Post by David Sanchez on Aug 14, 2020 3:19:28 GMT -5
Songbird
The Eye of Everest
Chicago, Illinois
04/07/2017
11:45am
A celebratory atmosphere blends cigar smoke and Gucci aftershave into a scene of jubilation as the camera comes to focus on an oval office of sorts. Three men can be easily identified, two on one side of a large mahogany desk, one on the other with his spinning recliner spun away from the others, staring out of the dormer window at the clouds below. Ethan King and Steven Singh clink drinks in a toast, Singh's bottled water making more of a crumpling noise as it comes into contact with Ethan's champagne flute.
"It's not enough, friends. I mean, it's a damn good start but It could just as easily be the precursor to mediocrity as it could be to greatness"
The voice of David Sanchez serves as rain on the metaphorical parade that was underway. Almost sodden by the sudden downpour, it's Ethan King who suddenly retorts, pulling his head up from the two neatly chopped white lines he was carefully cutting on the varnished wood in front of him.
"We won man, take a fuckin' Zanex Dave, this ain't the time to get all bipolar on us. Last night couldn't have went better if we'd actually wrote the script ourselves."
Disapproving of the tidy heaps of cocaine being meticulously arranged in front of him by his partner's hand Singh stands, approaching Sanchez at the window and knocking on the glass to break the Mayor's thoughtful gaze.
"We're 8'000 feet above the ground. What exactly is it that you're staring at? Did a pigeon do you wrong? I know you're getting on a bit Dave but if you're about to tell us that you're secretly one of those senior weirdos who birdwatch at the weekend I'm gonna be rescinding my membership."
Just as the blank, emotionless masque of David Sanchez starts to stretch at the seams to form a smile, a loud knock on the exterior oak door jerks it back to his default poker face, an expression that can be best described as a resting bitch face.
"I very clearly explained that I wanted complete privacy today Maggie."
The sweet, Scottish voice of Maggie McRae, the Mayor's secretary cannot be heard from behind the bespoke wooden door which showcased etched serpents entangling one another in an embrace. Instead comes a shrill, testicle tightening tone that could only belong to a lawyer of some sort.
"Mr Sanchez, your receptionist let me through. It's Stephanie, Stephanie Daniels, I'm a defence attorney. I'd like a few minutes of your time if we could talk in private."
King, the youngest of the group begins dry humping the leather recliner he had been sitting on prior to this, holding in his sniggers as Sanchez signals for him to stop being so immature, all the while muffling his own laughter with the sleeve of his black Prada suit jacket.
"Miss Daniels, my office hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Or better yet, contact my lawyer, Vanessa Hunt, she's in the phonebook if you get lost. I don't speak to anybody in your line of work without her."
For a moment, silence falls. Broken immediately by a loud and clear sentiment from Steven Singh who shakes his head as Ethan inhales sharply, snorting close to a full gram of powder through a $50 bill in one fluent motion.
"For Golden God's sake Ethan, show some restraint."
Singh's words are met with a shrug and a shit eating grin from his WCF Tag Team Championship counterpart. The door however opens suddenly, bouncing violently back on its hinges, suggesting somebody of great strength was about to burst onto the scene. Sanchez spins around in his leather throne, only to be instead met by a solitary female of dainty physique.
"Mr. Sanchez, could you kindly ask your companions to wait in the lobby. My name is Steph…"
The Mayor cuts her off before she can finish her introduction.
"I know who you are Miss Daniels, I'm disinterested… not deaf."
Ethan and Steven see the Mayor's hand gestures and soon make to depart the scene, King's heart breaking as he stealthily sweeps the remaining line of cocaine onto the floor.
"But... do you know who I'm seeing? I don't think I thought to include that in my CV."
Stephanie Daniels spoke in a tone that suggested educational superiority. She commanded the room, Sanchez was just another thing in it.
"No, I can't say I caught your Plenty of Fish profile. But… I do have my filters finely tuned to only show me transgender prostitutes in a ten mile radius with no qualms about autoerotic asphyxiation."
His attempt at humour was met with a stare that sent daggers his way. Piercing through his funny-bone andlowering the tone with relative ease.
"Fascinating story, really…. Anyway, I'm not here as an attorney tonight. Not unless you give me any reason to be."
The sarcastic tone she used didn't hide a drop of her resentment for everything her eyes fell upon.
"Then why are you here Miss Daniels? I'm keeping people waiting. If you're just here to meet yourself a man I'm sure young Ethan would take your ass to Arby's when he's done with you."
The young woman rubs her tummy tenderly and soon it becomes evident from a small bump that she was indeed pregnant.
"Cute joke, Mr. Mayor… I can certainly see why my partner loathes the three of you. I'm here simply to give you... this."
She tosses a small black book across the desk to him, followed by what seems to be some kind of accounts ledger. Intrigued, Sanchez flicks through the book first, skimming the pages at his leisure while the lawyer impatiently taps her heel on the granite tiles.
"So… let me get this straight. You want to throw your own lover to the metaphorical wolves, why exactly? Seems a little counter-productive to me."
She flicks her hair out of her eyes and turns away from the Mayor. Already heading towards the exit as she speaks her goodbyes.
"See to it that these documents find their way into the right hands Mr. Sanchez, as for the 'why?' I'm giving them to you... Not like it's any of your concern but let's just say that some people don't share your lack of a moral compass. I'm doing this for my family. For stability. For a chance at actually having future where everybody I love is still alive... and free."
She opens the door and closes it behind herself with the same force she'd applied to opening it. The glass plaques on the wall shudder on their brackets as it slams, leaving David to further study the literature he'd just inherited. Before too long Ethan and Steven return to the office of Chicago's Mayor, having been waiting in the adjacent 'Everest Lounge' that occupied almost this entire floor.
"Who was that? Bitch looked like she needs some dick."
Sanchez laughs, dropping the two documents into a desk drawer before answering Ethan King as the scene fades out.
"That my good man, believe it or not... is the future Mrs. Jason O'Neal."
Even Singh who had been busy browsing a bookmakers newspaper in search of the next 'Sure Thing' Jerks his head up at this information and gives the Mayor a disapproving gaze.
"You ever hear that old saying about shitting where you eat Dave? I think I'm paraphrasing a bit but the point is to NOT do it…"
Sanchez softens and rubs the bottom of his back, feeling the toll of the brutal matches the three had been involved in the night before.
"... you ever hear that saying about stopping gambling when it stops being fun?"
Singh resigns back to his newspaper, offering the Mayor a middle finger as Ethan generally looks like he missed the last bus home, emptying another small baggy of white powder on the desk, not really knowing or caring what was going on around him.