chapter*Liss
My dad was in My dad was in They put themselves They put themselves in a tunnel where they couldn’t get out
That’s modo aumentado That’s what mi Idios Mio says Once you get yourself in sometimes you can’t get out That’s enhanced mode That’s augmentation Some things you take out of the box They don’t go back
It’s like a hat Sometimes you outgrow it And it never fits again
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I hugged my dad I hugged my dad Sometimes that’s what people need A simple hug
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I hugged him left
I hugged him right
There’s that dad
There he is
He’s inside
He’s here
“Becca: can you drive a stick?”
Winnie’s Honda is a stick
“I’m not breathing!”
“I can’t emphdrive a stick!” Becca says.
Calm down. Calm down.
We’re fine.
Ou est mi Idios Mio?
Ou est.
“Dad, we’re gonna take you to the hospital.”
“I have to get some things.”
“See! You’re breathing. You’re breathing just fine.”
“My heart stopped!”
Becca’s taking his pulse. “Your heart is fine, Mr. Richard.”
Your heart is fine.
“Check Winnie!!” My dad starts freaking out.
“I’ll go get her, Mr. Richard.”
“Dad, where are Winnie’s keys?”
“They’re in the car.”
I have him. I’m helping him up.
“Dad. We’ve got to go.”
“One second! One second!” He stands.
“Your heart is fine.”
“I’m telling you! It stopped! When I hit the pavement it started again!”
“Richard, are you having fun with Candy?”
“Richard!” :that’s the cop.
“Find the handcuff key!” Dad grabs me. “Liss! Find the key!”
“It’s on the counter you dumbasses.”
“Let them out!” My dad runs to the back of the house. “And then we’re gonna go!”
“Are they wigging out?” Cock says. He’s shaking his head.
He’s in the kitchen drinking shot after shot of whiskey.
He’s going to kill himself.
He drinks a shot.
He pours.
He drinks a shot.
He pours.
It spills on the counter.
He drinks it.
He slams down the glass.
His Candycane is lying by the pool.
She’s looking at the sky.
Soaked. Still. She’s not moving.
Cock looks at me.
I’m going for the key.
He takes it.
“You wanna get out of this?” Cock is talking to Jimmy. “Jimmy, you want to go home?” He pushes me aside. He kicks Jacobi. He’s unlocking him. “Get up, fatfuck. It’s time to go.” Cock’s ass is in Jimmy’s face. Cock talks over his shoulder: “You’ve been a real help tonight, Jimmy. Aren’t you supposed to be on emphpatrol or something?”
Jimmy starts to answer—Cock hits him.
He knocks him out.
It takes a couple hits.
He slams Jimmy’s head into the bar.
It shakes the entertainment center.
Jacobi runs out to Candy and continues CPR.
“I tried it! I tried it,” Cock says. He kicks Jimmy’s body. “I tried it.”
Then Cock turns off the television. He’s real quiet: considering.
Jacobi’s huge body pressing down on Candy, tiny little Candy Cane.
She seems less menacing now.
Menace means to threaten, especially in a malignant or hostile manner.
I get perfect scores in vocabulary.
I only emphget perfects there.
Jacobi heaving and pressing her.
I think he’ll break a rib.
Cock turns to me. He says: “Did you want that on?”
He means the TV.
I shake my head.
Cock is quiet now. I’ve never emphseen that bunny that quiet.
His Candy gone.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
I’ve never seen a bunny so unhappy.
He goes outside.
He takes the ring off Candy’s finger.
“Jacobi—right? Is that your name? Jacobi, stop. Stop. Can you drive?”
Jacobi nods.
“Then drive. Go home.”
The sun is rising.
There it is!
I can see the pink around the edges!
It’s morning-time.
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I’m back with Dad. I’m back with Dad! The dad is digging through the bathroom towels. He’s got a bag. There’s a used tissue on the floor. He picks it up. It’s soaked with blood. He puts it in the bag. “Dad, let’s go.” “I’ve got to get some things! Liss—” He grabs me. “—Liss. You’re on my side! Baby. Look! I hate this. All this!” Dad throws up tissue. He throws it in the air. “Dad, we’ve got to go.” “Okay, one second.” He’s digging in the bag. “Dad!” “I gotta get emphone thing!” “What do you emphgotta get?” He has it. He holds it up. “This!” “Let’s emphgo.” “No.” It’s Candy’s torch. “Alright, let’s go.” He sparks it. He puts it in the bag. Tissues flame, they cringle. They’re too soaked to burn. “Hold this. Liss. Hold it.” I hold the bag. Dad throws a bunch of junk in with the tissues. A glass pipe. Some of the hand towels. “Alright,” he says, “Let’s go.” Cock is at the end of the hall. He’s got the statue. It’s the statue from earlier—the one my dad threw? Cock doesn’t look happy. He looks a little mad. Cock reels back. My dad covers me. Cock launches the statue. It crackles, everywhere, pieces of faux-marble. It’s wire-mesh—plaster. Fake. Cock, screaming. “You bought me emphChinese, Richard. That may have covered you until about 2am. But it did NOT—COVER—THIS!” Dad grabs me and we’re out through the garage. Dad bolts the door. Cock kicking!! I back into the Camaro. Cock is coming though that door. “Hit the door opener!” But we hit it twice. “Dad. Let me.” I pause the door. I press again. It’s slowly grinding upward. There’s a space. “Go on.” “Dad!!” “Go on.” He drops the plastic bag in the Camaro. He undoes the emphgas cap! “emphDad!!” There’s enough space now. Come emphon! My dad is digging for the lighter. Oh my god. There he goes! He’s going for the lighter! He’s got it! Graceful, like ballet! One hand is stuffing tissues into the gas tank! A foot in the air! Peril! I have never seen such acrobatics! Never such stunts! Outside my dreams! Cock kicking! Splintering! Splintering the door! And Dad runs! Did he light it? I think he did!
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Cock breaks the door! He comes through! He sees the fire! “My car!!” He’s swaap-ing it! He’s swaap-ing at the flames! Now he might get it! There’s my Winnie! “Alice, dear!” “Wynne!” I hug her waist. She bends to me. “Liss! I stopped breathing!” I pinch her ears. “We fixed my dad’s!” Winnie looks at Richard. He’s backing us away from the house. And here’s that man! My diaper buddy in the wheelchair! emphYou helped me out! When I was in trouble! A needed friend. I needed you! You bought supplies! “I’m breathing, Richard!” “We’ll get you home.” “Becca, can you drive a stick?” “My car: I’ll drive!” “No you won’t.” Zeeeeerrrrrrmmm. My friend is coming up the street.
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Delight of fire! We’ll have a show! Everyone take their seats. Thank you, thank you; there you are. I traded you, Devil! Now can I have my show? My Anglican Devil-Nacht! He is inside me! Check my tail! It’s there! It’s there inside me. I have his fangs! I have points! “I HAVE MY TAIL!” I’m jumping and pointing at it when Cock goes back inside through the house and IT EXPLODES!! IT BLOWS! It HITS the SKY! TErriBLE WoNDeR! We hit the street! We’re standing! “Oh my.” That, Winnie says. emphOh my. Isn’t it delightful! My devil made a show! The garage door is in pieces! It’s hardly there! There’s a tire.. My delightful god! You heard my prayer! Is Cock dead.. And what about that cop! Zeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrmmmmmm..glunk. My man stops beside us! “The diaper held!” Where’s Cock? They’re inside! We killed a baby! emphOh my. Then crying from behind me. That baby whine! Rebecca’s already out here. She’s across the street! And that stupid little doll! That baby! He cries! He finally fucking cries Like a baby is supposed to If I turn you over If I pour you out Will you cry like you’re supposed to? Time will tell. And there’s that bunny rabbit. There’s that Cockatoo. He’s got Jacobi! The fat man lives! I hope you had insurance. Bunny house is burning! Dad coughing! Arms around Winnie! Now we’re ducking in the car! And Jacobi’s talking with the wheelchair! They’re shaking hands. Oh emphyes, it’s so nice to meet you. (And you!) This is how we meet each other. I’m the neighbor? You’re the slave! Then BOOM!!
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It goes again. It HITS the SKY! You broke that bunny’s house! Daaaaaddd! And Candy’s sleeping. Noises of the cops. Their sirens running. But who’s inside? “Jimmy!” Dad yells. Cock pulls him back. You cannot go inside. Smoke from the door! Blackness! No more garage! “But what about your statues?” Cock says: “I’ll get more.” Fire, crackling. Smoke: a plume! And sirens wailing. The lights are on! This neighborhood is finally waking up! I see the dawn! It’s Mr. Abbott! Carl! They’re coming for us. We’ve got a fire! It’s Jimmy’s friends! Two cars! They’re out the door! Sqwaacck! (That’s the sound they make.) On their radio: Squaaacker. Squack. Squack-em, squack-em, Squack! The smell of bodies burning! Squack-em talk-em. Candy’s too wet to burn. You would think— emphSquack-em talk-em. —you would think— emphSqwack sqwack. —you would think—honestly—that cops would have GPS—you would think—really—that Jimmy burning would scream—you would think that Jacobi and the wheelchair would wait until when houses were not burning to introduce themselves!—you would think—you would think this, and you would think many other things—and you would be wrong “What’s going on here!” “We’ve got a fire.” And Winnie sits down. She sits down right in the street. There’s cops swarming around us, and fire. And now the trucks are arriving. Now it’s light. Now the daylight’s coming. —you would think by now we’d hear from Jimmy— But you’d be wrong. He must have died from inhalation. The fireboys go inside! They risk their lives! Jimmy never makes a sound. No bodies are brought on stretchers. As far as they get is the pool table—There’s too much flame I would have thought their equipment would let them walk through fire But it doesn’t If you’ve ever seen firemen at a fire they’re kindof helpless They watch it burn.
They mean well. Their job is to do something. When there is no something that can be done. They’re brave. They face the flames!
Winnie’s sitting in the street cross-legged She closed her eyes
Those boys have brought their best ambitions Bunny’s house is gonna burn