Through the Lens

"But he was from here," said the reporter. "He was from the hood. All of his songs said he was."

"Oh shit lady, you must be crazy. He wasn't from here. He was just some crazy assed white boy makin' fun of us. So I capped his ass."

"He was Jason Hamsker," said the reporter in tears.

"Is that who that was?" said the man. "I jammed my gun up his ass and pulled the trigger until my finger got tired. Now that I know who he was, that makes a difference. Now I know remorse. Why, If I'd known it was Jason Hamsker. I wouldn't have used a handgun. I'd have jammed my shotgun up his ass. Have you ever heard any of his music? The boy sounds like..."

The announcer came back on then. "Hamsker left surprisingly little to his family. It seems that Hamsker spent the majority of his money on low riding sweat pants and hockey jerseys. He had no money, at all. In fact, Hamsker was deeply in debt. The sheriff will be hosting an auction of Hamkser's possessions to pay for his funeral..."

I knew then that I was totally fucked.

* * * * * *

Epilog

Connie

I was wiping down the tables in the diner I worked in. It was hard to wipe the fucking table because the towel I had was as dry as a bone. It was rush hour and I needed the table for a couple of guys who'd just come in. I was dead tired from being on my feet all day and the chance for some OT would really help my bottom line. Most of the money I made went to daycare for the baby and food for both of us. I'd moved into a smaller place that I could afford and was working on putting my life back together.

I didn't watch or follow any sort of entertainment news because I was still getting over Rob and our divorce. It had been a year and I hadn't heard anything about him. I guess deep down in my heart I hoped that he'd get tired of Serena or vice versa and he'd come looking for me.

Someone had turned the TV on and I looked up when I heard the guys in the diner all sigh.

"God damn, that woman is beautiful," screamed one of the guys in the back. I didn't have the heart to tell them that my husband had once turned her down for me. Maybe it was vanity, but realizing that Rob had loved me and had just settled for her, made me happy. I listened to what the announcer was saying.

"Victoria's Secret model and Sports Illustrated cover girl Serena Vascova announced her retirement today. The twenty four year old model is pregnant and about to marry her fiancé, famed photographer Robin Delgado. Vascova told reporters that she wouldn't miss her old life. All she ever wanted was to be a wife and a mother. Delgado responded by saying that Serena was the woman of his dreams and that the two of them would grow old together and their kids would be fat and happy...."

I turned back to wiping the table and suddenly getting the rag wet wasn't a problem. The tears dripping from my eyes worked just fine.

The end