THE TOWER OF BRAHMA: Chapter 7 - Along Came A Spider (edit)

02/28/04

I woke up with a hot needle of sunlight being jabbed into not only the furthest reaches of my eyeball, but into my brain itself. I had drooled across the table that is firmly bolted to the floor of this establishment. I'm fairly certain that I awoke, although I'm not sure. I can't remember my dreams, not one damn bit.

Outside, a dark skinned man in a rumpled, yet flashy, dark blue suit briskly walked towards the front doors. He firmly pushed his way inside, shoving along a slow-moving herd of American cattle. They stared at him with the most scornful of looks, absolutely condemning the man and telling him sternly his place in their polite society. All with one look.

The man made his way towards the line for the fast food joint. He waited impatiently while he radiated pulses of hostility towards all those around him. His hands shook, and his knuckles popped of their own accord.

Once he had received his meal and dispensed of the requisite funds, we immediately made eye contact. He stalked his way towards me, slicing through the harmonious vibes of weary vacationers, dazed and drowsy travelers. His aura slammed down the chair across from me as he slid into the seat.

He dropped the tray on the table. A chemically charged meat sandwich, slivers of potatomeat popsicles, and an acidic 64oz. soda pop.

"A meal fit for a meat machine", was all that he said while staring directly into my right eye.

"Nervous?" followed shortly after.

My silence was not a voluntary act but more of a direct instinct to this man's presence. He sat across from me but somehow surrounded me entirely. I had no escape from his influence. I was jealous and hated him instantly. He reminded me of everything I wasn't. Confident, secure, with purpose and will. He had enough raw determination stirring within him that I felt shamed and small. I curled up in his presence and feared his wrath.

"I probably shouldn't have come yet. Probably broke some rules or something." I hadn't acknowledged the stinking fried food that lay between us. "You're not mad, you know."

I had slipped within myself and was now watching the scene take place as if watching my life from inside a television. Tears flowed freely.

"You're alone. For now. But they're the ones that are mad." He had a reassuring tone all of a sudden. I twinged at this sudden shift in inflection and body language. What did he want?

"Anyway, I just wanted to say...hang around here as long as you like, but I swear if you're eating this shit...", his previously friendly tone was to give this shift to fierce aggression all the more dramatic impact, "I will shoot you dead."

His eyes lingered with me longer than I had thought. It took me two minutes to realize that he wasn't still sitting across from me, but that his intense presence had actually carved itself across my mind's eye.