Content-type: text/html Ray Manning

Wednesday, March 17, 1999 9:14 AM

My Exciting Tuesday - Dare You Read This One?


I wake up in my own bed with nobody beside me except my teddy bear. I have a taupe nylon on my right arm. I do not know where it came from. But I notice that it feels good.

The newspaper has no articles about a man and a dog. I am relieved. But it has an advertisement for the National Twister Players Convention in Garden Grove. I tear out the advertisement and keep it.

I get to the famous Norwalk court and ride the crowded elevator to the jury room. Because it is crowded, I refrain from singing. But I do say out loud "Wouldn't it be great if this elevator got stuck for a couple of hours so that we could all get to know each other better."

And I respond "Hi Joanne. My name is Ray, but you can call me Candy." The silence is deafening.

"I know. I picked this up and drank it while I was shopping. I need to pay for it."

"I'm buying this."

And I give up. "Okay, I guess I misunderstood." With that, the manager takes the empty bottle away and puts it in the trash. I do not get charged for the now empty bottle of whiskey. Rather, the checkout lady says "This whiskey is on sale 2 for 1. Would you like the second bottle free? We'll go get the other bottle for you." So now I have two FULL bottles of whiskey again.

I make it home, though I don't remember walking there. Waiting on my front steps is a group of my neighbors.