Dumb-Show by Fawn Parker

Author:Fawn Parker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction
ISBN: 9781927886571
Publisher: Arbeiter Ring Publishing
Published: 2021-10-15T17:51:53+00:00

IV

In their ill-fitting untailored suits they looked like boys riding to church, slumped; yes we may look like corporate buzzkills, no we don’t mean to. Each of them took up two seats in the back row of the streetcar, Bock using two fingers to zoom in on something on his phone—Geoffrey couldn’t get a clear shot without blowing his cover and turning his head further than would be believably necessary to absentmindedly glance out the window at College Street—and Geoffrey peeled at the skin around his fingernails. There were tiny dry shreds in his lap and between his spread legs on the burgundy fuzz of the streetcar seat which he habitually brushed onto the vehicle floor.

“But that aspect of it is more about, like, infiltration.”

“Is she, like?” Geoffrey motioned with his hands to suggest a large amount of upper body mass.

“Yeah, she’s a babe. The specific actor I’m auditioning, at least. And I’m gonna be Martin, again, of course.”

“It’s called what? Mental Retardation?”

“Fuck off.”

“No, tell me.”

“Dumb-Show.”

“Dumb-Show. Well that’s chill, man. You’re really rolling with the punches on this one.”

“Trying to, yeah.”

“Then I guess you’ll hit up some calls until you land another big one?”

“I mean, that’s one option.”

“Right.”

“Maybe this is a big one, I’ve been thinking.”

“Big woman at least.”

“And I might figure it out today.”

“How’s that?”

“You know, right place, right time. Someone says something and it sparks an idea.”

“Ah.”

“What, ‘ah’?”

“Just ah.”

“You mean, ah, I’ve revealed I’m not tagging along just to support you in your academic pursuits.”

“Ah. Exactly.”

“Truth hurts.”

“That it does!”

“That’s a good tagline for Dumb-Show. DUMB-SHOW: Truth Hurts!”

In the space beside Bock’s primary seat, where he had one bent knee hovering an inch above the upholstery in a way that seemed to be straining something inside of the joint, there was a coin-sized hard candy in the shape of a pair of cherries, with a powdered sugar coating in the cracks suggesting it had once been completely dusted, a giveaway of sourness. Geoffrey plucked it up from the seat, mindful of moving his hand in such a way as to suggest he was avoiding touching Bock. The surface was tacky and it felt bad in his hand. It was hard to believe a person would drop such a sizeable piece of candy without noticing. Perhaps it was more the size of a watch face than a coin. Surely not safe for a young kid. Choking hazard. And an adult? A weirdy, maybe.

“If you eat that I’ll do the ol’ ‘too-slow’ to the dean when he tries to shake my hand. Chew and swallow.”

Geoffrey flinched at being caught. He hadn’t realized Ross had been watching. “Would do,” he said. “But. You screw this for you and you screw this for me too.”

“I think that’s a Dr. Seuss title.”

“Did you know it’s actually pronounced Seuss.”

“Don’t care.”

“Okay what’s the deal then?”

“I’ll eat it, chew and swallow, if you, all night long, keep your ears peeled for good juice for me.”

“What if it’s drugs?”

“Then win-win. Deal?”

“De-e-e-a-uhh. Wait. I’m gonna raise you. Chew and

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