quiet the rest of the way to work. She turned the radio on and up full volume, which bothered him, one because of the volume, but also because she had claimed she wanted to hear herself think, but couldn’t go one full minute of silent before she had to drown her inner world out. It turned out she worked as an auctioneer at a warehouse. Jon followed her in, trying not to be conspicuous and she did her best to ignore him. She was met by a glamorous supermodel, long blond hair, blue eyes, big tits, and dressed in a tight, one piece silvery body suit that cut offat her knee, like pre-romper, and she had nude hose covering her legs. Jon was happy to be invisible, checking out the cleavage and touching to see if they were real, and when ‘Barbie’ wasn’t looking, Julie pointed at him warningly.
“Oh, and I forgot,” Barbie said. “Boss wants to see you as soon as you get in.”
Julie proceeded to her boss’ office and Jon followed. The boss didn’t bother to look up as she came in, just motioned for her to have a seat in front of his desk. It didn’t take much for Jon to recognize him.
“No, fucking, way,” Jon said.
Fribourg finished writing his note, looked up at Julie and smiled, a deceptively friendly, warm smile.
“Good morning, Julie,” Fribourg said. “How are you today?”
“What do you want?” Julie asked.
“Always straight to business,” Fribourg said. “Just one of the many reasons I love you. So, one of the Manson ticket items is missing.” He made a pretense of looking at a list. “An old oil lamp. Have you seen it?”
“I am sure I have seen it. I examine everything,” Julie said.
“Yeah, well, I want it back,” Fribourg said. “Apparently, the estate made a mistake and they don’t want me selling it.”
“I don’t know where it is,” Julie said.
Jon sat down in the chair next to her. She wanted him silent, he would honor it. Fribourg smiled, got up, came around the desk, leaned/sat on his desk, one leg free of the ground, his hands on his knees.
“Here’s the thing,” Fribourg said. “I don’t like you. You’re absolutely hideous to look at, and you’re not even a nice person. But you are the best damn auctioneer I have ever employed. You sell crap that I can’t even push. You sell stuff that even when I put Barbie next to the item, she doesn’t make the item more attractive. Between the two of you, though, you girls rock. If I could give Barbie your intellect and skills, but retain her beauty and niceness, she would fucking rule the world. But that’s just dream land. I have to deal with reality. And so do you. No one else is going to hire you and pay you what I pay you. All I want is the lamp back.”
“Well, maybe you should ask Barbie,” Julie said. “Or your maid, or your driver, or the janitor.”
Fribourg smiled pleasantly. “I get it. You’re embarrassed. I caught you. I have looked the other way when little trinkets have gone missing, but I have some pressure to get this item back. That is going to happen.”
“I don’t have it,” Julie lied.
Fribourg nodded. “Too bad,” he said. “So, here’s what I need to happen. By the end of the week, I need that item back in the cage. If it’s not, you will be fired.”
“That’s not fair,” Julie said.
Fribourg laughed. “What are you? Like twelve?”
“Did you threaten to fire the whole staff or just me?” Julie asked. “You’re the only one here with the eye for value,” Fribourg said.
Julie leaned forward. “Let me tell you what’s going to happen. You’re going to get off my fucking back and forget this matter, or your wife is going to get an anonymous letter filled with pictures of you fucking Barbie on your desk here,” she said.
Fribourg didn’t immediately react; he gave no evidence of what was going on his head.
The edge of his lips began to go up. Julie’s lips began to mirror his. He laughed. Julie smiled. He slapped his knees and laughed harder. Julie laughed. They both laughed, escalating in laughter. And then, out of nowhere, he slugged her, hitting her so hard that she went down and to the floor and was out cold. When she woke up, she found herself elaborately tied, unable to move, and unable to speak, due to the fact that she was gagged. She was laying on a large sheet of plastic, in the very office where she had been ‘KO.” Her eyes opened and she saw Jon lying beside her. He gave her a sympathetic smile.
Fribourg was negotiating with someone on the phone. “Really? That’s like full price?
You’re my brother. What do you mean I still owe you? You’re always bringing up the past. No, really, I need your help here. I need you to get rid of a package for me, but only after you discover where the pictures are. Of course there are pictures. No I haven’t seen the pictures, but why would anyone say they have pictures if they didn’t have pictures. You can’t threaten people with nothing. OMG, why are you bringing dad into this? Dad doesn’t need to know about this. If you tell dad, he’ll want to fuck both our wives as payment. What do you mean tell my wife? Are you kidding? Did you tell your wife we share everything? Why do you think I keep Barbie? I need something to appease dad if he ever comes by. You’re the one that brought him up! All I want is a little help containing this problem. Okay, okay. I will pay you what you’re asking. Just get over here. Because I can’t put her in the van by myself. I got to go, someone is here. Bye.”
Fribourg hung the rotary phone up, ran to the door, and opened it just enough to see Barbie. She seemed suspicious.
“Are you fucking someone else?” Barbie asked. “Why would you think that?” Fribourg said. “You been in there a long time,” Barbie said. “Well, I’ve been working, dear,” Fribourg said.
Barbie softened and touched his face. “I am sorry, I just get so jealous thinking you’re screwing around on me.”
“Oh, I would never screw around on you, even with my wife,” Fribourg said. “Let me in, make love to me,” Barby said.
Fribourg paused. “Remember that game I told you we would have to play sometimes?”
“Yeah,” Barbie said.
“Wait here,” Fribourg said.
Fribourg closed the door, ran across the room, grabbed a blindfold from his ‘emergency, let’s kill someone box,’ ran back to the door, and revealed the blindfold to Barbie. She smiled. He put it on her, led her in, and then offered her some candy.
“Oh, I love the candy,” Barbie said, letting it melt under her tongue.
Fribourg took her to the floor and made love to her, not too far from where Julie lay on plastic. Jon sat up to watch. Julie gave Jon an angry look. He shrugged. She tried moaning through the gag. Fribourg gave her a cross look, and held a finger to his mouth as he rocked between Barbie’s legs, telling her to be quiet.
“What was that?” Barbie asked.
“It’s just how you make me feel,” Fribourg said, covering fast.
“Oh, yeah, baby, moan like a stuffed girl for me, again,” Barbie said. “Oh, I think the candy’s kicking in… OMG. Oh, the lights…. I am coming baby.”
Julie started laughing, gabbing at Fribourg and things that weren’t there, like bubbles or fairies. When Fribourg finished he was full tight, stretched out, head up, eyes closed, shaking and groaning, and it was not quite the image Jon wanted of his dad in his head. Simultaneously, there was knocking at the door. Fribourg stood, hurriedly pulled up his pants, ran to the door, but the door was opening even as he was struggling to secure his pants. And there was his father and his brother entering the room. Father was wearing a suit, a top hat, and a cane. His brother was dressed casually, jeans and a flannel shirt, a crazy ZZ top beard. Fribourg’s mouth fell open as dad surveyed the room.
“OMG,” Jon said, whispering at Julie. “My grandfather is Christopher Walkens! I mean, he’s a bit creepy, but I love his movies. Especially ‘Brainstorm.’ OMG, it would be like so cool if Natalie was my grandmother. Oh, wait. Given the fantasies I have had of her, probably not so cool, but, oh what the hell, Christopher Walkens is grandfather, Adam is my father, and my uncle is Jim Cary. This is like the best family reunion ever.”
Julie didn’t know how to respond, even her eyes seemed wild and confused.
“You got two girls here, and you haven’t offered us one,” Christopher said, leaning into his cane. “Are you not sharing?”
“Um, dad?!” Fribourg said. “You brought dad.”
“Well, I was dropping all kinds a hints that he was visiting, but do you listen, no. It’s all about you,” Jim said.
“Hints? What hints?” Fribourg asked.
Barbie shrieked, a delightful laugh, as she continued to grab at fairies. “Yeah, keep it coming,” she giggled. “Oh, baby, baby…”
“I don’t like what I am hearing, boys,” Christopher said, tapping his cane lightly. “It’s bad enough I suspect you’re keeping things from me, but I am detecting some unresolved family discord here. We’re family, we share, we help each other. That’s it.”
“Yes, father,” both Fribourg and Jim said.
“Now, look at how clean shaven your brother is. Hygiene is important, son. Especially if you want to get women like that,” Christopher said, pointing to Barbie.
“He gets women like that cause he gives them candy,” Jim said, crossing his arms. “So, give ‘em candy,” Christopher said. “Especially the fat one. It will help with the weight thing. So, Loci here says you got a problem. I get the sense this little lady on the plastic is the problem? What kind of problem can she be?”
“She took pictures of me and Barbie and is threatening to tell my wife,” Fribourg said. Christopher thought about it and then started laughing. “Well, you dumb piece of shit, maybe you should lock the door. Hell, Loci and I just barged right in on you. But here’s an idea.
Tell your wife you’re fucking around, and then no one can blackmail you. How about that, eh? Put it in your marriage contract that you’re a man, and you will fuck who you want to fuck, when you want to fuck, and you if you want her to fuck someone, she fucks someone, starting with dad, and then maybe your brother; if he shaves that damn beard off. But we don’t just kill women folks because they’re actually smarter than you and tried to get some leverage. That’s on you, dumbass. Take it as a lesson and move on. Now, let me see these pictures she took of you and Barbie. Especially the ones with Barbie.”
“How much candy did you give her?” Loci asked.
“Just a tab,” Fribourg said. “And I don’t have the pictures.”
“OMG, son, you’re killing me. How do you know she actually took pictures?” Christopher asked.
“I don’t. But it doesn’t matter. She threatened me,” Fribourg said. “So?” Christopher asked.
“I don’t like being threatened. And she stole from me!” Fribourg said.
“Oh, well, stealing is another matter,” Christopher said. “We can’t have people stealing from us. We’re too generous a family for people to be stealing. We share. They share. That’s how it works. What did she steal?”
“Do we really have to go through all of this?” Fribourg said.
“You wanted help with a problem. I think we should know the extent to which we are committing ourselves,” Christopher said.
“We’re family!” Fribourg said, dramatically.
“Ah, now you want to use that card,” Christopher said. He pondered. “What are the rules about cleaning?”
“No children, no virgins,” Loci and Fribourg said together. “Is she a virgin?” Christopher asked.
Loci and Fribourg laughed. “Look at her,” Fribourg said.
“I am. I like a little meat on a woman. Especially meat and curbs,” Christopher said. “I love a little base with my treble. Ha, haha! But, seriously, is she?”
“I don’t know. She probably got a sympathy fuck somewhere,” Fribourg said. “Can’t go on probably. You’ll have to fuck her,” Christopher said.
“Why do I have to fuck her?” Fribourg demanded.
“She’s your problem,” Loci said, grinning. “I can’t get it up for her,” Fribourg said.
“Your brother will help you,” Christopher said. “What?” Loci asked.
“What what?!” Christopher said. “Help your brother get it up- what?!”
“How?”
“Are you the dumb one or the dumber one?” Christopher demanded. “I am neither. And I am also not a fluffer!” Loci snapped.
“We’re family, if I say you’re a fluffer, you are a fluffer,” Christopher said. “Now, fluff away.”
“What if I do Barbie again, and then at last second I pull out, run over to Julie, stick in and hope to come,” Fribourg asked.
“No,” Christopher said. “We’re not criminals. We have rules. And one is, we don’t kill children, and we don’t kill virgins. And just sticking it in isn’t proper. You got to work it, make her cum. Give her good experience. Make her actually think you want her.”
“No one wants her,” Fribourg said. “Then cut her free,” Christopher said.
“Fuck me,” Fribourg said, giving an evil eye to his brother.
Loci seemed amused. Christopher smacked the back of his head. “Get down there and help him.”
“Why me?!” Loci asked.
“Because, I am going to be busy with Barbie. Now, I expect to hear her moaning before I finish, am I clear?” Christopher said.
निनमित
Jon found himself in a new world. It was vast meadow, a perfect lawn that perhaps might be a golf course, minus the sand traps. The sky was blue, the grass was green, the sunlight was golden and diffused, like almost in a dream. Pastel flowers were everywhere, only, they weren’t regular flowers. They were balloons. Touching the stem that tethered them to the mother plant released them, sending them adrift. If they popped, they rained down rainbow, glitter stars as seeds. A woman lay in the fetal position on the grass. He approached her, carefully.
“Are you okay?” Jon asked. The girls sniffed. “I hate you.”
Jon was baffled. She turned and lay on her back and he recognized her. “Drew Barrymore?” Jon asked.
“My name is Julie!” Julie snapped.
“Oh,” Jon said. So, this is what Julie would look like without all that weight makeup she was wearing. This, was her ideal self. “Ohhhh. That makes sense. Nice Wonderland.”
“What are you talking about?” Julie asked, sitting up. She blinked as if just seeing for the first time.
“Where am I?” she asked.
“Well, that’s a great question,” Jon said. “Am I dead?” Julie asked.
Jon thought about it. “Do you feel dead?”
“Just answer the question! God, why are you so difficult?” Julie demanded.
“If you can ask the question, you’re not dead,” Jon said. “But, I understand. No, you’re not dead there. Not yet. But you are experiencing trauma, and sufficient fear, that you went somewhere. Here, to be precise.”
“Where is here?” Julie said.
“It’s really kind of difficult to place, spatially, temporally,” Jon said, sitting down next to her. In doing so, he brushed a stem and set a balloon flower a drift. “Because there is no place, there is no time, there is only an endless sea of now, but you may not be ready for that. But, this place isn’t so bad. I was really thinking your world would be dark, but, this is quite beautiful.”
“It feels like a dream,” Julie said.
“It does,” Jon agreed. “It is. It isn’t. It’s the place between.”
“Between?” Julie asked.
“Yeah, the between place. Between waking and dreaming, we pass through this place, but we don’t remember it in the waking world and the dreaming world, because both waking and dreaming is actually dreaming, and only the between place is real.”
“I am so confused,” Julie said.
“Well, think of it this way,” Jon said. “Pretend you’re an actress.”
“I am not an actress!”
“That’s why I said pretend,” Jon said.
“I am not beautiful enough,” Julie protested.
“Oh, please, watch more BBC. It’s not about American beauty, it’s about talent,” Jon said. “Anyway, we are pretending. You are an actress. You have been in at least a dozen very successful movies. Even a couple sequels, so you have visited a character more than once. Are you the characters you have played? No. But, neither are you Julie. That, too, is a character. This place is your true place. Most people don’t discover their true self until they die. Some people find it during trauma. I found my place when I was a child, but didn’t really use it for anything except rescuing squirrels until about a year ago when I discovered that I have a lot more power than I ever imagined. You do, too. We all do.”
“Power?” Julie asked. “Like, the ability to make wishes come true?”
“Exactly like wishes,” Jon said.
“Well, you owe me two!” Julie snapped.
Jon nodded. “We should really discuss this matter…”
“I wish Fribourg and his family were dead,” Julie wished. “Granted,” Jon said.
Julie waited for the change. It didn’t occur. “I am still here. You’re still here.”
“Yeah,” Jon said.
“But, my wish came true, right?” Julie asked.
“Yep, they died. Will die. Are dying. That’s why I really wanted to talk it through with you,” Jon said. “You can’t kill people. We’re all dead and all alive all the time, because there is no time, there is no space, it’s more like a dream, and we’re interacting in the dreams, mostly… Sometimes, what we think is others is really ourselves pretending to be others, but there is definitely others, and the better you get at interacting with others, the less you interact with yourself, oh, I am loosing you.”
“You knew this and you let me waste another wish?!” Julie demanded. “God, I wish I never met you.”
“Granted,” Jon said.
Jon was never sitting there. Loxy was sitting there.
“But you’re still here?!” Julie said, dramatically.
“It’s complicated,” Loxy assured her. “You now have to make a decision. You see that bridge over there?”
Julie stood up to look at the bridge. There were people on the other side. There was a city in the background. It looked like Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz, and the road leading to the bridge was made of gold. The people looked familiar.
“Is that my grandmother?” Julie asked.
“You can go meet them, but if you cross the bridge, you can’t go back,” Loxy said. “Go back?” Julie said, already forgetting.
“It seems like you have already made a decision,” Loxy said. Julie turned back to her. “Do I know you?”
“I am a friend of a friend of yours, a friend you have never met,” Loxy said. “How can he be my friend if I have never met him?” Julie asked.
“It’s complicated,” Loxy said.
“May I meet this friend?” Julie asked.
“He would really like that,” Loxy assured her. Julie turned to the bridge. “Is he over there?”
“Not yet. He and I have a lot more work ahead of us before we can join you over there,” Loxy said.
Julie turned and hugged Loxy. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Travel Light,” Loxy said.
Julie turned and ran towards the bridge, like a child running through the front yard of a home she had been away from far too long. Balloons rose behind her as she swept by them, arms out playfully. Shiny, sparkly seed like stars rained down. She did not look back as she ran across the bridge to be met by family. A family of ages.