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He arose with the sun, for a change. It was summer, Bert’s day off, and
decidedly hot. Bert checked his e-mail, deleting at least half of the
messages. Most of the others could wait. He did an Internet search for South
of Market donut shops, and another for where to buy medicinal marijuana,
both of which he needed for an upcoming case. Those tasks done, he went
about his daily rituals. He noted the data on his weather station, a
somewhat obsessive hobby of his, one that prompted playful teasing from
Misty. Reportedly, there was a sluggish upper level low coming in, tracking
northeastward. It brought a slight chance of thunder-showers to the North
Bay, an anomaly in August. Minimally, the bay area’s air conditioner would
turn on and soothe the heat. It would be a nice break.
Bert took comfort in Life’s rituals, those that slowed to a comfortable hum
on his day off. He fed his dog, and he made coffee. He luxuriated in a lazy
morning, opening the morning paper. His dog soon curled up beside him. All
was good.
He scowled as the phone rang, caller I.D. naming an unwanted call. It was
Claire, Planet Claire!
Planet Claire was a figure from his past. He knew her from the early days in
San Francisco and later in L.A. She was up there on the social register, from
old money, as old as it gets in S.F. anyway, "High Society." She left for L.A.
as an aspiring B film actress. She didn’t do it for the money; she did it
because she was a Drama Queen. Bert remembered wishing her a nice life….
Bert was not one to walk down Memory Lane. He lived in the present. But,
this morning, memories flooded into his (until now) calm morning.
He had met Claire at Café Bizarre. The coffee house was full and she asked
to share his table. She was striking. She could just sit there and be
interesting, no fascinating! Her beauty and confidence were an assault on
Bert’s senses, on a graphic scale. He fell, and he fell hard!
Bert Strong -
Planet Claire
An excerpt from "Beyond Real - Where the Sidewalk Ends"
Planet Claire
An excerpt from "Beyond Real - Where the Sidewalk Ends"
Bert has had a long week;
surveillance, reconnaissance, and
more surveillance. He looked
forward to his days off. Misty
was visiting family out of town,
so it was just Bert and his dog.
Two wonderful days of bonding,
man and dog!
The phone continued to ring. Bert reached
for the phone. Bert with his highly honed
instinct was about to let the monster in the
gate!
Why did he take the call, you might ask?
Because, that was Bert. He never ran away
from a problem.
“Hello? She said. Are you there?”
Bert was silent for a moment. “ What is it
Claire? What do you want?”
“That’s not exactly a pleasant hello.”
“Toughen up, princess. Again, what do you
want?”
“Did it occur to you that perhaps I missed
you? I was thinking of you and thought I
would call. I’m in town for a while. How
could I not call?
I hear you’re dating some little tart; thought
you’d like to step it up a bit, maybe go out
on the town? I have tickets to an opening,
and then there is a cast party, people you
know. You do still have a tux? You always
looked fine in Armani, and finer on my arm!
The car would pick you up at 8:00….”
“Slow down Claire. Her name is Misty. And,
you couldn’t come close to her class. You’ll
have to find another arm-dandy.”
“Now, Now. Don’t be so touchy. How about a
late lunch tomorrow? You know I don’t like
to get up early if I’m not on the set. There’s a
little matter I’d like to run by you…”
“So here it is. What do you REALLY want,
Claire?”
copyright 2009
for the phone. Bert with his highly honed
instinct was about to let the monster in the
gate!
Why did he take the call, you might ask?
Because, that was Bert. He never ran away
from a problem.
“Hello? She said. Are you there?”
Bert was silent for a moment. “ What is it
Claire? What do you want?”
“That’s not exactly a pleasant hello.”
“Toughen up, princess. Again, what do you
want?”
“Did it occur to you that perhaps I missed
you? I was thinking of you and thought I
would call. I’m in town for a while. How
could I not call?
I hear you’re dating some little tart; thought
you’d like to step it up a bit, maybe go out
on the town? I have tickets to an opening,
and then there is a cast party, people you
know. You do still have a tux? You always
looked fine in Armani, and finer on my arm!
The car would pick you up at 8:00….”
“Slow down Claire. Her name is Misty. And,
you couldn’t come close to her class. You’ll
have to find another arm-dandy.”
“Now, Now. Don’t be so touchy. How about a
late lunch tomorrow? You know I don’t like
to get up early if I’m not on the set. There’s a
little matter I’d like to run by you…”
“So here it is. What do you REALLY want,
Claire?”
copyright 2009
But life was complicated on Planet Claire. The gravity was heavy and the air
hard to breathe. None of the normal principles applied. Bert found himself
spinning out of control. It was often out of control on Planet Claire! In the
red haze of a hangover, Bert was convinced she was from Mars, or perhaps
it was the scotch… Either way, being possessed by an Alien was NOT good.
Bert had learned quite a bit back then; He learned scotch was not his friend
and he learned he was quite good at damage control. He also learned he
wasn’t into girls that needed saving. Judging by the tabloids, Claire still
needed saving. Bert’s scotch days were over, his Claire days were done. He
had moved on a long time ago. So why was she in orbit?
The phone continued to ring, announcing Claire offhandedly, like it
happened before, like it happened every day.
hard to breathe. None of the normal principles applied. Bert found himself
spinning out of control. It was often out of control on Planet Claire! In the
red haze of a hangover, Bert was convinced she was from Mars, or perhaps
it was the scotch… Either way, being possessed by an Alien was NOT good.
Bert had learned quite a bit back then; He learned scotch was not his friend
and he learned he was quite good at damage control. He also learned he
wasn’t into girls that needed saving. Judging by the tabloids, Claire still
needed saving. Bert’s scotch days were over, his Claire days were done. He
had moved on a long time ago. So why was she in orbit?
The phone continued to ring, announcing Claire offhandedly, like it
happened before, like it happened every day.
Why was Claire back from
L.A? Her presence did not
bode well. Things were
going great with Bert and
Misty. Bert did not want
the disruption. And, he
knew Claire would be a
disruption. She had a flair
for that.
Planet Clair! She was a tornado. Where ever she went dust and debris
followed. She left a wake of destruction that seemed both random, yet
somehow calculated. She was also a contradiction; she could be needling
and infuriating, but turn charming and cajoling. She was a razor-tongued
snake with a gift for detecting weakness, and a talent for exploiting it to
her advantage. But then she would be a quiet philanthropist supporting
causes around the world, and not seeking recognition. Was she being
altruistic? Were these good deeds to make up for her exploits? Was she
attempting to appease the Karma God’s? Bert was always dubious of her
intent.
followed. She left a wake of destruction that seemed both random, yet
somehow calculated. She was also a contradiction; she could be needling
and infuriating, but turn charming and cajoling. She was a razor-tongued
snake with a gift for detecting weakness, and a talent for exploiting it to
her advantage. But then she would be a quiet philanthropist supporting
causes around the world, and not seeking recognition. Was she being
altruistic? Were these good deeds to make up for her exploits? Was she
attempting to appease the Karma God’s? Bert was always dubious of her
intent.
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