 down and out in dallas by autotelic The regular Wednesday Club talk was cancelled last night
There was a dead student in the hall
He was lying almost in the recovery position outside room 203b
Which during regular school hours serves as the media lab He looked asleep but he was definitely dead
His shaved head made him look younger than he had been
As did the trim fit of his tight black shirt and jeans I wish I had that kind of figure
His hair was grey though
You could see As at the nape of his neck he had a tiny pony tail
Bound in a tight elastic band
It looked like he'd tried hard to get on Something else stuck out
He was wearing no socks
Tina said he'd been there when she had first arrived
Struggling with the swing door, the projector and her bag
She was parked way across the lot
Tina was supposed to help out with the talk on " An Ecology of Human Development"
Put out the chairs and work the overhead projector
She had almost tripped over the dead student in the hall
She'd told Suzy as soon as she arrived
Suzy was giving a talk " Where Do We Stand On Isolation ?"
Suzy said the dead student looked very much like her brother
Who lived in Honduras with a woman who raised goats. Phil was the one to call campus security
He said there was a dead student in the hall
The front desk guy said he hadnt been trained to deal with dead students
And advised Phil to call an ambulance or the police
The police asked if there were any suspicious circumstances
Phil repeated this to Tina
She said she didnt think so
The police asked Phil if anyone knew who the dead student in the hall was
Phil covered the phone with his hand and repeated the question to Tina
Suzy repeated that the dead student looked like her brother
Tina said it could be the guy who was meant to give the psych talk on Loneliness
But he was more likely a student
As there was a book beside him
"Theatre Direction Made Simple" Open with the corner of the page turned And a Walmart bill for groceries wedged in the spine At page 23 The police said they would send someone over
And not to move anything and for us all to stay put
So we hung around feeling uncomfortable at first
Me, Phil , Tina and Suzy Huddled like we were real close to one another Until Howard and Janice arrived and we all rushed to tell them
That there was a dead student in the hall
I was a bit disappointed that I hadnt discovered him first
As Tina really started to work it
When Brian , Jody and a few others arrived.
She was surrounded by a crowd of guys and so obviously flirting
I noticed Suzy was put out too She stood apart messing with stuff in her bag
So, you were the second on scene I said nervously But she ignored me and started to tell Jody about the likeness to her brother I retreated back into myself Then this old guy arrived and everyone thought he was the cop
We were wrong he was the Loneliness talk guy He looked pretty content , smug even Pretty well off too He homed in on Tina and said he was also a doctor She let go and shaking said ' I found him' The old guy nodded in understanding
Put down his bag and knelt down beside the dead student in the hall Like he was a fucking Rabbi or Priest
I said excuse me, the cops said not to touch anything... Suddenly there was a cold aura around me The words came out much harsher than I meant them to The old guy made a big point of not responding I knew I'd fucked up my real life film noir extra role The other guys waiting for class mentally winced and very subtly distanced themselves from me I felt my heart pump in my ears and my face turn red The old guy went through the dead students pockets
Very efficiently
Like he could do it in his sleep He found a licence His name is Peter Gomez he said ignoring me Aged 42, from Cupertino He also commended Tina for figuring Peter Gomez was dead
Who else was here early on? he said
Suzy pointed at herself and flashed her teeth Phil stepped forward
I thought to move but hesitated and then Howard was up talking to the old guy I think I was the next one on scene he said Then Janice Yeah it was probably Howie said Phil Yeah said Suzy Howie then maybe Janice said Tina And there it was again My falling between the slats in social space Across the room Tina was still talking with the old guy Only they were almost laughing now She was bursting out of her dress He was really in control of the situation I mean his grip on it was so tight His hand gently rested on Tina's arm Comforting, waiting for her fucking number I felt myself growing colder and moving backwards through the crowd As people pushed forward to see Man, I was being frozen out of the Wednesday Club Disappearing Losing the connection to the dead student in the hall Losing the link to Peter Gomez Peter Who maybe would have once wanted or even had A guy like me as a friend.
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