Play it again Sam

Edie Sands stood in the break room stirring her coffee, trying to shake off her lingering first day jitters, when suddenly she became startled by not only the words being spoken by the man leaning against the counter, but also by the realization that she never even noticed him standing there.

"I bet you like your coffee like you like your martinis.Strong.You're my kind of woman. You don't let anybody steer your boat do ya kid? Well,... you got a lotta sass alright. A lot of sass."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it doll."

The mysterious stranger stared dashingly at Edie as he threw his empty paper cup over his shoulder and into the waste basket while slowly walking out of the room. Edie's supervisor Jeffrey walked into the break room a moment later.

"Jeffrey who was that man that just walked out of here?"

"That was Sam Moriarty.He's got the big office in the corner"

"What does he do here?"

Jeffrey stared blankly as he realized he was pondering this question for the first time in the seven years that he's worked for the company.

"I don't know.Kind of strange now that I think about it."

Jeffrey poked his head around the corner to watch Moriarty make his way into the large open room of occupied desks, and busy workers.

"Son of a bitch! Don't freeze up on me now. My goddamn reports due in a half hour!" Henry Russell cried out as he slammed his palm into his desk.

"Say, whats the big idea"

"Sam this computer is useless. It freezes up on me everyday. I spend more time on the phone with IT then I do getting any work done."

"Well that's no reason to go around beating up on some perfectly good office furniture.What are you some kind of lunatic? Why I oughtta send you up to the funny farm with that sorted behaviour of yours."

"But Sam its the end of the quarter!"

"Now don't you say another word, 'cause I don't want to hear it! What you need is a good cool down. Take the afternoon off. Well go on, get out of here!"

"But Sam, my report is"

"Go on, scram!" Sam raised his backhand to Henry. He stopped himself only when he saw the look of horror on Edies face. He quickly composed himself, lit up a cigarette and extended the open pack in Edies direction."What do you say dollface?"

"Oh my God! What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Theres nothing wrong with me porcupine.Nothing at all see. Its this mixed up topsy turvy world thats got a problem. Everybodies so caught up in the hustle and bustle of big city life that they don't take any time to smell the roses anymore. You got people who have never even lived a day in their life before they gotta take that big ride in the back of a cadillac limousine all the way up to toe tag city.And I'll tell you something else sister, when the man upstairs asks you to join in the great poker game in the sky, the only losers are the ones who are too busy guarding their chips to play a hand. Well that aint gonna be Sam Moriarty baby!" Sam,unaware of his own actions, suddenly grabbed Edie firmly by the arm, shaking her by her bicepts "Do you hear me?!?!..That aint gonna be me."

Sam walked off leaving Edie with a confused look as she stood next to Henry Russell, who was still hunched down in his chair with his hands blocking his face.

As Sam reached his office he was approached by Jimmy Flynn, a fresh faced, hard working young man just out of college. Jimmy was very fond of Sam, and Sam was quite touched by this.

"I finished waxing your car Mr. Moriarty."

"Say that's great kid.Why don't you step into my office and I'll buy you a drink."

"But I don't drink Mr. Moriarty."

"Even better Kid, you can buy me one."

They entered Moriarty's office. It was a huge room much different from the cold, grey, corporate holding cell outside. One might suspect it would be different, based alone on the fact that it was the only office with a large frosted glass door which read Sam Moriarty. Sam's office had hard wood floors, a large, well finished mohagany desk with a bottle of bourbon and 2 glasses on it. In the corner was a fully functioning grandfather clock.Hanging on the wall behind his desk was a portrait of Sam standing in his trademark trenchcoat and hat with an intense glare on his face. The window's had wooden shades blocking the sun, and in the direct center of the room was a large bearskin rug.

"Sit down kid, take a load off"Sam motioned his hand to the hard wooden chairs in front of his desk as he poured himself a tall glass of straight bourbon. "I got an important job for you Kid. You think you're up for it?"

"Sure thing Mr. Moriarty"

"Say, I thought I told you to call me Sam."

"OK Mr. Moriarty."

"Thats more like it"

Just then the door to Moriarty's office came flying open and in walked purchasing manager Martin Duke with an infuriated look on his face.

"Moriarty!! Did you tell Henry Russell to take the afternoon off again?!?!"

"That's right. What's it to you anyways?"

"WHATS IT TO ME?!?! WHATS IT.... DAMNIT Moriarty, Henry is my employee NOT YOURS.And as a matter of fact, so is Jimmy here. Go on Jimmy, get back to work"

"Now wait just a minute Duke. The kid works for me now see. So I suggest you turn your kiester right around and get the hell outta my office before I sock you so hard your gonna be wearing a T-bone for an eyepatch until Labor day. You hear me?!!"

"I've heard enough. I'm calling HR and having you terminated." Duke walked over to Sam's desk and grew more frustrated after making a failed attempt at a phone call to HR. "Goddamnit, how the hell do you even call an extension with a rotary phone. This is just goddamn riciulous. Forget it I'll call them from my own office."

Duke stormed out of Moriarty's office leaving the door wide open behind him. Sam responded by retrieving the same switch blade from his desk drawer that he used to kill the bear that now lay as a rug in his office. He rushed around to the front of his desk and made a dash for Duke with the blade extended. In a panic Jimmy jumped up and grabbed Sam by his arm to stop him.

"Mr. Moriarty don't!"

Sam made one last look back at Jimmy while simutaneously preceeding out the door of his office, accidentally ramming the switchblade between the ribs of Edie Sands who was a mere passerby at the wrong time.

Edie pressed her hands into her side and turned white instantly at the site of the blood now on her fingertips while collapsing into Sam's arms.

"Oh no... Say it aint so kid.Say it aint so. Don't leave me now dolface...you just can't leave now.Why, we were just getting a good thing going, you and me see.Well I know I aint always the perfect gentleman baby...but I was working on that. And there was supposed to be time. Why there was gonna be plenty of good times between you and me kid, real swell times. Like the time me,you, and Jimmy over there, we was gonna take a ferry out to Martha's Vineyard and take a drive out to the country. Maybe buy a little place of our own.Away from all of this see. Why there was gonna be plenty of good times for us dollface. Just stick around a while, you'll see. I need you to just... just stick around a while."

Sam looked down to find that Edies eyes would no longer be able to look back at his. EMT's came rushing across the room, and whisked Edie from Sam and onto a gurney. Sam stood very calm with a look of shock which seemed to excuse him from the chaos around him as he continued talking to noone.

"There was supposed to be time see. There was supposed to be time."

Sam made his way out to the busy streets. He walked across the avenues without looking in either direction, subconsciously zig zagging his way through gridlock traffic. Taxis honked and drivers yelled at him, but he didn't even acknowledge them. With a newspaper under his arm and rain beginning to fall, he turned the corner and made his way down 23rd to Gary's Pub.

He walked in the bar,his entrance greeted by bells attached to the glass door. Gary came from the back room of the dark bar and looked at him and said, "What'll be Sammy?"

"Martini. Make it quick, make it dirty, and make it with a twist of the good old days. You remember the good old days, Gary?"

"Yes, I do Sam. Like they were yesterday, But you Sam, you keep the past alive."

Sam removes his hat and places it on the bar. He lights up a Marlboro and swings his barstool around until it comes in line with a portrait of FDR.

"Damn right Gary, and it comes with a price. But, hell, I got the cash to cover it."

THE END