“I deserve it”,Douglass thought, “I truly deserve whatever is happening to me right now, if this is Karma well hello baby I’m pleased to meet you”. “I’ve tried hard to be the asshole I am today actually I didn’t try at all it comes natural for me”, Douglass wiggles in his chair, “As far as I can remember I’ve been horrible to people”. “when I was ten or maybe eleven years old I recall getting my Dad into trouble because he wouldn’t buy me a Cub Scout uniform”. I remember him telling me “you have to work for it” but my sister received her Brownie uniform for being cute.
The living room television speakers vibrate as Joe Buck breaks down game six of the 1996 World Series. My dad born and raised in New York City, home of the Yankees, was wearing a Braves cap. Dad mood was somber because the braves were losing, he mumbled and made funny sounds throughout the game. An inning ended followed by a commercial which usually meant dad would relax for a few minutes. He tilted back, pulled out a piece of paper from a pocket of his grimy cargo pants that he wore regularly. Grinning like the Cheshire Cat he was hypnotized by the tattered note.
Detecting wood surrendering above us he dashed to the closet hid his piece of paper in a trench coat as my mom walked downstairs. Dad rushed back to his recliner paused then sat down with ease as though he was about to meditate. Mom turning into the living room with a suspicious look on her face whispered “Doug, Kim wants a good night kiss” Dad instantly walked towards the stairs kissing my mom on her cheek in route to my sisters’ room. Staggering toward the kitchen my mom glanced at me noticing the Cub Scout catalog in my lap spoke softly “we will find some easy chores for you and you’ll get your uniform in no time” as she continued toward the kitchen. When I heard groceries being shuffled I darted to the closet, plucked the piece of paper out of my dad trench coat, dropped the note in front of the closet door, galloped to the recliner to my original position and placed the Cub Scout catalog in front of me. Mom excited about a slice of Red Velvet cake hummed as she bounced towards the stairs but like a locomotive pulling into a station she slowed down coming to a full stop in front of the closet. Grunting as she snatched the note off the floor it took her millisecond to read it. Mom sighed then yelled as loud as she could “Doug, Doug who is Karen?”
My eyes are closed feeling the warmth of the afternoon sun. I am replaying my first instance of being an asshole. I feel myself floating, going into an altered consciousness when I’m stabbed with a blunt object. I open my eyes to find a stranger jabbing me in the chest with a shuffle board cue. “Did you think I was sleeping?” I snapped slowly pushing the cue away from my body wondering if this woman wanted to hurt me. “I don’t know if you were sleeping, napping whatever I do know we need your full attention” she said lowering the cue reminding me of a soldier with a rifle. The woman staring at me is gorgeous 5’8, great shape, piercing brown eyes her voice is strong not deep like a man but confident and she can handle a shuffleboard cue.
Whitney instinctively disliked the man in front of her. “He’s good at sex” she thought to herself “maybe good for a fling or two but he couldn’t be a long-term side piece”. “Oh my God”! Whitney blurted rubbing her forehead while lowering her face. Douglass sat upright “What?” “Do you remember how we got here?”, his eyes focused on her lips, “No, I, I don’t remember how we got here” Whitney stuttered embarrassed by her outburst while Douglass slumps into the deck chair. Whitney annoyed with her mental lapse and anger simmering tries to be calm. “I can’t believe no one on this boat knows how we got here”! “We all wake up on a boat, in the middle of the ocean, groggy from some kind of sedative and not one person knows how the fuck we got here”! Douglass scanning the boat from left to right responds to himself “I know these people from somewhere”.
To be cont.
Inception 