I heard glass breaking...

Not a good sound, but a good reason to live over your store. It was a full thirty seconds before the damn alarm went off and by that time I was up, my pants were on and so were the lights. Somebody had broken the glass on the window to the back door. Mostly just making a mess. Whoever it might have been was long gone by the time Ellen and her partner got there. She recognized the address. Nothing missing, not even that much damage. I swept up the glass and then covered up the door with some cardboard and tape, the officers wrote it up and we were done within the hour. Ellen is still giving Maricel the evil eye for some reason I can't quite grasp. If she wanted me for herself, she had several chances and more than a few offers. I don't get it.

See you in the funny papers...
Simon Wolfe

Maricel has plans for tommorw...

She wants to go get her driver's license or at least an ID and then pick out a cell phone. I offered to take her, but she says there's no reason she just can't take the bus. She looked up where she wants to go in the phone book and the bus line (she looked up the routes online) goes past both of them. I think I started to protest, but she reminded me that she grew up in a much larger, and she thinks, much more dangerous city.
"I've got my birth certificate, my passport and even my poor old Social Security card with me. I shouldn't have a problem."
Now if she brought her birth certificate and her poor old unused Social Security card that she got as a baby with her, I'm thinking she might have been planning on extending her stay in the U.S. Of course, why couldn't she? Why wouldn't she? And then it was like she was trying to read my mind.
"You aren't my ticket to America." She said. "I am a natural born citizen."
"I didn't say anyting." I said.
"I've just always wanted to come here. And I mean here specifically. Papa always talked about America and what a great place Toledo was."
"He's got to be the only one." I said. "Except for Jamie Farr."
"Don't think I don't know who you're talking about." She said. "I love MASH and women's golf."
"You play golf?' I asked.
"I watch golf." Maricel said. "And I know how to take the bus."
"Gee, you don't need me for anything, do you?" I said.
"Oh, I can think of a couple of things." Maricel said. She held up her martini glass. "Make me another one, why don't you."
We just dropped into bed really tired from what I don't know.
"I think we're just going to go to sleep tonight." I said as we were halfway to dreamland.
"I've worn you out with my insatiable desires." She murmured.
And that's the last thing I knew until about 3 am when...

His breathing seemed easier...

But he was a asleep or unconscious, I'm not sure which. I don't know if Brian really is better or not. Aunt Jeannie was glad to see me, though. She touched my face and said. "You've got a little lipstick on there."
"Didn't get all off after the drag show." I said.
"Dang." She said. "That must be one scary drag show."
"I have a new friend." I admitted.
"Good for you." Aunt Jeannie said.
"We went to the comic convention together." I added.
"Well, that must be a special friend." She said. "Brian didn't wreck the store too badly did he?"
"Just a little smoke." I said.
She sighed wearily. "Oh dear, Simon. He's not going to get any brighter, is he?"
"It seems unlikely." I said.
"The asthma's going to kill him. He won't do what they tell him to out of pure laziness. There's nothing we can do about it."
"I don't think he wants to die." I said. "He might listen."
"Oh he'll listen for awhile, then something will distract him." She said. "I think he owes someone money again. Someone called the house."
"They leave a name?" I asked.
"No." She said. "But most of the time they don't."
"You want to go get something to eat, I'll stay with him." I said.
"Your Uncle Darrell is bringing something up, thank you." She said. "You've always been such a good boy."
"You ain't been talking to Mom." I said.