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************************************************** From: "patti keiper" <pattik1@hotmail.com> Date: Fri Oct 28, 2005 6:41 pm Subject: Just Desserts.. Roy and Johnny couldn't believe the changes that had sprouted around their favorite hot dog spot during the past seven days. New, trendy rice paper lamps and genuine car lot, triangle-plastic-flag banner strings, framed themselves over absolutely pristine, brand new, white wicker metal patio tables. Gone were the decrepid, peeling picnic tables of yore. All of the new shiny furniture, was sprawled underneath vinyl palm tree themed umbrellas, and accented occasionally with vases of real birds of paradise blooms. Every day, when they could, between calls, Roy and Johnny, and sometimes even Chet Kelly made the sojourn to Davey's stand for the free handouts that had been contrived craftily by Gage's possibly very questionable medical deceptions. "Well,.." Gage sighed expansively to DeSoto as he leaned back in one of Mac's newly redesigned and poshly cushioned seats. "I guess there's something to be said for the positive life changes that can come about whenever someone believes that they've truly had a life after death experience. I mean, just look at this old place of Mac's. It's ...it's simply...incredible, Roy! Don't you think so, too?" "Yeah, but I also ...still feel kinda bad about how we egged Mac on, just to con him out of some free food like this." "Oh, Roy, there's no harm done. In fact, I'll just bet that ol Mac's making more cash now in a single day than he ever did in an entire month! The cost of feeding us has got to be the merest drop in the bucket on expenses for him." "Shh, he's coming back with our order." Roy cautioned, trying to smile in spite of his still contradictory feelings about the whole affair. "Just the one dog today, fellas?" Mac beamed. "Yeah, we're splitting it up. We're not very hungry this afternoon." Johnny chuckled. "It's been a very slow day at the station, Mac." he said, sipping a straw noisily on a Dr. Pepper thermos advertising the new look for Mac's stand. "We saved only....what?" he said, turning to Roy, who was trying to duck behind the new ice cream dessert menu.. "Just...two lives today, Roy? Is that right?" "Yeah. A trucker wrapped around a viaduct pylon and an alcoholic street bum who was suffering a cerebral vascular accident." DeSoto replied reluctantly. "Wow, my two very own personal heroes have pulled a couple of miracles yet again. Very impressive, fellas. Do you know how proud I am that I can call you my very dearest of friends these days? Here, let me tuck that in all nice and neat for you, Mr. Gage." "Oh, that's very nice of you, Mac. Thank you." Gage smiled, allowing his now expensively poiffed, after shave splashed patron, to fuss over the unfolded napkin hanging from his collar. Mac smiled and cooed, "Anytime, Mr. Gage." But then Mac did a most peculiar thing... He set knot cording fists on either side of his neatly ironed, aproned hips as his usually good natured manner decayed into something truly frightening. A full, very p*ssed off naval sargeant's bark exploded from his frothy lips. "Enjoy that delicious chili dog, boy, 'cause that's the last one you'll ever get to share with your pal here!" "Uh, wha-- what do you mean.. Mac. Uh,...exactly?" Gage stuttered, and then he completely obstructed on beef link. Roy thumped him in between the shoulder blades to rescue him quickly back into the world of the still conscious and breathing. Mac clarified, in a dangerous voice carried softly enough, so that his regular and brand new crowd of business executives, wouldn't overhear him. "You twos was faking things on me the other day. In fact, I've known just what kind of nasty trick you two clowns actually pulled on me last week, all week long." he said knowingly in an unintentional verbal redundancy. Roy immediately spat the very savory hot dog out of his mouth and into a napkin and he managed to mumble.. "Y-you knew?" |
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"Yeah, I knew. Only I didn't find out about what you two did, or more like what you didn't do to me, until later on that day, when I was taking my usual nightly bubble bath." "Oh, uh...yeah?" Gage muttered lamely, a flush rising high and deep into his face. "Yeah." Mac punctuated firmly. "How'dya find out?" Johnny asked him in a cowed squeak. "Did a hospital staffer point out how common is it to black out on pure oxygen while you're in the midst of hyperventilating?" "No. I found out about your little stunt, because I didn't find none of them red defibberatin' circles burned into my everloving hide... Nor did I find any sign of slimy spots anywhere on me, which I've since learned from kindly coroners, that are supposedly left over from that jolting jelly stuff you fire guys always use when you're electra-jumpstarting fresh, dead folks." Roy and Johnny both gulped uncomfortably. Mac's good natured grin sharpened into something entirely hard. "My grandma always used to say, 'If someone steals a dollar from you behind your back. Turn around and give them your entire wallet, too, with a full smile. For it'll make that thief's later shame and guilt burn that much brighter about carrying out the crime in the first place.' I fed ya for nothing all this time, just to make the revenge pot a little sweeter for the savoring. You know, my grandmother was a very wise woman, don't you think? "So enjoy the burn, you pathetic pair of cocky paramedics. Especially you, Mr. Gage. Because after that last delectable bite passes those pearly white, native son molars of yours, this establishment is swearing off giving ANY service to anyone who's of the firefighting persuasion, FOREVER!" he roared. And with that, Mac strode purposely back to his neat as a pin, freshly painted, now very popular, trailer stand. "Oh, boy.." Roy said, placing his stunned chin on his two thoroughly miserable sets of palms and elbows. "Did we deserve that one." he murmured with a long, painful sigh. Then he added. "Still feel terrifically great about this wonderful day we're having?" "I've got only one thing to say about being permanently banned from Davey's hot dog stand." Johnny swallowed, suddenly feeling his meal sit like a heavy rock in the pit of his stomach. "Oh," Roy conmiserated. "And what's that?" "Doggone it." he whimpered. FIN The Shallow Light, Episode Twenty Six, Season Four |
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| The Shallow Light |
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