The Curtain Call
I did a brisk two-block walk from the lounge to my office, to get the details down before even a single one could disappear in a fog. I went through the office door, sat down at my desk, took out my journal and began to write. What started as just a relaxing drink turned into an Academy Award-winning play, acted out in real life. Every part and every character played to perfection.
The Players
The amateur pickpocket sizing up his mark, the call girls running their usual play, Old Ron shuffling his deck of cards with a smile on his face that was slicker than the grease on his hair, Weasel, every bit his name, a skinny, greasy shadow, Lenny Bent and his two henchmen, the big man Brutus. But the star of the show… the barman. After all, who ever notices a barman while he’s just tending his bar?
The Script
The script I couldn’t have written better myself, and I’ve seen a lot of cons. Brutus and the barman moved through their roles with practiced precision. The big man’s banter and the barman’s busyness behind the bar, the bowl of soap and water to loosen the ring—a chef’s kiss on the perfect con. The pair moved like poetry in motion. The big man held his hand in the air, exclaiming, “Look! It even left an indentation in my finger to remember it by”, to hold everyone’s attention, while the barman wiped the dripping water from the bar, making the package swap beneath his bar rag.
The review
Somewhere soon the big man and the barman will be splitting up their ten grand prize, for a night of work and a lifetime of planning. Lenny the crook got taken at his own game. I put my feet up on my desk and stared at the twinkling city lights outside my office window. Sometimes I thought, justice serves itself. And sometimes this city ain’t so bad. In fact, it’s the greatest show on earth.
