Chapter 5: Alex’s apartment: Christmas - 6:00am copyright Eric Chambers no redistribution, reposting, or altering w/o permission   The room is sparsely populated with furniture: a mattress in one corner covered with a heavy wool blanket, a portable television by the bed, and books by various authors scattered about the room; and on the mattress, draped in a heavy coat and hood, is Bob. There’s a knock at the door.   Bob (not moving): What?   The door opens slightly and Alex pops his head in.   Alex: Mind if I come in?   Bob (pushing back the hood and looking up): Little early isn’t it?   Alex (opening the door fully and stepping in; standing in front of Bob, looking down): Or really late, depends on how you look at it. I just got back. (sits on the mattress next to Bob)   Bob (turning his head to face Alex): Another night of kicking ass, huh? (looking Alex over) You look like shit.   Alex (obviously proud of himself, laughs a little): Six guys to our three and we weren’t the ones who were stabbed.   Bob: Upper thigh?   Alex: As always.   Bob (looking down, closing his eyes): John Lennon would be proud, merry Christmas.   Alex (now on the defensive): Hey, they tried to mug us, we weren’t looking for trouble…   Bob (looking back at Alex and putting up his hands in a defensive gesture): Hey, Hey, calm down. I understand. I’m sure you had your reasons, I’d probably do the same thing.   Alex (calming down, smiling now): You’re damn right I did, you ungrateful rat bastard. (Alex reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a CD case, handing it to Bob)   Bob (takes the CD, and upon examining it, smiles too): The new Hedgecore CD (looks back at Alex), thanks. I was saving up for it for awhile, but…um…thanks.   Alex (laughing to himself): I still don’t see how you can listen to that shit.   Bob (placing the CD behind him, smiling): Hey, this is good music, at least more than that grunting and bass you listen to. Besides, Jerry Kennisen writes good lyrics.   Alex (laughing harder now): So what do you suppose keeps us together then?   Bob (laughing now too): Our common fondness of grunge I suppose.   The phone rings in one of the other rooms, Alex stands up and rushes to answer it before the answering machine does. Obviously getting it in time, Bob could hear Alex talking to somebody and coming back down the hall.   Alex (walking back through the door, phone to his ear, still talking): Yea, merry Christmas to you too. Bye. (looking at Bob and tossing him the phone) It’s Polly. I’m going to shower.   Bob (catching the phone): Alright. (smiling) Have fun.   Alex (yelling from down the hall, laughing): I’ll think of you.   A door shuts down the hall and Bob, still slightly laughing, brings the phone to his ear.   Bob: Hello? (Cut scene in two, Bob in one corner, Polly in the other)   Polly (sounding tired): Hey. Merry Christmas.   Bob: You too. (pause) Um…little early isn’t it?   Polly: I just got a break off work…I didn’t wake you did I?   Bob (in a sarcastic but humorous tone): Oh no, Alex came to bewilder me with his nightly exploits of stabbing people.   Polly (chuckling softly to herself, then flatly…): Upper thigh, huh?   Bob (yawning): Yup.   (Pause)   Polly (searching for what to say, breaking the silence): Any plans today?   Bob: Call my parents, but that’s all, you?   Polly (yawning): Work later, I’m the only one who’s either in town or willing. They aren’t expecting a large crowd, so they called me.   Bob: Why don’t you take this one day off?   Polly (serious tone, an annoyed look spreads across her face): No. If I’m at home I’ll probably get yelled at, and I know my sister will harass me. I’d rather be at work.   (Pause)   Bob (quietly, looking sad): Oh…sorry…   Polly: Yea…(silent for a second, then changes subject; ears and eyes perking up) Hey, I got you something.   Bob (also perking up): Oh really?   Polly (teasing): Yup, but only if you come see me (laughing softly). You get me anything?   Bob (looking around his room): Um…yea…yea, of course, I’m looking at it right now.   Polly (smiling ): Yay! Hey, I need to go, need sleep, hehe. I’ll see you around six tonight?   Bob: Yea, six is good….Night.   Polly: Night.   Bob’s thumb strikes the “Phone” button as he sets it on the floor next to the mattress. He leans his head against the wall and a sigh escapes him. Down the hall a door opens and footsteps can be heard coming towards Bob’s room.   Alex (opening the door, still slightly damp) What’d she want?   Bob (looking up as Alex sits next to him): Just for us to meet her at her work around six tonight.   Alex (looking down): Just enough time to visit dear ol’ dad.   Bob: Your going to see him?   Alex (shrugging, half-sarcastic): Why not? It’s Christmas after all. Ho-ho-ho and all of that.   Bob(grunting in agreement: Mind if I call my parents first?   Alex (standing up, stretching): Go for it.   Bob stands up as Alex leaves the room. Bending down, he picks up the CD and puts it in his back pocket. Kinda strange, he thinks, I don’t even have a CD player. He walks across the room and exits the open door.