The Bureau of Dreams to be Continued by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

The Bureau of Dreams to be Continued

Page 533

two years in which she has been divorced from her “non-spiritual” former hubby. She is heading out of the room to more attestations of the wonderful nature of the meeting, to take her position in the dimly lit living room. Most attendees amble that way. The ones who wish to purchase some seedy weed mixed with oregano know to physically remain in their place as long as their legs remain free from the onset of putrefaction.

The hostess is grinning as she stands ten feet from the exit; oh so spaced out and sweet; that any non-present, meta butter would either melt or curdle in her mouth. On numerous prior occasions she has made everyone within earshot aware of her dire financial circumstances and now she hovers above the “voluntary” contribution box; soon all major credit cards welcomed. She makes sufficient eye contact with the passers-by to briefly, faux-cordially engage before directing them to her sparsely filled, Salvation Army facsimile box; the three chains somehow hidden. It works reasonably well, as always. Reasonably. Reasonably to who? The Chief Justice? The Chief Justice and his sock puppet, Thomas? Reasonably as defined in numerous, contradictory court decisions? Reasonable to the parties involved? In this particular case the “reasonable” result is a fumbling for loose change; the subsequent feeling of guilt; and the green stuff dropped in praise. Only those devoid of the