Dreamland

Doctors, Lawyers, and Cheaters

I'm at an arcade playing pinball. I've figured out a way to cheat the token machine by pushing it back at an angle and turning a handle on the side half way. Tokens and old coins, some of them worn beyond recognition, spill out onto the floor. I pick up handfuls of them, give some to my son so he can play video games, stuff the rest in my pockets.

I'm at the doctor's office with my wife, I'm not feeling well. After my exam, the doctor says I should be fine, call back in a few days after the blood tests are back. Walking back into the waiting room, I overhear the nurse at the desk talking to my wife: "He has a terminal illness. It's one of three possibilities, we won't know which one until the blood tests are back. Don't tell him, if he knew he would lose his will to live."

As we are leaving, I innocently ask Viv what she was talking with the nurse about. She says she was just making my next appointment for me. I don't say anything. I'm angry with her and the nurse for not telling me the truth, but surprisingly not upset with the fact that I will soon be dead.

My son comes home from the park, where he was playing with some neighborhood kids. He is upset, they saw two older boys catch a stray puppy. One of the boys held the dog down while the other burned it's fur with a magnifying glass. The dog was injured, but managed to get away.

Nick tell me he has been reading political science. He has an idea that if politicians spent as much time in developing foreign policy as they do in extramarital affairs, the world would be in much better shape. I tell him it sounds like an interesting theory, he should explore it further in his home schooling.

While driving down the street, I see a vendor selling oranges at an intersection. I park near the curb and buy a bag of them. When I pull away from the curb, I accidentally scrape my bumper into the man's car, a dented aging Buick with faded green metallic paint. I get out, see that the damage I caused is minor, but feeling bad, I offer the man a couple of twenties.

While we're standing there on the sidewalk another car speeds across the intersection and smashes into his car, totaling it. I end up in court as a witness to the accident. The man wants to sue for $20,000 damages. The judge tells him he should sue for 2 million. The lawyers for the defense say they want to investigate the plaintiff's background, which makes him very nervous, probably because he is an illegal immigrant.

The plaintiff now tells the judge he changed his mind, he wants to drop the suit. The old car is not worth the trouble. The plaintiff's lawyers say they will sue him for their lost wages if he drops the suit. I leave the court, disgusted with the whole thing.

I drive out of town, stopping at a small market to pick up a soda and something to eat. I park off of a dirt road, and sit on the hood of my car to eat my sandwich. There are large red-tailed hawks circling and diving in the air. There are a few small tents pitched nearby. I walk over to talk to one of the campers, inquiring about the birds. He tells me this is one of the best spots in the country for hawk watching. I like the place, decide I want to stay there for a while, but I don't have any camping gear with me. I get in the car to drive back into town, maybe they have tents for sale at the market.