Maryrose dies on Wednesday, and on Friday Campbell dreams he was there when it happened. Tony said she passed out right after she fixed, slumped over on the couch, so that’s where that part comes from. And then Tony stuck her in the shower to try to revive her, and that part’s there too. In the dream, however, Campbell is with them, and Maryrose’s eyes pop open as soon as the cold water hits her, and she shakes her head and yells, “What the fuck’s going on?” “Nothing, baby, nothing,” Campbell replies, and – it’s a dream, remember – they live happily ever after. But dreams are bullshit. Dreams break your heart. When someone’s dead, she’s dead, and when it’s someone you loved, some of your world dies with her. The places Campbell went with Maryrose give him the creeps now. Everything that used to be fun isn’t anymore. He can’t bring himself to sit on their favorite bench in the park, and the tacos at Siete Mares taste like dirt. At least dope still does him right. Thank God for dope.
Author's Note: "The Rotting Strip" by Crooked Fingers brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it, and I choked up recently while reading this story aloud during a bookstore appearance. So, a match made in heaven. Note: If you ever get a chance to see this band live, DO NOT MISS.
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Instinctive Drowning Response
Short StoryLove and loss in L.A. “Instinctive Drowning Response” appears in Richard Lange’s short story collection, Sweet Nothing. “Richard Lange’s stories are a revelation. He writes of the disaffections and bewilderments of ordinary lives with as keen an ang...
