Roanne And Michelle On Their Own XII

[Robert Crisman]

Roanne Gets Cut Loose And Michelle Keeps On Spinning  X4

1.

They cut Roanne loose from the jail and Danny was parked right outside in a van. Not the old one, but a Chevy, a nasty shit-brown, though it looked like it had the same dents.

Roanne didn't bother to ask why he'd left the old one in impound. Danny did mention how much it had cost to get back on the road--as if she'd pay it or something...

All Roanne knew was that jail is the shits and she wanted to sleep for a year.

Danny took her on home.

2.

Meanwhile, Michelle in the spin-dry had had it. 

Day after day after day, all the lectures and slide-shows, the single-o counseling yakkety-yaks,the group jack-offs, the bland, shitty food, and the meetings, NA and AA and CA and--fuck it! She'd had it! These square motherfuckers! This Ozzie and Harriet bullshit!

She wanted to spit in somebody's eye...

3.

Starting with Chili. He'd come and they'd talk, or rather he'd talk, beginning with what are you going to do now, Michelle, and how in the fuck did she know?

He'd tell her she needed to get back to meetings. She'd tell him,  yeah...

He'd say, really, Michelle, that's where it's at, and us addicts, we blah blah blah blah...

She'd tune him right out.

4.

He'd try to get her to tell him the problem. She'd shrug, shake her head. Or tell him it's just, mumble, mumble...

He'd tell her, you're thinking too much. She'd think, yeah, no fucking doubt...

She tuned him right out.

[Angela]

Joey mentioned publication, and I think even a print-as-ordered self publication would give your friends an opportunity to see your work in the form in which it is really intended.  Maybe you should consider checking into something like Create Space.  I did it just to learn the process, and it cost me less than fifteen dollars.

[Joey Delgado]

Doesn't look like Michelle is ready to quit the stuff. Thanks for giving voice to some seriously (seemingly) hopeless cases. Have known a few in my day. Great work as always. Can't wait to have this in book form on my nightstand.