#57: Cafe Down Town

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By God it WAS Sam.

“What the hell happened to you, Boy?” Sam said. He spit out a chaw of tobacco and stomped across the room to Shelby. Shelby was sitting by himself in a corner, back to the wall. The little dragon was perched on his seat back, wings spread, hissing and glaring at the other patrons. A waiter followed Sam with a tray stacked full of hamburgers, french fries and coffee.

“Eat up boy...then we have to talk.” Sam said as the waiter set the food on the table in front of a startled Shelby. Sam ignored the Dragon.

“Um...ok. Thanks.” Shelby dug in. He WAS a little bit hungry.

“One of my husbands told me all about your little escapade.” Sam said around a bite of hamburger. Sam was never one to pass up a meal.

“Can’t let you out in public any more can I?” he stated. “The Dragon Lady was pleased with the way you handled the situation but she was not pleased with the way they treated you or that it even happened. Someone didn’t get the memo. She took steps. There are many unhappy people now, some of whom are in City Hall.”

“Um....” Shelby said, stuffing his mouth full of french fries.

“Another of my husbands at the precinct showed me pictures.” Sam told him. “It looked like a war zone. Blood and body parts everywhere. What’d you use? A chainsaw? No...don’t tell me. I don’t really want to know. My husband said that a call came in to the station house about three AM one morning. Of all things, it was a young gang banger crying for help from a pay phone. He was screaming and bawling in terror claiming that a demon from hell was killing his gang. A team was dispatched but they arrived too late. You’d already pretty much destroyed the lot.”

Shelby wasn’t speaking much. He was eating. Elvira just sat there. Sam could carry the conversation for both of them and Shelby WAS hungry.

Sam said. ”The OIC on the scene was scared half to death of you. ‘There were dead bodies everywhere’ he said later. He almost shot you. He would have if you’d had a weapon, any kind of weapon, even a knife, he’d probably have shot you.”

“He might have shot AT me” Shelby said around a bite of cheeseburger. “I don’t think he would have hit me.”

“ What’d you cut them up with anyway? Your fingernails?” Sam laughed, then he thought better of it and shook his head.“He said that you were just standing there quietly with your hands in the air ”

“He also said that you followed his instructions just fine. You didn’t resist a bit when his partner put the cuffs on you. Good thing too. He would have probably shot you if you had. He really REALLY wanted to shoot you. He was spooked bad.” Sam said

“And later on? When you were in the cell with Bubba? That was precious. Bubba will be singing soprano for awhile, IF he could talk. He can’t. It’ll take a while for his throat to heal. If it ever does he’ll be VERY careful where he tries to put his ding-dong next time. The Judge about busted a gut laughing when she heard about THAT!” Sam was also laughing.

Shelby didn’t say anything, neither did Elvira.

Suddenly all levity had vanished. Sam asked “What exactly did you do in Viet Nam? What happened to you? I was too young for ‘Nam.”

Sam thumped his wooden leg. “I was in the SandBox.”

“They pulled me out of the tunnels in Cu Chi.” Shelby said. “Most of me.”

That part was true.

”Tunnel Rat” Sam whispered, eyes wide.

Sam had seen combat. But Shelby had been a tunnel rat. My Gawd!

“ I can give you a ride back to your apartment. My car’s outside.” Sam said.

“I’d appreciate that.” Shelby told him.

“Put it on my tab.” Sam told the cashier. When Shelby had finished eating. “Come on Boy. If we hurry we can get moving before traffic gets too heavy.”

Shelby knuckle walked behind Sam to his car. They did beat the heavy traffic. An hour or so later Shelby was scampering up the stairs to his apartment.

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The Next Episode is
#58; Cody
The Previous Episode was
#56; Courtroom
the First episode was
#1 : Prologue

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@everittdmickey
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I write
SPECULATIVE FICTION
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