Head Shot-Part 2

Morning came far too early. Sun filtered through the slats at the windows of his bungalow, filling his lids with light and making it impossible to continue his coma any longer. He motioned to raise his head and stopped, feeling the crackle of matted hair thick with caked blood stuck to the leather cushion of his couch. He broke free and sat groggily upright to spy himself in the mirror across his living room. He had to laugh, "damn, I look like hammered dogshit" he thought sardonically to himself as he spied what looked like a homeless man peering back at him from the looking glass. He had an ochre mohawk splayed wildly from one side and the imprint of the couch cushion seams wrinkled roughly into his face. The side of his head was split wide open from his left brow in a mean gash that headed south to his ear and petered out just past the curve of his eye socket. "that's a real beauty" he thought to himself. "I wonder what the hell they used on me? He figured maybe a saipo or perhaps some lead or a roll of pennies in the hand. Yeah, it was definitely a fist that had struck him. But it was so damned hard. He'd never been almost knocked out before and sat for a minute querying the aftermath of this new experience.1

He shook off his contemplation, rising from the couch to reach the dinette in his kitchen. Grabbing a bowl, milk and some cereal he flumped down tiredly in a chair and clicked on the radio to absorb some morning news. "Good morning to KNPR, it's six o' clock. Hi, I'm Kai Ryssdal with the latest update on the housing mortgate crunch. Folks, it's going to get worse before it gets better. At present, an average of seven thousand homes go into foreclosure every day. This number has doubled from that of last year at this time." The broadcast continued with more depressing news of a an economy in slow ruin, accelerating daily but hidden from investing eyes by rosy outlooks of "we've finally hit the bottom". Truth was, it hadn't hit the bottom, nor would it for some time. He laughed at the bullshit of it all. The economy is such a feeble thing, hanging on psychological whims of a populace played to by the media. In reality, he realized that as foreclosures increased, market values would go down, throwing off loan to value ratios and making it impossible for the next wave of foreclosure prone folks to escape as they found no financing options for their now upside down homes. Peoples homes were now worth more than their mortgages, and no one could refinance out of their present loans whose interest rates were jumping at the expiration of their adjustable rate mortgages. They too would fall and drag down everyone in their neighborhoods with them as comps dropped on housing values in a terrible fallout of foreclosures.2

He was fortunate. Despites all efforts to the contrary, he had stuck his mortgage broker to a thirty year fixed. Then, when everyone was taking out home equity loans and buying new cars or rentals, he kept his equity intact. Money in the bank, he'd always thought to himself. Unfortunately, his sister in law hadn't felt that way.3

"Brrrrrrinnnnggg" his old style telephone shook on the hook just across from him on the wall. He reached with a long arm, picking up the receiver and putting it to his ear.4

"Dan, are you going to make it this morning?"5

"Absolutely, babs. No sweat. I'm half-dead right now but I said I'll be there and I will."6

"Dan, you sound beat. What happened?"7

"I do believe I got myself an ass-whupping, if I must say."8

"What?" she said incredulously. Dan always won his fights, the few that any were foolish enough to start with him. "What happened?"9

"Eh...an old friend repaid me for his past misfortune at my hands, only this time he didn't go it alone. It was a blanket party and I was the guest of honor. I didn't even see it coming, Sharon."10

"Are you all right?"11

"Oh, you bet. I woke up, didn't I? My head hurts like hell but it's nothing I can't get over. I still know my name and birthdate so I figure I'll be fine."12

"Are you sure?"13

"Sure. Thanks for your concern. So anyway, I'll be there. Okey-dokey?"14

"Sure, dan...and thank you. You know, you really find out who your friends are when you need a ride to the airport or have to move."15

"I'm not your friend, Sharon. I'm family. I'd be there even if I didn't like you; but it's an added bonus that I do. I'll be there."16

"Thanks again, Dan. See you then, and take care of yourself. I'll see you Later."17

"See you then." He hung up the receiver with a wry grin and hung his head momentarily. Fuck, he hated that she'd felt the need to double check him. But his word, though always given with pure intent, had fallen shy of shine over the past few years and he hated it, hated himself for it. He knew she'd just been trying to remind him, but it hurt his pride to be checked up on, nonetheless. 18

Sharon was a single mom who'd been doing very well as a real estate agent. During the housing boom her hubby, dan's brother and also an agent, ran off with a co-worker to "find his happiness" and abandoned them. She'd thought nothing of it at the time, speeding a quick divorce along through the courts with no regrets. He'd always had a roving eye and she'd tired of it. His escape was a welcome event and sorrowed only for the loss of him to their daughter, Abby. He didn't have to be lost, but he was and slowly slipped from the scene. He wasn't even available to help move them.19

She'd gotten the house, which at the time seemed a victory. She pulled out a home equity loan to float her through the divorce and make the adjustment to single life, but the lagging economy slowly ate away at her remaining equity until the home became an albatross around her neck. Her three year adjustable rate mortgage had come due and she alone could not qualify for refinancing. So she was moving, and would be losing the house. A hundred thousand in equity up in smoke due to a failing economy.20

Dan shook it off. Why the fuck did he care? He'd stopped caring awhile ago but had kept a small portion for Sharon, just because. He liked Sharon and she needed his help. Women seemed to be getting the short end of the stick nowadays and he was happy to assist. Plus, he really liked women. They made the world a better place and Sharon was no exception. He smiled at the thought of this neat person once family and then shuffled off to the bath to shower. He was in no state to be seen.