Essays

When you work with someone who talks all the time about everything, you learn to listen and make the appropriate noises at the appropriate times. That was Matthew’s conclusion, anyway. Justin and Matthew work as ushers at a movie theater in an upscale shopping district. Justin talks constantly. Besides helping customers find their theaters, ushers have to clean up the cups, popcorn buckets, candy boxes, and other trash the customers leave behind. Justin and Matthew wait for Superman Returns to let out and then they go into the theater with their trash bags.

“You see those girls walking out?” Justin asks.

“Yeah,” says Matthew, “they looked good.”

“Damn fine,” Justin says. “I haven’t had sex in way too long.”

Matthew opened his mouth as if to speak and looked uncomfortable.

“You know I lost my virginity when I was eleven years old,” Justin says, “eleven years old, just playin’ some Sonic the Hedgehog, when my friend comes down the stairs and says ‘your turn.’ I went upstairs and –”

“Wait, when you were eleven?”

“Yeah, it wasn’t no big thing. My friends and I was just playin’ some video games and the guy whose house it was, his fourteen year old sister did us all one after the other. Except for her brother, you know.”

“Wow”

“Since I got back from my tours I haven’t had much luck, though. It’s harder to get laid when you live with your mom.”

“…how was your luck in the Middle East?”

“Not great. Had a Japanese girl in Hawaii, when I was on R&R. Met her in a club. I still keep in touch with her, you know. Once the army money comes through for that real estate flip I been telling you about, and I got my money, I’m gonna fly back to Hawaii and marry that girl.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Matthew stops listening and starts making appropriate noises as he sweeps the top half of the theater. Justin has somehow moved into talking about his huge and ever-growing pirated movie collection. Probably the Japanese girl got him thinking about anime. Matthew finishes his half before Justin, as usual.

“You play video games?” Justin asks.

“I used to play all the time; shooters, mostly.”

“Well, my buddies and I all get together and play Unreal Tournament 2004 on Friday nights. You innerested?”

“I dunno, maybe.”

Matthew starts wheeling the trash can out of the theater. Justin follows. Matthew stows the trash can in a nook and they go to the lobby. The ticket line is longer than Justin has ever seen.

“The new Pirates of the Caribbean movie is bringin’ um in.” Justin says.

“Yeah. I doubt it’s any good but people seem to like it. Sequels normally suck.”

“Yeah, I saw it the day it came out and it wasn’t that great.”

They approach the ticket taker, Mike, who is in a motorized wheelchair.

“Can you take the podium while I go get dinner?” Mike asks.

“Sure,” Matthew says, hesitantly. He and Justin exchange glances.

Once Mike has rolled away Justin says, “You know he’s always at that pizza place for at least half an hour.”

“Yeah I know. I’m sick of cleaning theaters, though.” Matthew tears a ticket and points a customer in the right direction. Now all the customers in the lobby are in line for concessions.

“Check out that girl,” Justin says, nodding towards a woman paying for her drink. “Ooh she’s thick. Pretty face, too.” Justin stares.

Matthew runs a hand through his shiny black hair and says, “Yeah, I guess so.”

“She’s comin’ over here, be cool.” Justin steps up to the podium and sucks in his gut, straining his too-tight gray vest. Matthew hangs back, just off to the side.

“How you doin’ tonight?” Justin asks, voice smooth, teeth glowing against his dark skin.

“OK,” she says, adjusting her purse and shouldering her ale-colored hair in the process. “I’m waiting for someone. He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago.”

“Shame to keep a girl like you waiting,” Justin says. She smiles.

“I called him a couple times but he didn’t answer.”

“Shame,” Justin says, shaking his head, lips pursed. “What movie are you seeing?”

“Pirates of the Caribbean.”

“Oh I saw that Friday, it’s great.”

“But I thought you said –” Matthew says.

“I think it’s better than the first one,” Justin says.

“Really,” she says, raising her eyebrows.

Screaming. She turns around and they all look towards the ticket booths, where people start throwing up their hands.

“GET DOWN,” they hear over the din.

Most everybody does, including Matthew and the woman. Justin freezes, eyes fixed on the automatic rifle held by a masked man. His eyes glaze over. He ducks behind the podium.

“Gimme the loot! The money bitch, NOW.”

“You, come with me.”

“Get out of my pockets!”

They hear sounds of a struggle; a shot rings out. People scream, then silence.

“Anybody else who doesn’t cooperate will end up like that asshole.”

Matthew looks at Justin. Justin’s shaking, wide-eyed, curled up, his back to the podium.

“I gotta get out of here,” Justin says.

“What?”

Justin gets up and starts running down a hallway towards an exit. Matthew hesitates, glancing back, and then follows Justin, running stooped. He hears a shout behind him and a bullet throws a bit of the wall at the back of his head.

In the parking garage just outside, Matthew finds Justin sitting in his running car with the radio on, taking deep breaths. Matthew opens the passenger side door.

“Justin, are you all right?”

Justin turns the music down.

“Sit,” he says.

Matthew gets in and closes the door.

“Guns and bullets bring back bad memories,” Justin says.

They sit silent for a bit. They hear sirens in the distance.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Matthew asks.

“I hope that girl’s all right,” Justin says.

“Yeah,” says Matthew. “Shouldn’t we get out of here?”

“Nah, the cops will want witness statements.”

“You don’t think there won’t be plenty of people still in the lobby to give statements?”

“I guess. I’m worried about that girl, though.”

“Why are you so hung up on this girl? You don’t even know her.”

“I dunno, but we’ll probably have to go back to work once this is all sorted out.”

“What? Are you kidding?”

Justin stares out the windshield and turns up the music.

“Whatever,” Matthew says, “I’m going home.”

Matthew gets out of the car and starts walking back towards the exit.

The exit door opens and the five armed, masked men come out, dragging hostages with them. Matthew starts. Justin turns his head towards the noise and movement. One of the hostages is his girl. Matthew runs and dives behind a parked car.

Justin revs the engine of his car and shifts into reverse. The robbers look towards Justin and shout. Justin pulls out to face them. His girl smacks her distracted captor with her purse. The other hostages follow her lead and try to disarm their captors. Justin speeds towards them. A shot echoes.

Justin approaches fast. The struggle starts to shift to make room for the car. She hugs her captor and falls on him. She gets up fast and Justin’s tire runs over her captor’s neck. The car hits another captor and the captor’s head hits the windshield.

Justin stops and the captor rolls off his hood. The sirens are much louder now. He hears the shouts of police. He gets out of his car.

“There’s blood on my new rims,” he says.

“It was worth it though, wasn’t it?” Justin stares at his car. “I’m Clare, by the way.”

“Justin,” he says, still looking at his car.

“Justin. Thanks.”

“Yeah,” he says, too loud. “I don’t know if insurance will cover this. You wanna go get some pizza?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Matthew runs up, out of breath.

“Holy shit. Uh, hi, I’m Matthew,” he says nervously.

“Matthew,” Justin says, “no girl is out of your league; don’t let any of ‘em make you think that.”