hed never seen so many steps in his
life Wrong!
Oh Yes he stood corrected Give me a moment That was a lot of years ago
he had
as an eighth grader he visited Washington DC
and ran up the Washington Monument lotsa
steps
but that was lotsa years ago
he thought to himself Give me afuckin break
although he wasnt prone to giving himself breaks
only once before had he seen more steps
in his life HAPPY?
his daughter worked in a science lab a secured building
whenever he visited her
employment he took the stepshe was disinclined to use mechanics while he was capable while he had legs while he cherished his health and stamina
besides he liked fire stairwells they were as surreptitious or as clandestine as the
backseat of a car parked in lovers lane you
had his guarantee
the last time he had gone to
visit her he climbed the steps to the fifth floor where she worked only to
discover – how stupid was he – that the security access was locked a numberpad blinked at him tempting him to be sly to be James Bond
he was no James Bond
discretion is the better part of valour
he wanted to see his daughter
he had enough things in his
pastdancing with cops that
she didnt know of that could suggest his intent
wasnt altogether innocent
activism gives one that
like
Hawthornes Scarlet Letter burned or cut
into ones forehead Wha? I fell when I
was a kid everyone
falls when theyre a kid anif
one hadnt they hadnt pushed their luck as they should havehadnt sought the
bliss the flimsy
defense of ignorance is bliss
he pushed that adage
to the brink tried to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that YES YES! Someone
could be that stupid Wipe that shit-eatin grin off your face! Ohshit was he smiling again akin to Did I say that outloud I thought I was only thinking it
OH Oops a third time a third time he saw as many
steps as his daughters employment had was with his son-in-law Sam as they escaped a Vegas club gone sour
the exit they found looked much
like an Escher drawing steps that went up were separate
from the steps that went down or perhaps the copious Grey Goose they imbibed made it seem so
Sam wanted out for whatever reasons that had occurred
to him
he saw him making a break and
followed him
his son-in-law was none-too-happy
he followed Yawanna give me some
room?
Nope You ought to appreciate that I hardly ever
follow anyone not my style
they actually followed EXIT signs
that lead them into a storage room a dead-end actually he didnt think
that Grey Goose had hallucinatory qualities Well what the fuck?! Sam exclaimed
Lets reverse field was all he could muster thinking to himself Thats messed up
reversing field is how they found
Escher staircases
four flights side by side
the ones that ascended on the
sixth floor were separated by those that descended a crotch between them a V which could be violated there was chainmesh to either side of the
opening just enough room to slip between rather climb a railing
he went first
ignorance is bliss
he never remembered Sam had a prosthesis his right
leg below the knee his son-in-law was
more intact than other men who took their bodies for granted
he got through clean as a whistle
Sams right shoe got
caught in the crotchSEIZED
and he fell through the gap onto his head onto the descending steps
as Sams heels flopped over and downward
he lunged and grabbed him by his chest – how the fuck his son-in-law didnt break
his neck was beyond him the top
of his head split smiled real big at him STITCHES he bellowed HELP!
and bellowing he wondered why he did up
and down the staircases there wasnt a soul remembering it was fire stairwell HELP!
Security emerged like wolves at a crippled calf they screamed What are you doing in here?! This is a secure
place!
Yah Well if maybe you boys were doing your jobs we
never would have found the chink in your armour
then he iced the cake My sons an attorney
yaps snapped shut
he walked back down the flights
of steps to the lobby to call his daughter
she beat him to the punch Where
are you?
Im in the lobby
Ohgood.
Yes Im just down from climbing up to the fifth floor where I understand your office is
Aw, Papa, the doors are locked.
You need a security card to gain access.
Or the pass number to enter on
the keypad
Or that.
Of which I had neither Christ president has access to the nuclear code an hes definitely a clear and present danger . .
.
. she laughed Don’t go nuclear on me.
No Just frustrated I should have calledIm used to following the
pack up the stairsforgetting that the first person through had authorised our
entry
Yes. There is that.
Yes I also recognised that the elevators are disarmed
Yes they are. Theyre shutdown to
traffic after three p m.
I’m at the top of the stairs. You
went to the stairwell to the right of the elevators, correct?
I did
Good. I standing here, at the top
of the stairs.
You said Im happy my bags arent too heavy
Did you want me to come down to help?
Ohfuckno
Okay.
See you in a moment?
In a moment
he sweated
still he liked the security
she enjoyed
it wasnt up his alley
confrontation was his forte
0812, Friday,
17 5. 19
1229, Reggae Friday, 7 6.
19
