The Death of 1977 (Book 3)

Chapter 18

For the past hour, Jeremiah had been seated inside his car, just sulking and staring ever so drowsy-eyed at his upper-crust apartment building from the safe confines of the parking lot. In fact, the man was so sleepy that his head nearly hit the steering wheel in front of him. The very instant he caught himself, Jeremiah quickly gazed around to see if anyone else was in the lot passing by before he reached into his glove compartment and pulled out a bottle of pills. The man twisted the cap open and dropped two pills into his left hand before downing them both without any aid of a liquid.

From there he wiped his scruffy face with his hands while listening to a strange engine pull up beside his own vehicle. It was a sparkling new Delorean. Jeremiah had never noticed the car parked in the lot in times past, but there were always people coming and going out of the building, so one more unfamiliar car wasn't going to subtract another year from his life, he thought.

Right before he was about to turn his vehicle over a familiar face opened the odd looking driver side door of the Delorean and got out. Jeremiah took one glance, and then much to his dismay took another.

"Jeremiah," Paul, without his beard, and adorned in a brown, leather jacket stared strangely at Jeremiah's car.

Jeremiah could have driven away, but without notice, the will to cut on the ignition had all but vanished at that point. He gave up. Rolling down his window, Jeremiah smirked, "Hey, funny seeing you here."

"Yeah, it sure is, buddy." Paul stood back and eyed the car. "I, uh...I just dropped by to see how you were doing."

Chuckling, Jeremiah glanced behind him in the backseat at all the books before saying, "We haven't seen each other since July, and you just happened to be in the neighborhood?"

Paul just planted his hands into his coat pockets and said, "Look, Jeri, I've been really concerned about you. I was just wondering if you and I could talk."

"Well, as a matter of fact, I was just about to go inside and have some lunch."

"Good, we can talk in your place then."

Jeremiah turned to the building before him and responded, "Come to think of it, why don't we talk out here? My place is a bit of a wreck."

Nodding his head, Paul walked around to the other side of Jeremiah's car and got in.

Jeremiah sat and studied his old friend with a grinning contort. "Isn't that funny? I'm the one that has the beard, and you don't."

Snickering, Paul replied, "Yeah, that's a real trip."

The two men sat and watched as two young women got out of their cars and carried on towards the building before Paul eventually spoke up.

"So, how have you

Jeremiah pointed at

"Yeah,

at Paul and began grinning, "Look at you. New threads, new face, you even got

line. Cost me

"I can tell." Jeremiah looked at the vehicle. "At first, when you got out of the thing I thought you were climbing out of a spaceship rather

didn't come all the way here to talk

you come all the way here

about what happened back in July, but

subtly stunned. "Were you concerned when I was

just turned his head in shame at that second. "Jeri, I wanted

Jeremiah's tone grew. "Well, as you can very well see, I'm living and loving the single life here at The

can see that. I can also see a man who has all but secluded himself from society. What are you doing with

with myself these days? I'll tell you. I spend the remainder of my money on a middle-aged hooker that I meet up with from time

"Christ,

"Yeah, you can call on

and pieces of

Smugly turning his head to Paul, Jeremiah asked, "Do you honestly believe I've been grieving

"Well, I—

watched a semi-truck destroy that woman right before my very eyes. Hell, I kinda wished it had taken me

"So what, you're screwing a hooker every night and feeling sorry that you survived the beating of

hands as if they were stinging before he tried in earnest to get comfortable in his seat. As he tossed and turned he caught Paul looking in the backseat; it was right then Jeremiah felt two sizes

know that what you thought you heard in those tapes was fascinating, but you do realize that

Blushing, Jeremiah said, "Yeah...yeah,

what the hell is this all

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