Hey.
How’s it going.
Alright.
You?
Same.
First time?
Yeah.
You too?
Nah.
They know me around here. Don’t they, Barney. Barney. Hey. He’s asleep, I
guess.
Appears.
So
what are ya in for.
I
thought you weren’t supposed to ask that. Some kind of…what’s the word.
Protocol.
Yeah.
That.
Depends.
You being first time, I figured you wouldn’t know.
Oh.
What are you in for?
This
and that.
Uh-huh.
Did you do it?
See
that’s the part you’re not supposed to ask. But we’ll let it slide. You being
first time. Hey, Barn, d’ya hear that. Asked me if I did it. He’s still asleep.
So
it seems. Heavy sleeper.
You
learn that in here. Have to.
So
guilty conscience not keeping anyone awake around here.
Well
nobody’s guilty here. So, no.
Makes
sense I s’pose.
Sure.
So what are ya in for.
Uh.
Defiling.
Oh.
That like a tax thing?
Well
no. Defiling. A person.
Wait.
You screwed some dead chick and…
Dude. Man. I prefer men.
Whatever. Jesus. How could you do that.
Let
me ask you something. What you did. Your “this and that”. Was anyone injured.
Anyone hurt.
Well
yeah. Maybe. Crossfire, you know. Occupational hazard. Happens.
So
how’s that better. Given what I did was terrible. And wrong. How’s it worse. My victim was dead.
Exactly.
It’s the power differential. Don’t you get that.
So
it’s the fact that your victims—the hypothetical ones—the fact that they had a fighting chance? That’s the difference?
It’s
gotta be a fair fight. Relatively speaking.
But
if someone died in that hypothetical crossfire, that was a life taken. It went
from active to passive, through an act of will. Intentional. So if you come
armed with your intent and the other person isn’t—what’s fair about that?
Look.
I don’t even want to discuss it. I’ve been coming here a long time, and I expect
I’ll be back. I don't even want to be seen talking to you. Barney. Hey. Get up, Barn. Wake up, we got a situation here.
He’s
not my type.
Yeah.
That must be a turn-off. Breathing, and all.
Anyway,
I’m leaving soon.
Good.
I
made bail.
Fine
and dandy. Someone bailed you out? Really?
Yes.
A friend of mine. Jeffrey.