Under Abnormal Conditions by Erick Burgess Page A

didn’t notice how tired I
really was.
    To help wake up, I decided to take a shower.
After turning on the water, I leaned against the sink until the
bathroom mirror was covered with mist.
    I undressed and stepped inside. The hot water
felt good against my skin. I would have liked to catch my second
wind, but I think I was still overdue on the first.
    After my shower I went to the bedroom to get
dressed. I purposely made as much noise as possible in hopes of
making my cousin’s rest a little less peaceful. As I slammed the
closet door and dresser drawers he barely stirred. I think I was a
little jealous that I wasn’t able to sleep.
    I silently shook my head as I left the room.
I wondered what was going to be in store for him when he decided to
crawl out of that bottle.
    Another bottle perhaps?
    Redemption?
    Death?
    Just before I walked out of the house I
noticed the message light on the answering machine was blinking. I
hit the button to retrieve the one message.
    “Hello, Michael. This is Sharon Bryant. I
just wanted to remind you about our arrangement. I realize I may
have come on a bit strong this morning. I would really like a
chance to explain myself, totally off the record. I’m working late
tonight, so if you could, meet me at Coffee Time around midnight. I
hope to see you there. Good-bye.”
    Even on the phone, she sounded like she was
reading the news. I locked up the house and set out to my
meeting.
    Angelo’s was a small Italian restaurant on
the good side of town. The parking lot was full of the familiar
cars of employees. My watch said I was on time, but it seemed I was
one of the last to arrive.
    Phil’s dark green corvette was parked in two
handicapped spaces directly in front of the building. He and Brenda
stood waiting next to it. They’ve been married for close to five
years, but she really seemed to be Phil’s personal secretary. Her
short brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses gave the fifty-year-old
the look of a high school English teacher. Her nasal tone gave her
the voice to match.
    “Late again I see,” he said. His less than
cordial greeting was expected.
    “It’s 5:45. What time was I supposed to be
here?”
    Brenda looked more nervous than usual. She is
one of those people who seem to be born with a permanent scowl. The
only time she is happy is when she’s doing Phil’s dirty work.
    “You were supposed to be here at 5:30,” he
answered.
    “Shall we enter?” she whined, before I could
say anything.
    The restaurant was a nicer place than I was
used to dining. Anything better than the golden arches was fine
dining for me.
    A shapely waitress, wearing a white shirt,
paisley tie and white apron, led us to a conference room towards
the back of the establishment.
    Sunlight bathed the room from the large bay
windows.
    Scattered about the floor was sawdust and the
dining area was full of large square wooden tables covered with
checkered red and white tablecloths.
    A sonata I should have known played softly in
the background. My stomach started to rumble as the wonderful
aromas teased my senses. All of the employees were there. Most of
them were glum and solemn, but some of the musicians seemed almost
unfazed by the incident.
    With Brenda in tow, Phil made his way to the
front of the room. He thanked everyone for showing up, and began
talking about the great loss we had suffered.
    Joey quietly worked her way through the crowd
over to me. “We were beginning to think you weren’t going to show
up,” she whispered.
    “Trust me. I didn’t want to be here. Did I
miss anything?”
    “Some of them seem to think you know more
than you’re letting on,” she whispered.
    “What does that mean?” I asked in
disbelief.
    “They think you did it.”
    I gasped loud enough to catch everyone’s
attention, including Phil’s. I tried to cover it with a cough.
“What have they been saying?” I asked with my hand over my
mouth.
    “They say they noticed Sherry didn’t leave
with everyone else.