The Enigma's Anomaly

It Was Like A Time Bomb Set Into Motion

"Frank?" Mikey asks.

"Yep," I reply.

"What the hell dude!" Mikey says, "I mean no offense, but fucking hell, why did you, just... hold on, give me a second, gotta breathe."

"You okay? Are you mad at me?"

"Not mad at you. Mostly mad at Gerard. Kind of mad at you as well though. Why aren't you answering your phone?"

"Oh, I kind of got mugged," I say.

"You got what?" Mikey says exasperatedly, "you could've opened with that you know. 'Hey Mikey, sorry I wasn't picking up my phone because I was fucking mugged,' would have been nice."

"Okay, I'll start over. Hey Mikey, sorry I wasn't picking up my phone because I was fucking mugged," I say.

"You're a snarky little bastard aren't you?" Mikey says.

"A little. The point is that I was mugged, and I'm at a diner, this lady gave me her phone and I didn't know who to call. Mikey, I don't have any money, or shoes, I think I'm getting a cold, but that might just be because I'm standing in a freezer, and I need painkillers like nobody's business."

"Why are you in a freezer?" Mikey asks.

"Ugh, it's raining out and the waitress who lent me her phone didn't want me to go out in the rain. I'm cold, so let's hurry this along."

"Frank," Mikey groans, "you got yourself into a giant pile of shit, you know that?"

I frown even though he can't see, "you think I could've overlooked that? It's been a miserable day."

"Aren't you going to ask about Gerard?"

"I don't want to know. I just... I don't know."

Mikey makes an irritated sound then says, "Frank, Gerard's-"

"No, I don't care. I do not care. I don't wanna know," I say sternly. I'm not sure why I said that though, because I want to know precisely what's up with Gerard, but I'm way too afraid to ask. He's probably happy that I'm gone or something. He doesn't want me back. It still kills me, because I should have known

"Wow, fine. Whatever. Thought you loved him," Mikey says.

"Are you kidding? Of course I fucking love him! Why would I have been so hurt if I didn't love him?"

"Never mind. So what do you want me to do? Where are you?"

"This little diner. Would you, uh, god I don't want to be so helpless that I have to ask you to come get me, but I need some help. I don't know what else I can do. Or who else I can call. I don't know that many people, Mikey and all the people I do know are much further away. There's nothing out here for someone with no money, and I think my feet are going to fall off because they're covered in blisters, and it's just miserable outside."

Mikey replies quickly so that I don't keep talking and says, "Okay okay. Got it. I'll get Gerard and we'll come pick you up."

"No! Absolutely not. If Gerard's there, I will not get in his car under any circumstances. Not if you paid me, not if you were there, not if I were being chased by a Balrog, and not if he coaxes me in with candy! No."

"Oh come on, Frank. You love him, we both know that. He knows that, I know that, you know that, Banks even knows that."

"But he doesn't love me!" I say.

"Of course he loves you! He just said that because he wanted to piss you off. He loves you way more than you know, Frank."

"You're lying," I say, "he never did."