Read Garbage for Free Online Page A

cheese?”
    I run after and catch up with the woman and her dog starts barking at me. “Pull it back, lady, call it off,” and she says “Let go of me first.” I didn’t even know it but my hand’s holding her shoulder. I let go and the dog stops barking but still snarls and I say “I’m sorry, but you just shove something through my door?”
    â€œYou kidding me?” and she walks away.
    â€œIf you’re the one, lady, I got your face. I now know who you are, so don’t try and come in my bar.”
    â€œAnd I got a pocketful of coins to phone the cops if you bother me again, crazy,” and her dog starts barking less at me than at the air over his head.
    I go back to the bar. Sandwich and potatoes are burning.
    â€œShaney, will you? Potatoes are okay welldone but you know I don’t like my toast burned.”
    I run to the stove. “You should’ve gone around the bar and fixed it yourself.”
    â€œYou might’ve thought I was stealing.”
    â€œAre you the one crazy now? Are you?”
    â€œNo, but I just thought—”
    â€œAhhh,” and I flip the potatoes and sandwich over, toss the sandwich to the side because it’s burned, prepare another one and smear butter on the grill and put the sandwich on it and open the envelope. Inside’s a note typed on my old typewriter. It says: “Memory still serves? Well, set 2, same booth, mixed metaphors, clever clever, lost game, 12 mins this time as bank’s a pinch packed, tho 2 thou now, sport, not won, your move, except 1st get on the ball and table your customer. Love.”
    â€œYou see who put this through the mail slot, Ned?”
    â€œNo, I was staring into my glass. Still nothing in it but foam. Fill her up please?”
    â€œKnow what a mixed metaphor is?”
    â€œHey, if you’re tossing away the burned sandwich, give it here for free but keep the new one cooking for me. I hate seeing good food go to waste no matter how bad it is. But mixed what?”
    â€œMetaphor.”
    â€œSomething to do with English in high school.”
    I give him the potatoes and burnt sandwich, flip over the other one and call George Ecomolos and ask him to drop by, it’s very important, “Don’t ask me why I didn’t think of this sooner. “He comes in that night and I say “I got a terrific problem,” and tell him about it and he says “So what you want from me to do?”
    â€œYou know about it then?”
    â€œCourse I do, so?”
    â€œSo fight it, like me. Tell the police Stovin’s is trying to run you around too. That way they won’t think I’m insane and you can keep your business.”
    â€œOn that I need a brandy. When’ll you get the good import stuff from my country?”
    â€œNo call for it except you. Do what I ask though and I’ll buy a case and give you it from me.”
    â€œSay, that a bribe now from you? I wouldn’t’ve think that.”
    â€œNo, just my gratitude.”
    â€œGo make it a dozen dozen cases but how I drink without a throat?”
    â€œThey wouldn’t touch you.”
    â€œStupo: they will.”
    â€œBut you know people.”
    â€œThey know bigger people. Bigger than bigger people. People bigger than biggest and more. Make mine look like scopic insects under glass to squash on thousand a time. Besides, I got fair deal you can say with Stovin’s. Yes, but you have no tapedeck or fancy small recorder things under there or somewhere like in your shirt, do you, to catch my voice? Because you do and then don’t tell me and erase all that went on before and now shut it off, you and me friends no more.”
    â€œDon’t worry.”
    â€œSay, I worry. I don’t then I’m one who insane.”
    â€œI’ve nothing to take down what you say except my head.”
    â€œThen clean erase that after we through too. No tell cops or anyone what