Cousins (#1)
Cousins
Thursday, August 18th, 7:03 PM
“I would like some popcorn.”
The girl behind the concession counter blinked. Before her stood a man with greased-back, black hair, a doughy face peppered with whiskers, and a burgundy suit with dark, pin-width stripes. A couple of movie patrons behind him were ogling at the cut of his jacket. The girl working the concession counter shifted her weight to her left foot.
“Sure, what size?”
The man bounced on the balls of his feet. “As much as you can give me.”
The girl dropped her jaw slightly and retrieved from underneath the counter a paper bucket, which she then filled to the top with salty, yellow popcorn. The man took the bucket, gave the girl a fifty-dollar bill, and left without waiting for change. He entered the theater farthest down the hall on the left.
In accordance with the man’s tastes, the picture showing this evening was violent. Crimes were committed by large, muscular men armed with shadowy guns. Police detectives paced in their grimy offices and swore. An attractive woman spoke few sentences but lustily displayed her legs. The man sat towards the back and began to eat his popcorn. As he was nearing the bottom of the bucket, an actor on the screen fired at absurd length an automatic rifle. The surrounding walls of the theater chattered with the noise, and the man grinned. When the gun ceased firing, the man rose from his seat, walked into a blackened nook at the corner of the theater, turned on his heel, and disappeared with a faint pop.