Being Unmasked - JohnD

I've had only one rule that I've explicitly stated for this organization, “We do not expose other members' weaknesses.” One rule, that's it!

If anyone is concerned about a colleague, you come to me and we can discuss it constructively. You don't go around telling everyone else that you think somebody is wrong, stupid, or whatever. You don't say, “Oh, Luigi is a weakling. He's got no killer instinct.” You don't do that!

If Luigi has trouble breaking somebody's ribs; if you think he's pulling his punches, okay, that's probably important for me to know. But you don't go saying that to other members. You definitely don't start arguing with Luigi about it. And you most definitely don't argue with Luigi about it in front of the victim; I mean, the blood-sucking parasite who's trying to steal food from my children's mouths. It's like Luigi's being unmasked. If Luigi is sensitive, good, but we don't want others to know that.

Perhaps I need to find another position for Luigi. There are plenty of positions within the organization that require someone with sensitivity. We've seen a dramatic increase in drug sales to the elderly lately. However, the elderly are uncomfortable dealing with brutes. Luigi might be perfect for that division. He'll need to go through some retraining, but that shouldn't be a problem. It's probably going to be a great fit and good for business.

The problem is when we unmask one another's weaknesses, or perceived weaknesses. Now, we all know that Anthony is gay. I think we're all fine with that now. Why? Because he gets the job done. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is better at extortion than Antonio. It's been that way for 15 years. However, five years ago, Dino unmasks Antonio. He forces him out of the closet, tells everyone Antonio's gay. Suddenly, everyone forgets that Antonio has been doing great work for years. They forget that he's the best of the best. They lose confidence in him. That's crazy and that's wrong!

A week later, Antonio violently kills Dino with his bare hands, and Dino's even got a knife. Basically, Antonio restores order and only spends three days in the hospital. All the same, all that could've been avoided, which brings me back to my point: Don't unmask others; don't expose their weaknesses. You come talk to me if you have any concerns about any one else in this organization. You got that?

Okay I've got to get to my knitting class. You all carry on. But just remember, don't be so quick to judge others.


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Death - JohnD

Death came to the coffee shop, I guess. I don't know. She said she was death. What do I know. She started talking about the apocalypse.

"I've come to wipe out the human race," she said. La-di-da, la-di-da. She went on and on. Seemed real upset with humans in general.

"Let me finish my coffee here and I'll help you," I told her.

"Does it look like I need your help?"

"Sure, why not?" I said. "Everyone needs help sometime or another."

Red lasers shot out from her eyes and stopped two inches from my face. I could feel the heat and it wasn't comfortable at all.

"Okay, never mind," I said. "You're very attractive, but a bit too dark for my liking."

"Attractive? You think I'm attractive even though I'm going to wipe out the human race?"

"Well what does one thing have to do with the other? I mean you've got a job to do. That's fine. You're still good looking, very good looking."

"I don't know" she answered, running her hand through her long blonde hair. She looked at me sincerely, her eyes returning to their lovely green. "Humans for the most part consider me evil."

"Well that's ridiculous. You're death. Without death, this planet wouldn't last a week."

"Right, that's exactly right... You really find me attractive, though?"

"Yes, and look I'm done with my coffee."

"So you want to help me with the apocalypse?"

"Yeah sure."

With that we left and went to my place, but we never got around to starting the apocalypse. She had to go the next morning. I wonder how she's coming along with that whole apocalypse thing.

The Circus - Kevin

She takes his hand as they cross the parking lot toward the big top. They seem to be the only adults in sight not anchored to any eager tykes.

He looks for an excuse to pull his hand away -- maybe someone's dropped a ticket or a wallet, or maybe someone needs CPR. Not that he knows CPR, but he could stand over the person and call for help and at least then he wouldn't have to hold her hand.

Why didn't he just take his hand away? Was he that much of a coward? Well, yes. But taking his hand away would be a lot easier than what was yet to come. Under the bigtop.

He hands over their tickets and they find their seats while random clowns do random tricks down below.

From the moment they enter the tent, her eyes light up and she smiles like an awestruck 10 year old. He tries not to glance over at her. Why's she so damn happy? A voice in the deep recesses of his brain says something to him about the circus, but he's too overwhelmed to listen.

She eats popcorn and cotton candy; he never knew she liked either of those. See? he tells himself. You don't really know her at all. You two are practically strangers. You're doing the right thing.

**To be continued at:

http://sportpastime.blogspot.com