Interview with a Dirtbag
Chapter 29 - Finley (And all the Fucking Bullshit)
Fucking bullshit.
This is bullshit.
Why should I have to meet with this Human asshole?
Oh, sure Serca gets killed by someone she didn’t know. Didn’t know they were there. Didn’t give her the burning eyes to burn out the candles of her eyes. Didn’t do it how I would have done it.
I’d want to be closer to her. Stab her. Let her feel how close I got to her before I put the blade in. I’d want to steal her last breath.
Instead her head got turned to mixed up food from a bridge away.
Stole it from me. Stole my revenge.
Grrr. Bullshit.
Finley blinked sporadically as he stepped toward Michael’s office. Fucking Bullshit. He opened the door abruptly.
Looking at his watch, Michael barely held in his shock when the door swung open. “You’re a little early here, Fin.”
“Finley.” Finley corrected. “Yes. If you’re not early, you’re late.” he continued correcting.
“Uh, yeah, one minute,” Michael said, holding his hand up toward Finley.
Bullshit. Of course. You’re not prepared. You weren’t thinking ahead. Idiot. Bullshit. Finley’s eyes clapped together to punctuate his thoughts. He took out an Omnipad and started looking over the morning’s notes.
“Oh, uh, ready for you now, Finley.” Michael seemed happy with himself for having a friend whose name was their name, not some infantile nickname. Smug bastard. I can’t stand being in here with him this long. Finley sat himself across from Michael.
“Tell me more about yourself, Finley.” Michael picked up a pen, “I don’t know too much about you.”
Finley could contain the sound of the growl he wanted to make, you’d better KEEP it that way, shithead. However, he couldn’t keep his lip from curling up in anger at his thoughts. “Oh? Is that right?”
“I know you like to keep up with the rules around here.” Michael tried to sound natural but couldn’t help but look aside to Bill and say, “And make sure we keep up with the rules as well.” They laughed uncomfortably.
Finley seemed to chew his tongue before he spoke.Your shit drags, numbskull. “Rules are made by the Rulers of the Imperium. They made the rules so that we all know how to become a well oiled machine. Keeping the galaxy safe.” Old, ridiculous and unjust rules. But for me to remain unseen, I have to hide in plain sight.
Michael shrugged warily, “As a member of an absorbed culture to the Imperium I guess I can’t argue with that.”
Damn right. Underling. Finley nodded.
“Any other goals, Finley? Or complaints? Anything I can try to do for you?”
Die. Fucking die. You waste of an orgasm. How dare you have all of this sympathy from this pack? Fuck you and your pathetic species! We shouldn’t squander our energy protecting this pissant. Finley blinked incessantly while he shook his head “No”.
Michael asked the question he’d started asking his pack out of habit, “What can you tell me about Elinsys?”
Finley’s usual tics, the blinking, the whisker movement were also accompanied by an intense shiver. That. Fucking. Cuuuuunt! Michael waited for the shivering to pass. When it didn’t, he asked, “Is there something wrong?”
How the hell does he know about her? Why does her shadow plague me even on Earth? Fuuuuck! Having been lost in thought for a while, Finley looked up at Michael, “Huh?”
Michael tried to gently inquire, “Are you ok?”
“Oh sure, just a little cold.” Finley’s blinking resumed their usual frequency.
“Do you want me to turn the thermostat up?”
“Oh no, it’s fine.” Finley excused. I fucking love living in the Shil’vati heat! This new accommodation is bullshit!
“Are you sure? I can change it.” Michael reassured, “It’s not a problem.”
Finley shivered with rage but tried to calm down. His teeth chattered every couple of seconds instead of the constant clicking they were doing. “No, no, it’s fine.”
Michael tried to be sympathetic without being placating, “Perhaps there’s some sort of piece of uniform you could add?” He hesitated to say what was on his mind, but didn’t think there would be too many consequences with Finley if there was a misunderstanding or if this was too broad a reach, “A-a vest maybe?”
Some fucking vest will contain my rage? Are you kidding me? Fucking useless Human! Finley blinked before saying, “Oh no, no thank you.”
“Well you think about it.” Michael tried to move on.
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“Sure thing!” Finley smiled and blinked while giving a thumbs up that was made choppy by his continuing shivers. Whatever it takes to get me the fuck out of here.
“Well, ok. I guess we’ll keep on truckin’, then, eh?” Michael pretended to elbow in Finley’s direction.
Trucking. Yes. Trucking to your doom! Finley shrugged before getting up and shiver-shuffling out of the office.
Finley made his way back to the common room that connected the pack’s rooms within the air conditioned barracks that Michael had made their new home. Forced me back into the cold, Finley thought bitterly. He saw Bel’a lounging on one of the couches. Live it up, bitch, your time is coming.
Finley unconsciously blinked at her. Bel’a, misreading Finley, winked back at him and gave him finger pistols. He gave her two shivering finger pistols back and thought, Bang bang, Bitch!
His shivering ended when he arrived at his room. He looked outside of his door to the common room to make sure he’d covered all his bases. No Ssgt Remington skulking around the room. Probably out sniffing Fala’s asshole, Finley sneered then smiled; no one was going to bother him for a bit.
They don’t know. Nobody knows. Fucking fools! Finley bundled his fur-lined covers around himself. From within the folds of them, he found the secret pocket he’d sewn inside it. There they are, Finley soothed himself. From within the pocket he pulled out a top and bottom mouthpiece. He pushed them into place until they popped. He licked the surfaces of the retainer-like mouthpieces. From his bedside table, he produced an Omnipad. He turned it on and switched its camera so that he could see himself smile. Golden incisors flashed in the reflection of the overhead lights.
***
Michael had been distracted today because he knew he was supposed to pick up the kids. The Shil’vati base was on the nearer side of the St. Johns River but that didn’t make traffic less demanding. In fact, it seemed a little worse to him because he was in a sea of Marines trying to get off base for leave as well as the regular traffic.
Michael didn’t like the feeling of his meeting with Finley. He couldn’t place it but something seemed off, particularly when he considered that Joph’rena was concerned about a mole. A mole? Who are you? Fuckin’ James Bond or some shit? Michael laughed at his own inner monologue. Driving through Jacksonville traffic, he often fell into wells of thought. Some were deeper than others, but this one was particularly shallow.
Maneuvering his way to pick up the kids, Michael tried to make sure that he was still somewhat presentable. His departure and Jessica’s new job had provided some kind of windfall for her as she had enrolled the children in a different daycare, Jeu D’Enfant. The Giving Tree was not good enough anymore, Michael thought while unconsciously making a mocking face. He straightened up and opened the front door.
They had to buzz him in and gave him some flak for not knowing the passcode to get in for himself. “Oh sorry, I don’t get the emails updating the code.” was all he could say in his defense. The daycare worker who let him in looked down on him as he passed.
Finally, he was in and his kids saw him.
“Daddy!” Katherine screamed and ran into Michael’s arms. Doug saw her running across the playground and was close behind.
“Where would you like to get dinner?” Michael asked, knowing the answer already.
“Pita Pit!!” they screamed in stereo.
Michael slapped the steering wheel as he backed out of the parking lot, “Of course.”
Katherine added, “I haven’t really had any food today.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, we had spaghetti.” Katherine’s scowl and tone communicated all he needed to know about her opinion. “I just had two milks instead.”
Michael half suggested and half inquired, “There wasn’t anything that you’d eat? No applesauce? No garlic bread?”
“Yuck!”
Turning his attention to Doug, “How about you, bud? Are you starving like your sister?”
Doug answered incredulously, “No Dad, we had spaghetti!” He then proceeded to do what Michael could only describe as an “Oh yeah” celebratory dance in the backseat.
Michael smiled and nodded as he drove. I have two very different children. But they’re mine and I love them.
***
When they had completed their double meat and shredded cheddar but otherwise Plain Jane pitas, Michael was surprised to see Not Jessica meet them. It was Mary, Jessica’s mom.
“Ghee!!” The kids shrilly cried and hugged her when they saw her.
“Hey my babies!” Mary straightened up from leaning on the side of Jessica’s car. She had had weight loss surgery, so she looked peculiar to Michael. Frail. Vanity runs in that side of the family, Michael thought. Mary continued. “Did you have a good day?”
“No.” The children said in unison.
“We had spaghetti.” Katherine moaned as she got into Jessica’s car. Doug smiled brightly and gave a thumbs up as he got into the car.
“Ah, well, there’s that.” Mary acknowledged. “How are you, Michael?”
“I’m good. Driving Jess’s car, I see.”
Mary jingled the keys out of her purse, “Yeah, seems she doesn’t need it when her work has her galavanting to the moon and beyond.”
Michael gave a pensive smile in reply, he scratched the back of his neck. “How long have you been in town?”
“I’ve been here all week, but I knew that today was your day to pick them up, so I figured I’d let you go ahead and have dinner with them.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank you. It’s important that even though you don’t live with them, you’re still a part of their lives.”
“Yeah, I’m doing what I can.”
“I know, I know.” Mary clicked her tongue, “Did Jess tell you about next week?”
“No, no she didn’t.”
“Figures.” Mary fumbled with the keys and put her hand on her hip, “She told me yesterday that she needed me to stay in town another week.”
Michael bowed his head a bit, “She, uh, she does that kind of thing.”
Mary looked Michael right in his eyes, “She has no idea what she lost when you two got divorced.” Michael had no reply so she continued, “She does this shit all the time. No communication. Just puts her personal responsibilities on other people.”
“I don’t know how she does her job.” Michael said and then mused,Oh wait, her job is to tell other people to do things; why didn’t I pick up on that earlier? He thought better than to say that aloud, leaving it at that yet he added, “Apparently she’s very good at it.”
“I guess so.” Mary sighed in resignation, “Ok, well, I’d better get these kids home and on their way to bed.”
“Good luck with that.” Michael lowered his head at her again and started to his car.
“Thank you. Good luck yourself.”
They waved their goodbyes, and to the kids through the windows, and they went their separate ways.