Tracy turned and looked at Rob in annoyance. Rob almost backed off, but held firm in his stance.
“Okay Rob,” said Tracy, “What did you want to say?”
“Yeah. Our daughter is living an aimless life. Even so...”
“And what? Are you trying to tell me I don’t know about relationships?”
“Tracy, I love you. You know that. I’ve been crazy about you for thirty-five years. I’ll never forget when I finally got up the nerve to ask you out. It took me way too long.”
“Yes. You know now how I feel, Rob. I waited too long for you to find the courage.”
“That’s what I mean. Tracy, my love, what if you had been the one who asked me out?“
“Rob!” snapped Tracy, “Don’t even suggest that! My mother would have had my head!”
“Maybe,” said Rob, “But I know this much for certain. If you had, I would never, ever have respected you any less.”
“You really mean that?” asked Tracy.
“Absolutely,” said Rob.
Alone in his room, Hal took his fourth and last inventory of his rented equipment. Doing a news package by himself was a difficult prospect, and he wanted to be sure that everything was working at optimal levels. He checked the batteries one extra time. He certainly couldn’t afford to let a battery go.
He was about to call a cab to pick him up, but suddenly he heard a door slam in the hall. Over the last few months, he had gotten used to that sound, but this one was louder and more urgent than usual. There also was none of the usual shouting to accompany it. He thought silently for a moment, trying to convince himself that everything was alright, but there could be no escaping the conclusion. Something was very wrong.
He opened his door into the hall. Looking toward the kitchen, he found something truly ominous, his father with a suitcase.
“Hal,” called Jerry, “come here.”
“Dad?” answered Hal.
“Hal, come here.”
Hal walked over. The fifteen feet or so across the apartment had never seemed so far before. As he slowly approached, he braced himself for bad news.
“Hal,” said Jerry in a low, somber tone, “I’m moving out.”
Hal looked at his father in absolute shock. “What?”
Jerry held Hal’s forearm gently. “I’m sorry, Hal. Your mother and I are separating, as of right now. I am sorry that it has come to this, but there is no longer any reason to continue living together. Tonight, I’m sleeping in a hotel. As soon as I get there, I will call and give you the information. By the end of this week, I hope to have a new apartment. I may have to stay with Uncle Jay for a while…”
Hal was almost hyperventilating. “What…but why?”
“I’m sorry, Hal,” said Jerry, looking down, as if in shame, “Don’t ever think for a second that I’m leaving you or Stacy. I will never, ever love you any less, and I will always be around for you.”
“But, why?”
“I’m sorry, Hal. You have my cell.”
With that, Jerry walked out the door. Hal turned and sat on a kitchen chair, utterly shocked. A moment later, he was treated to another unexpected scene, his mother walking in from the bedroom, crying uncontrollably.
“I’m sorry, Hal!” she said through her tears, “We tried to work it out. I have to go out. I…just have to leave. You’re going to have to take care of Stacy.”
“When are you…?”
“I’m sorry. I just have to leave.”
Hal wanted to protest, or at least ask where she was going, but Sarah swept away fast, trying (but failing) to hide her descent into hysterical crying; when she slammed the door to the apartment, the sound was only partly muffled, and it only faded slowly as she walked away.
Hal stood up and walked aimlessly around the kitchen. He had no idea what to feel, but he was completely disoriented, and feeling a growing void in the pit of his stomach that he could not explain.
Perhaps he should have expected this. Their arguments certainly weren’t getting any better. But somehow, he had never prepared himself for it. There were times he had thought to himself that they should just get the divorce over with already, but he had never thought that they would actually do it. If anything, he still held a secret wish that they would somehow make up at some point. Nonetheless, he had at least learned to feel comfortable in the miserable reality he was living in. He did not know if he could get used to this new and deeply unsettling situation.
Suddenly it occurred to him that Stacy was home, alone in her room. Did their parents tell her what was going on? Either way, she certainly had to know that things were amiss. How was she reacting?
He ran to Stacy’s room. For a moment, he panicked when he could not find her. “Stacy!” he cried.
“She’s not home!” called a familiar, teary voice.
Hal looked closely, then noticed some movement under a pile of teddy bears. He walked in and sat down on the floor next to the pile.
“Stacy,” said Hal through tears he could scarcely hold back, “I’m here. I love you.”
“Daddy left us!” cried Stacy.
“He didn’t leave us. He’s still our daddy. He just doesn’t live here now.”
“I don’t want him to leave!” cried Stacy as she emerged from the pile.
“Me neither, believe me!” said Hal as he began to embrace his sister.
“Make him come back!”
“Oh Stacy,” said Hal, his tears now out of control, “I just wish I could. I just wish I could make everything all better! Don’t you ever forget that I’m always here for you, no matter what, and it’s going to be alright!”
Hal held Stacy tightly for a minute, both of them crying hard. But soon, Stacy broke the embrace, and looked at Hal.
“Can I sleep in your bed tonight?”
“Sure,” said Hal as he tried to dry his tears.
“I’m going to start moving my teddy bears in there right now!”
“Alright,” he said in a resigned tone, “I’ll help you. I think Floopy and Oochy are still in my room.”
As he entered his room, he saw the cameras and lights, and suddenly stopped in his tracks. In the shock of the moment, he had completely forgotten his plans for the day. But there they were, now utterly ruined. The price of the equipment rental was not cheap. He didn’t know when he could get the chance to try another demo like this again, if ever.
Deep inside, he felt a resentment growing for his family. Was he destined to fail now because of them? Just how many reporters were hindered the way he was? Certainly not successful ones! He supposed most of them just had the right connections, and never had to jump through hoops like him. But he was going far out of his way, only to be sabotaged completely at the last minute!
He stood in frustrated silence for a minute or two. But soon, he noticed a newspaper clipping of Ms. Infinity on his wall. There was the picture of her, and next to it, her tag line, Never Forget the Power You Have Inside You.
His first reaction was to look down dismissively. It seemed like nonsense. Would Ms. Infinity really understand his situation? How could she? Her reality had to be a completely different one from his. What could she possibly understand of financial struggles and broken homes?
And yet, he found that he could not dismiss her so easily. Now since his encounter, the words were not just print on the page anymore. He could not look at them without remembering that moment, her calming expression, the certainty in her eyes, and the sound of her voice as she said them to him personally.
Suddenly something awoke in him. Somehow, he knew there was a purpose to his life, even if he could not be sure what it was. There was something he had to do, and he could do it. Whatever it was, he would have to live up to his best self.
Hal looked at the rented equipment, and thought for a moment. As Stacy came in with several stuffed toys, he suddenly knew exactly what do.
“I’ll tell you what,” said Hal, “How would you like to make a TV show?”
“Really?” shouted Stacy, “Can we? Can we? Please?”
“Let’s do it!”
“You’re not going to make this about Ms. Infinity, are you?”
“No,” laughed Hal, “Not unless you want to. I mean you can grab a towel and play that part if you want. But this is for you, and you can be the star, and the director. You decide what your part is.”
“Can I wear my dress up clothes? Please?”
“Sure,” said Hal, “Sounds like fun. I’ll take out the old red towels, and you can go down the Red Carpet.”
“You have to wear a dress too!” said Stacy.
“Oh, alright,” said Hal, “Not quite fair though. It just sounds to me like you’re a fix to win at Who Wore it Better?”
18. Under the Gunn
Bonnie and Lisa spent a few hours shopping at thrift stores. Next they took the subway to Times Square, where Lisa endured Bonnie’s voracious comic book shopping. They then walked to the Museum of Modern Art, where Bonnie patiently attended Lisa’s enthusiastic cultural exploration.
As they exited the museum, Lisa turned to Bonnie. “You know something? We haven’t hit a single checkpoint today.”
“I noticed that too,” said Bonnie, “The one outside the ‘7’ train was down for some reason. And there don’t seem to be any working in Midtown. I’m not complaining, but I wonder what happened.”
In fact, many of New York’s checkpoints had been temporarily disabled, technically a breach of contract with the city which (as always) Gunn was unlikely to face consequences for. This unusual measure was taken for a reason; the staff was needed elsewhere. They were now serving as Gunn’s security for his Midtown Rally. Gunn’s announcement was a major event for him and his supporters, many of whom were armed and unpredictable.
The next stop was Herald Square. When they exited the 34th Street station, they stopped in their tracks at the strange and disturbing crowd that was all around them. The area was always a busy one, but it was usually bustling with shoppers and tourists. Now the area was crawling with many strange, unsavory characters, mostly unkempt men, obviously drunk. Many were carrying weapons.
The two friends looked at each other, as if to confirm that they both saw the same bizarre sight. “This is Herald Square, right?” said Lisa, “I don’t remember getting off at Armageddon.”
“This is scary,” said Bonnie quietly, “Maybe this was not the best idea.”
“Yes,” said Lisa, her face beginning to turn from frightened to sly and expectant, “Do you need to slip away? I’ll ignore it if you do.”
“Beg pardon?”
“I’d hate to interfere.”
Bonnie’s eyes turned glassy, her shoulders hunched. “I asked if you want to go home. Isn’t this making you nervous?”
“Well,” said Lisa, “I’m safe with you. I think we’ll be alright.”
“Uh, sure. Stay close with me then. I feel safer with you too.”
As they crossed Sixth Avenue, they were increasingly on edge. The place was even worse than it had seemed from the subway steps. Men with semi-automatic rifles were everywhere. A few leered at them as they walked by. They walked close together, holding their purses tightly. By the time they finally reached Macy’s, they were running.
“What was that?” said Lisa.
“I don’t know,” said Bonnie, “but it was terrifying. I think I’m going to have nightmares about that tonight.”
Lisa looked at Bonnie in doubt. “Really?”
“What do you mean by ‘really?’”
“Never mind. Let’s shop. I want to try and get that out of my mind.”
Inside Gunn tower, Johnny Gunn’s staff was making the last of their preparations for the big announcement. Johnny was sitting in his reclining chair with Rachel next to him.
“You know,” said Miles, “You don’t have to go through with this.”
Johnny looked at Miles in contempt. “What’s the matter? Have the elites got you now? Or are you scared? Everyone! Little Miles is scared!”
“You really should think about the consequences of your actions. There’s no going back after today. Do you realize what you’re doing?”
“I got my bases covered. My contact in Russia is making this happen on his end. Don’t worry. I can’t lose.”
“I know, and I’m getting physically ill thinking about it. It’s not too late to go back.”
“You little snowflake! I’ve been promising this announcement for days. It’s all already happening.”
Macy’s was, at least, the same as ever. Bonnie and Lisa spent several hours inside trying on clothes. Both women were about the same size, and being petite, they sometimes struggled to find good clothing. They often mitigated the problem by sharing outfits they liked.
As Bonnie exited the fitting room, she threw down the fifth pair of non-fitting jeans on the bench. Shaking her head at Lisa, she laughed grimly. “Why do we even bother?”
“Who are these sizes even for?” said Lisa.
“I don’t know. Some stupid runway model who’s six feet tall and a hundred pounds and is about to die from malnutrition. You know, a normal girl next door.”
“Yeah,” said Lisa, “Well, it’s not like we can change our bodies. Or at least I can’t.”
Bonnie seemed to ignore Lisa’s comment. “I’m tired of this. I can never find anything off the rack.”
Lisa paused briefly, and looked down to think, then looked at Bonnie slyly. “Well perhaps if you somehow made something for yourself. Then there you’d have a fit.”
Bonnie reacted with squint-eyed confusion. “Uh, sure. Dare to dream.”
“I wonder,” said Lisa, still looking hard at Bonnie.
“Okay,” said Bonnie, “I don’t think, I mean, uh…I don’t have any, now I don’t…”
“Never mind,” said Lisa, shaking her head, “It’s embarrassing sometimes. I hate going to the kids’ department, but then I find clothes that fit there. My tiny feet too. It’s hard to find boots that fit me that don’t have cartoon characters.”
“I know Lisa,” said Bonnie, “I’ve done the same thing.”
“I wonder,” said Lisa, “Where do you get some of your clothes. I mean, not everything you own could be bought that way, could it?”
“Beg pardon?”
“Not all of your boots could be from the kids’ department. There are some that are definitely not for kids.”
Bonnie looked at Lisa curiously. “Honestly Lisa, I don’t remember where I bought every single thing.”
Lisa shook her head. “I guess not.”
Bonnie and Lisa exited Macy’s into Herald Square, but they soon backed off in shock. There was a riot before them. There were many more strange men, such as they had seen before. But now they were not only posturing threateningly. They were actively beating people on the street. Police were doing their best to contain the situation, but they were outnumbered. Some distance away, some of the men had dragged a person into the gutter and were pointing guns at him.
Only a few hundred feet away was Gunn Towers, and standing in front, on a podium, was Johnny Gunn. Behind him were various men, the same who had accompanied him through his various meetings, with the Roach Brothers far in the background. Though there were police present, they were outnumbered by armed men in suits and sunglasses. They might have been members of his security detail, but they bore an uncanny resemblance to secret service.
“My fellow Americans!” shouted Johnny, “I have lived oppression. I know the terror that an evil, corrupt dictatorship can strike in a man’s heart. But I have persevered. And my business has thrived. Gunn Industries is America! My struggle is the struggle of Americans. My story is the story of Americans winning against tyranny!”
“I know the real America! It’s not the elites who pretend to know what’s best. The so-called experts who control the government? The people have had enough of their stealing. I’m the only one you can trust! From now on, America is me!”
A crowd loudly roared
with approval. Guns were shooting in the air. Men were running down the streets with flags. There were some protesters on the sidelines, but they were being drowned out by the sheer volume of Gunn’s madness.
Johnny Gunn continued. “So now America, here is my announcement. I am here in New York, the greatest city in the world, because I have made a decision. The government that oppresses the people, it is no more. America doesn’t need it, and now I’ve come to save you from it. You are now looking at the new capital, and I AM the new King of America!”
The crowd screamed and chanted. Guns were shot upward in the air. Bottles were thrown out into the street, and some windows were broken.
All around Herald Square, insanity reigned. People with guns were running in each and every direction, even hijacking sections of the crowd, by force of terror. Police tried to counter them, but they were beaten back by the sheer number of gunmen.
Bonnie and Lisa were open-mouthed in shock at what they saw. For now, it seemed safe in their little corner, against the wall outside Macy’s. They wondered how long it would last.
“He can’t be serious!” said Lisa, “Who the hell is he to declare himself king? I don’t recognize him as any authority.”
Bonnie shook her head. “I don’t think most Americans care what he thinks either, but nobody has been willing to stand up to him. Even if this can be stopped, it’s going to take a battle. He seems to have an army of bullies.”
“Well,” said Lisa, “we don’t have to take this though, do we?” She looked pointedly at Bonnie.
Bonnie looked out in front of her in dismay. She had to do something. How could she not? Obviously it was a job for Ms. Infinity! She had to go change!
Lisa was still looking hard at Bonnie. “Oh!” she said as she turned her head away from her, “Uh…I’m…not looking. Just, if only someone were here who could handle this situation! I’m looking out to see if anyone swoops down on us…”
Lisa’s words bounced off Bonnie’s ears like bullets. All she could think of was the spot she was in. So here was an obvious emergency. The whole city—no, the whole country—was in grave danger. So…it was time for her to go and change into Ms. Infinity!
Ms. Infinity (Book 2): Where Infinity Begins Page 20