Issue #20 (2011) PDF - myweb - Long Island University

―You know what she said it was Stress pains.‖
―Well, of course you‘re stressed,‖ she yelled from behind a cabinet. ―You‘re having a stroke
for God‘s sake!‖
―The muscles in my neck were so tight from stress that they were pinching my ulnar nerve
and that was the pain in my arms. Nerve pain. It‘s really a terrible pain, I don‘t know how these
Lupus people live with it.‖
―Oh, I know. Lupus is horrible.‖ She sat down and lit up. ―They say it can come on at any
age, a flare up, like Crohn‘s Disease. Jesus, don‘t even get me started on Crohn‘s!‖
―Or schizophrenia,‖ I added. ―That doesn‘t start till your twenties, and then just like that.
Like a switch in your brain. One minute you‘re normal –‖
―You‘d tell me if I was crazy right Because they say crazy people never know they‘re crazy.‖
―Of course I‘d tell you.‖ I buried my face in a tube of smoke.
―Good. I would tell you too.‖
_ _ _
Once the bong was kicked I slipped into the hallway and bumped into Kat‘s neighbor who
smiled at me from behind his wire-rimmed glasses.
―I‘m Joe,‖ he said in the elevator, but I already knew his name. Kat had told me about him.
―I know,‖ I said.
He smiled like he‘d missed the joke.
We said goodbye at the door but then we both turned right. I sped up to create some
distance. It was awkward for a few blocks until he ran up next to me.
―Are you front following me‖ He asked.
―What‖
―You‘re front following me. It‘s when you follow someone who‘s behind you so it doesn‘t
look suspicious.‖
―How do you follow someone who‘s behind you‖
―You just sense where they are, body heat and motion and stuff.‖
―What if they turn‖
―A good front follower can anticipate a turn.‖
―Is this something you do on a regular basis‖
―I don‘t do it. I just know about it. You were the one doing it.‖
―Well, I‘ve never heard of it so I doubt I was doing it. I didn‘t even know you were behind
me,‖ I lied.
He laughed a bit too hard.―Where are you headed this evening‖
―The grocery store,‖ I admitted.
―Me too.‖
―So, you‘re a liar‖
He laughed again. His throat exposed looked like a dancer‘s spine.
We walked down the aisles together in silence. I felt like I should be making conversation
but I was buzzed and wanted to concentrate on my grocery list. I could hear a florescent bulb
flickering and I started to wish Joe hadn‘t come.
―Yum pickles,‖ he said. He was examining everything I put in my cart. It was weird.
―I prefer Oreos,‖ he said when he saw me considering a package of Chips Ahoy. He didn‘t
seem to be doing much shopping.
―You don‘t seem to be doing much shopping,‖ I said.
―No, just had to pick up a couple of things.‖ He reached for a pack of Charmin and grinned.
In the cereal aisle I read the nutrition facts on a box of Smart Start. He came up behind me
and read over my shoulder. I wished he would just grab my tits or something but he had his hands
104