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DrRazorblade

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1.

Lara is arranging flowers for a funeral. She dances around a bit as she sticks in the baby's breathe between the neatly arranged lillies. The music of Glen Miller is playing and Lara is a huge Glen Miller fan. When she puts the finishing touches on the arrangement she pulls out a little red purse from her apron and flops down into the chair. She opens the purse and takes out a silver stick of gum, unwraps it revealing it is cinnamon and puts it into her mouth. The T.V. in the background shows an ad for shampoo featuring a beautiful blonde actress. Lara clicks off the T.V., picks up the floral arrangement and leaves the house.

2.

A man's hand shakes five sugar packets, tears the corners and empties them into an empty yellow coffee cup. A young lady's reaches in and pours coffee into the cup.

"Thanks." the man says as his hand stirs the coffee with a butter knife.

The man is Lara's husband. He is sitting at a back table in the 'Dim Lit Cafe' with a notebook, pen and his hand on the freshly poured coffe filled mug. His eyes fixate on the blank blue lines of the notebook. The lines become blurry and he rubs his eyes. When he opens them he is looking up at the station where the waitresses stand. A young attractive blonde sits down a pitcher of waterand she notices the man looking her direction. She smiles, he smiles in return.

3.

Lara clicks off the bathroom light and walks over to the bed where her husband is lying. She sits down and rubs his shirtless torso. He is watching an old black and white movie starring his all time favorite actress. The scene on the television set depicts the blonde actress holding a gun in front of her in a dark alley.

"How was work?" Lara asked.

"Not very progressive." He replied.

"Oh, Honey." Lara said.

"It's just all this damned buisiness with the bills, and not to mention your mother....well I just can't concentrate to work at all!" He exclaimed

"My Mother!?" Lara yelled, "Now don't bring her into this, I was simply trying to..."

"I'm sorry." He said interupting her followed by a kick peck on the mouth.

"How was work for you, dear?" He asked

"Well I finished Mrs. Buckaloo's birthday arrangement" Lara said. "But...I got a call around ten-thirty from her daughter, and I had to change it a little."

Her husband had a puzzled look on his face.

" A little extra work never killed anyone" She said.

"No, guess not." he said turning over.

4.

Lara sweeps the clippings in the kitchen from the flowers she had just trimmed. Glenn Miller again can be heard and Lara snaps her cinnamon gum almost in beat with it. She picks up the pan of clippings and dumps them into the trashcan. Lara checks her watch and then removes her apron and unties her hair.

Lara walks upstairs and enters her husband's office. A large autographed poster of Loren Nuvall, her husband's favorite actress hung above the desk.

' Willy- one Hell of a dance partner xoxo Love Always, Loren Nuvall.' the poster read. 'To my one and only grandson -Granpa' a tiny card read that stuck in the corner of the frame. A bookshelf held books on writing techniques, classic novels, and VHS tapes of all of the films Loren Nuvall had been in. On his desk sat a picture of his wife, Lara. Lara laid four loose rose petals on her husband's notebook near her photo. She glanced at the middle desk drawer, noticing it was open a little. She pulled it open a little more. She saw what was inside; only three things, a yellow buisness card for the 'Dim Lit Cafe', a pen and a revolver. She reached into the drawer and pulled out the yellow card and flipped it to the back. 'Lana' it said.

5.

"Lana!" a loud voice calls from a kitchen.

"Order Up!" The cook calls while flinging a plate of fries into the window.

Lana picks up the plate and sets it onto her tray and exits the kitchen. She passes Lara's husband on her way to deliver the fries. He is sitting at his usual table, stiring his coffe with a butter knife. He sips the coffe and jots some things into the notebook. All the while his eyes keep darting toward Lana. He examined her hair, blonde tendrils bound together with a black ribbon. He examined her mouth as she laughed by the waitress station with a co-worker, red shiny lips. He examined her walk, a familiar sway, a gentle walk.

"More coffee?"----

"Huh?-Oh....." he said.

"No hurry mister but I just wanted to check on you before my shift ends." Lana said smiling.

"Oh, no, I'm fine" he said as he fumbled through his wallet. He handed Lana a five dollar bill and shut the notebook.