Locomotive to the Past by George Schultz (iphone ebook reader .TXT) 📕

car! But they . . . whoever owned the car… should’ve removed ’em! Taken ’em in… right in, to Mass… with ’em! Oh… the shame of it all! To think they’d play such a rotten trick . . . on my poor, innocent, sister!”

“‘Stosh’” She was, by now, in tears! Pleading with her brother! “‘Stosh’! Listen, ‘Stosh’! Listen to me! You can’t let ’em put me in… put me in goddam jail! You can’t! You simply fucking can’t!”

“Oh no? You just watch me!”

“‘Stosh’! Please! If not you . . . then, who?”

“I’m sorry, Sis! But, that’s something you are gonna have to figure out! For yourself!”

“Look… ’Stosh’! If you’re not gonna help me… your own sister . . . would you, at least, do me a favor?”

“Depends. What do you want… this time… ’own sister of mine’?”

“Would you… would you, at least, call… call Debbie? Call her? Ask her . . . if she won’t help me out! For… for old time’s sake?”

“I can’t believe you said all that! And with a straight face! On second thought, I guess I can believe, that you said all that… with a straight face! All right,” he affirmed—sighing deeply. “I’ll call Debbie! And discuss your… ah… misfortune, with her. I’m not gonna promise… to ask her to, help you! Ahhh, what the hell? She’s got a mind of her own, anyway! Or is that . . . what you’re afraid of?”

The connection was broken—immediately—by Sheila! Slamming the poor, innocent, phone down—into its innocent, unsuspecting, cradle!

At noon—the following day—Sheila was marched back into that same anteroom. The one—in which she’d spent so much “quality” time, the day before. It had proved to have been far preferable—to the drafty, no-linen, hard-as-a-rock, “bunk”, in the cell, in which she’d just spent a terrifying, sleepless, night!

She’d had no idea—as to why she’d been led to that particular venue, once again! Surely, everyone had—by then—turned their uncaring backs, on her! Had abandoned her! One and all! Each insensitive cretin!

She’d been told—by she-didn’t-know-who—that her first formal hearing should take place, “in about four, or five, days”. It could be delayed until six or seven (or eight or nine) days would’ve passed! None of this was proving to be the least bit comforting, to the, eternally-highly-distraught, woman!

Well—at least for the nonce—there would be no cop, sitting across the table from her! That was a bit of a comfort—for how-ever-long that might last!

The prisoner sat—fidgeting endlessly—awaiting whatever the “cruel fates” might hold, in store for her! And she waited! And waited! And waited!

Finally—after fifteen long, arduous, nerve-wracking, never-ending, minutes—the ponderous door swung open! And there stood—Debbie! Her erstwhile friend!

The visitor entered the anteroom—slowly! Tentatively! Haltingly, she seated herself—where the police officer had spent so much time (mostly “glowering” at Sheila), the day before!

“Sheila?” Debbie rasped—also very tentatively.

“Debbie!” The emotional dam had been—suddenly—breeched! “Debbie! Thank you… thank you… for coming!” Sheila’s tears were flowing—with great exuberance—by then! “Thank you… so much!”

“Sheila? Sheila… I really don’t know why I’m here!”

“Isn’t it… wouldn’t it be . . . to post bail for me?”

“I talked to a bondsman, Sheila. Fortunately, your bail is low enough… that it’d only set me back about seven-hundred dollars! Seven-hundred smackers… to bail you out! That was the upper limit! Anything more than that… and it would’ve been, really out of the question! Totally out of the question!”

“Thank God! Look… Debbie . . . I really appreciate this!”

“Well, don’t! At least not yet! It hasn’t happened . . . yet! And I’m not sure… that it’s even gonna happen!”

“What… what do you, do you… what do you mean? What do you mean . . . that you don’t know? That you’re not sure?”

“Well, for one thing, you’ve got one hell of a lot, of nerve! A hell of a lot of nerve… even asking me, to bail your butt, out! To spring you… out of this charming place! After all the things… all the, positively-crappy, things… you’ve had to say to me, over the past few months! Past few months… and past few years! Especially the past few days! I’m not screwing your son!”

“Debbie… look! I’m sorry! Sorry for… for everything! We used to be friends! Good friends! Close friends! I’d like for it… for it to be that way, again!”

“Of course. you do! Of course, you would! Why not? Hell, I’m your ticket… your ticket to… to getting the hell out of here, for one thing! Of course you’d want us to be bosom buddies again!”

“Listen, Deb! Listen to me! A lot of things… so many things! They’ve been happening… been happening to me… of late! Jason! Jason . . . for God’s sakes! I don’t know where he is! I really don’t! Have no idea . . .”

“That’s one thing, ‘Sheel’ . . . that’s a tip-off! A tip-off… as to your mindset! To your thinking!”

“Aw, c’mon! What do you mean… by that?” Sheila’s aura of contriteness was fast evaporating. “What is that remark… what’s it . . . supposed to mean?”

“You’re worried… and so am I . . . about where he is! I don’t think you give a tinker’s damn . . . about how he is! Except, maybe, whether he’s, in any kind of condition . . . healthy enough, in good shape enough… to contribute, again, to the cause! The noble cause . . . of keeping your leeching fanny, from having to actually provide, for yourself!”

“Debbie! How can you say that? Say such terrible . . . such God-awful… things . . . to me?”

“Only because… they happen to be true! All of them! Every damn one of ’em! Every one!”

“Listen! Listen to me, Deb. I’ve had a lot of… well, things have… things have happened to me! Been happening to me! Bad things! Really bad things! God-awful things! I’ve had a… an awfully hard . . . a really hard life! A really hard life!”

“Oh? And none of the rest of us have? You are the only one… who has ever been knocked, on your butt? None . . . none of the rest of us… none of us, have ever had any reversals? Never, in our lives? Ever?”

“My leg, Debbie! My leg! You know that I’ve had this…”

“I know that all this bullshit… the bullshit, with the leg… is just that! It’s all pure, condensed, bullshit! Everyone . . . everyone, in the entire hemisphere . . . knows that you