Purgatory

Chapter 1

The alarm rang at 5AM on the Tuesday morning. Matt quickly silenced it before it could wake up his sleeping wife Penny. Normally Penny would have awakened at that hour too, but today was her day off work. Penny had been feeling ill lately- she had gone to the doctor on Saturday. Maybe those blood tests they did would come back today, Matt thought. She's been emotional, overexcited, not as bad as when she was on dope as a teenager, but she's not normally like this. Maybe it's the stress of being the only breadwinner in the house. Those song royalties don't pay like they used to, not with Napster and Kazaa and the internet making music free. Grandpa Al and Oma can't work anymore. Maybe it is time to move them to the downstairs bedroom, the one that's been empty since 1989, since Dad moved out. But hopefully this Hampshire Funds place where Aunt Violet and George work, hopefully they can hire me, thought Matt. They'd better hire me, why else would they ask me to be there at 7:30AM in the morning? And on my 10 year anniversary, too?

Matt then thought of what still-unbought gift he could get Penny on the way back from Lower Manhattan. Canal Street is too cheap and touristy. Nassau Street is about as cheap, and close to the twin towers. And what would be suitable for her? A nice dress, flowers, finally getting her a cellphone, or something she really needs, like Motrin or Tylenol?

Matt then turned on the tv in the kitchen. Channel 2 with this "information network" thing they call their news now. Warm today. Election day too, soon Mayor Giuliani would be out of office. And of course you have to be a registered Democrat or registered Republican to vote in the primaries today.What's the point if you're not one or the other, just disenfranchised. But at least Penny agrees with me on that, thought Matt.

A coffee and bowl of oatmeal later, Matt locked up the house and walked down East 15th Street to the Sheepshead Bay station. He caught the Q diamond train to Manhattan.

After the train passed the Kings Highway stop, he noticed a familiar face board the train who stood out from the normal mix of Eastern Europeans on the train, his old friend George Colton.

"How's it going, George?"

"It's going great, Matt," said George. What are you doing up at this hour?"

"Job interview," said Matt. "They wanted me there by 7:30 AM. Hampshire Funds advertising."

"Did you use me as a reference?" asked George.

"Yeah..I used you, Aunt Violet," said Matt. "I figured people I knew who worked there would help."

"I'm in the legal office, not advertising, Matt," said George.

"I know, but you work there, and would make a better reference than others I know," said Matt.

"A lot of people would kill to have Clive Davis and Dave Grohl as job references, Matt," said George.

"Yeah,but I've been out of that industry for 7 years now," said Matt. "Most of them would consider me a sellout for what I've done since."

"You're too hard on yourself, Matt," said George. "You don't have back student loans. You don't have a rapidly growing 10 year old. And your wife earns a decent salary."

"Yeah,but Penny has been acting funny and feeling ill," said Matt. "I think she might be pregnant."

"If that's the case, that should be wonderful news," said George."Did you know Tom and his wife Ashley just had twins back last year?"

"I'd rather not talk about the flatfoot with the fucking attitude," said Matt.

"Matt, you and Tom were friends for years," said George. "Hell, you're practically family. Why don't you and he bury the hatchet?"

"He's the one who got all looney tunes over that song I wrote back in 1991," said Matt.

"You titled that song after his dead brother, and based the lyrics on his suicide," said George.

"It's too late to change that now, " said Matt.

"You don't want your kid thinking you'll write an embarrassing song about them, do you?" said George.

"Maybe,maybe not," said Matt. "But I would want my child to have a decent life, not to have to struggle financially like I did."

"I thought you went to Juilliard?" asked George.

"For two years- before my father got a pay cut and my grandparents started putting out mortgages on the house," said Matt. "Then I went to Homecrest High, and then that year at Bates. The weird thing is that me and my grandparents would still owe money on the house if not for Dad's insurance policy."

"If worse comes to worse, you could get one of those pianist gigs in Midtown," said George.

"There are times I miss performing, touring, gigs with the Sheepsheads, hearing songs I wrote on the radio," said Matt. "But there's a dark side to all that- the competition, the agents, the drug use, the partying. I saw what all that poison did to Penny back in high school- that's why I had to leave that industry."

"I miss some of that, too," said George.

"George,you only recorded one song," said Matt.

"A song you wrote," said George. "A song that young girl probably owes you royalties on now- 10 years later."

"Do you still have that Arista plaque?" asked Matt.

"I do- Keyshia keeps it in my office," said George. "One of these days, my son will probably want to hear that song."

"You have a good voice, George," said Matt. "Much better voice than I have."

"I still sing at the Hampshire Summer and Holiday parties," said George. "Did you remember to vote today?"

"Today's a primary election," said Matt. "And I'm a registered independent, so I can't vote today."

"I think Mark Green will win," said George. "Usually the Democratic winner wins everything in November."

"Hopefully not this year- Giuliani was a good mayor," said Matt. "I remember how bad things were 8 years ago before he took office. I probably will vote for whomever he endorses."

"We could always use another brother in Gracie Mansion," said George.

"Maybe, just as long as his name isn't David Dinkins," said Matt.

"We're at DeKalb Avenue, time to switch trains," said George.

"I'm still getting used to the Q running local on the Broadway line again," said Matt. "But at least one of the Q lines still runs express. But at least the N and R still connect to the World Trade Center."

"I keep forgetting how great and convenient the subways are here," said George. "Back in Memphis, the buses were slow and dangerous."