Supermarket - Bobby Hall Page 0,58
the two endlessly, living inside my own illusory world for weeks at a time. There are a few others here like us, but I’m the only one in here who has fully escaped the delusion.”
“How . . . how do I escape?” I asked, unsure if I was prepared for the answer.
“Well, every time we seem to get near that point, that son of a bitch Frank pulls you back in the loop. He needs you there in order to survive. Then we start over,” Red explained.
“What’s the longest I’ve been outside the loop?” I asked.
“Two weeks.”
“Two weeks! Two weeks, that’s it? Are you serious?”
“If it’s any consolation, I’ve never seen you awaken so well. Something about you . . . you seem more centered this time.”
“Hey there!” my mom called. “Come here, Flynn . . . you can play chess later.”
“But Mom, I was—”
“We’ll talk later, son,” Red said. “Enjoy breakfast with your mother. I ain’t going nowhere.”
After breakfast, my mom gave me a big hug and a brown paper bag with my lunch in it.
“Mom, can’t I go home with you?” I asked.
“Honey, the court ordered you here and you haven’t been discharged. Until you have it in writing from the doctor that you can rejoin society, you have to stay. I’m sorry. I know you can do it this time! I just know it!”
“I understand, Mom. I love you.”
Deep down, I hated the situation I was in. Who wouldn’t?
“I love you too, baby! Oh, and we are coming up on a year since your book was released, so . . . I baked you a cake!” she said, grabbing a cake from her tote bag. It was iced in blue frosting with the word Congratulations written in red on top.
“Wait, WHAT?!” I shouted
“What do you mean what?” she said.
“What book?” I asked.
“Muldoon’s, dummy. The book you wrote. The entire reason you’re in this place to begin with!”
In all this time, taking everything in, I forgot the whole fucking reason I was in here! For pushing myself to my breaking point to finish a novel. And I succeeded . . .
But therein lay the question.
“Who released the book?” I asked.
“Ed Nortan at Darjeeling Publishing! Remember him? He wouldn’t stop calling and I figured it wouldn’t hurt. I knew how hard you’d worked on it, so I gave him permission as your legal guardian. He gave me your back end, which has been sitting in your account along with . . .”
She paused, as though not sure how to explain.
“Along with what, Mom?!”
“Along with . . . just under nine million dollars. After taxes.”
“WHAT?!” I screamed. “Holy shit, what the fuck?! Oh my God, I can’t believe it . . . are you serious?!”
“I’m dead serious, son! I’m so proud of you!”
“How did this happen? I don’t understand!”
“Well,” she said, “after you had your breakdown I went to your apartment to gather your things, and I found the draft of the book you had just finished. I mailed it to Mr. Nortan. In just a few months the book was out and published. Your trial attracted a lot of attention. It was televised and written about extensively. People became obsessed with the case and with you. The book became a cultural phenomenon. They couldn’t believe someone was so dedicated to their craft that he drove himself crazy!”
“Mooooommmmmm!” I said, sounding like an annoyed child.
“Oh, sorry, honey . . . but you know what I mean! Anyway, the release of the book was a smash success, an instant New York Times best seller. It blew up. It’s even being made into a movie by a big studio.”
I couldn’t believe it! She was blowing my mind. Everything I could have ever wanted had happened, and I wasn’t even in the same fuckin’ universe when it did.
“Who’s playing me in the film?” I asked.
“Joseph Gordon whatever-his-name-is,” she said, trying to remember.
“Holy shit, I love that guy!”
“And some hotshot screenwriter named Brian is writing it. Apparently you two randomly met on a plane a few years ago? He’s been great. He remembered meeting you and followed your case. Once the book came out he immediately attached himself to the project as a writer.”
“Jesus! That’s crazy. What else have I missed?”
“Well, everyone wanted to congratulate you after the book came out. Including Lola. That’s when she came to visit you.”
When she said this, everything stopped. Right then, I couldn’t hear a sound in the room except her voice.
“She wanted to come celebrate and apologize