Mercury in Retrograde

The CowBoy slides over a stool and orders a beer.

He stares at the counter with an uncommon intensity.

CB “If you want to kill a fly, you’ve got to think like a fly”

A “Interesting”

C “Interesting”

A “I’ll have today’s special, please”

A “You know, California, CowBoy has that flie’s fate in his hands”

C “hmmmmm, I’ll have a beer too”

A “Fate is like these stuffed peppers on my plate”

A “Some call it fate, some just call it sin”

C “I don’t get it”

A “The stuffing is an existential conundrum”

The diner grows silent. All heads turn to Ari.

California takes a sip of her beer, places her fist on her check, and looks deeply into Ari’s eyes

C “Yes?”

A “The question is whether the stuffing is on the outside of the pepper; or on the inside”

A “Fate is like that too”

C “Hmmmmm”

A “If you turn these peppers around, look what happens”

C “What?”

A “Fate”

California puts a nickel in the jukebox