Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20A | 20B | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25-26 | 27 | 28-29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35-36 | 37 | 38A | 38B | 38C | 38D | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42-43 | 44-45 | 46 | 47 | 48-49A | 49B | 50 | 51 | 52
PART II
ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS
53
THE NEXT MORNING, Marina said nothing when Trey, clad in work clothes, came downstairs for breakfast, which he ate alone because Marina went outside to begin the washing.
It wasn’t washday.
She paused at the sight of an ICE truck parked in the Chrysler’s spot, then reasoned he would have to have a truck for his whisky. She commenced working, not pausing when he emerged, went to the truck, then went back into the house with heavy boxes. He went back and forth several times, then didn’t emerge again until Marina had washed and wrung the clothes and began hanging them up on the line.
Then he began bringing empty boxes out and throwing them into the truck. That took considerably less time.
“When you get done with that,” he said on his way back to the house, “I need your help. Please.”
She said nothing, although she was surprised and What? was on the tip of her tongue.
Still, she finished in record time and scurried into the house. He was sitting at the dining room table bent over a ledger with cash and papers spread all over it. Her brow wrinkled and she took the chair he pulled close to him.
“What was in the boxes?”
“Your daddy’s books,” he said gruffly, pointing to the once-empty bookcases flanking the radio, now stuffed.
Marina had no idea why Trey would be interested in them, but said nothing.
“This is the speak’s take for last night,” he said, bringing her attention back to the table. “I’mma teach you how to do the books.”
Shocked, Marina could say only, “Uh … ”
“The house books,” he clarified, shoving away the thick ledger and all the cash with it. Then he dug in a pile of papers and found a very thin ledger with a thin stack of blank pages in it. He put it and a pencil in front of her. He pulled a stack of envelopes to him and said, “I was waiting until I got the utility bills to find out how much it takes to run the house. Now I got ’em all. You were right about fifty being generous, but I’mma give you a hundred fifty anyway ’cuz it helps me cook the speak’s books.”
“Oh.”
“You said you took bookkeeping? Double-entry?”
“Yes.”
“A’ight. Normally, I’d take you to the bank, but my granddaddy’s called me damn near every day since we got married demanding I get my money out of it ’cuz somethin’ to do with the stock market, which I don’t know what that has to do with me, but he’s rich an’ I ain’t, so I’mma do it anyway.”
Marina didn’t dare correct either his grammar or his diction, although both were getting worse. He was too angry and his speech was his concern, not hers. She found it endearing.
“C’mere.”
He led her to the bookcase and pulled out one of Father’s thick Bible concordances. He thumbed about a hundred pages in, opened it, and showed her. Her mouth dropped open. There was a square hole about two hundred pages deep, just right for fitting a stack of hundred-dollar bills.
“That’s ten thousand dollars.”
She gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth, her eyes wide, her heart thundering in her ears. He snapped the book shut and put it back, touched the spines of two more books— “Each.” —then led her back to the table. “I have about six bank accounts and move my money around to hide it in case Treasury goes looking, but I still have a couple grand in my operating account. Payroll, inventory, whatnot. Be suspicious if I didn’t. Everybody else might keep that kinda cash on hand, but I’m not that stupid and I know how to bury my numbers. In any case, left a little money in the others, maybe a hundred each account and that’ll earn interest—not enough, but if my granddaddy’s right, it ain’t worth it.
“So, I don’t like havin’ this here, but going to a safe deposit box is suspicious if I get tailed, and Boss Tom had a tail on me I didn’t know about the whole time I was courtin’ you. I want a better hiding place, but even Boss Tom didn’t think there might be cash in your daddy’s books. There was some tucked away in his radio and divan, too.”
“Trey,” Marina croaked, trembling. “What if somebody—”
“Yeah, ’zackly, but I’mma do what my granddaddy says an’ I’ll figure out a better hiding place later.”
It made her feel better that he didn’t like keeping that much money around any more than she did. For the next three hours Trey patiently took her through her bookkeeping duties, where to go to pay the utilities, when to write checks and when to use cash, and then how to hide money in plain sight.
“The books are gonna say I allow you one-fifty a month, which I do. You’re gonna put down that you spent more on groceries than what you actually did. Nobody’s gonna look twice at the amount of bacon and eggs you buy.”
“But who’s going to bother with household books?”
“My books will say I give you that much, so it needs to be verifiable. Hide it in groceries, linens, dishes, cleaning supplies, whatnot. Books, a standing account at Kresge’s, say. Fabric store, five’n’dime. Make sure you go over budget every month—on paper. Don’t keep the receipts with the fake books. Cats’ll think you’re spending me out of house and home—” She squeaked a protest. “—but you and I’ll know it ain’t true and that’s gonna have to be enough. What you really do with it, well, that’s your money to do with what you want.”
“Trey, that’s … Why?”
His mouth tightened. “You need your own money. I could say I’m paying you to do your job, but even if that was how I thought of it, which I don’t, if it makes you feel better to think of it that way, then it’s less than I’d pay for a bookkeeper and maid and washerwoman and cook, not to mention a wet nurse and nanny. Unfortunately, if I gave you that much, then it’d be obvious what I’m doing, or I would.”
It was odd, though not hurtful, to think of herself as doing a job he’d pay someone else to do.
“So if you want to keep your own private set of books for that, that’s up to you.”
“It’s a way to hide that money, too?”
“Yes. Now, look. I’ve never shown or told anyone any of this. I trust you or I wouldn’t have married you.”
She gulped. “Why?”
“Because you told me to pay Gene to do the job right with Dot. You don’t know this, but it told me you were sneaky enough to do whatever you need to do to get what you want and it would mean you had to keep your mouth shut.”
“Sneaky?” she asked in a small voice.
“Yeah, and that’s a compliment. I was thinking how I want a partner, not just a best pal and whether you wanna be or not, you’re stuck with me and if I thought you weren’t smart enough to help me, or you weren’t a steady and loyal pal like you are to Dot, we wouldn’t be here.”
Touched, she nodded. “Yes. I want to be a good wife to you.”
“An’ I appreciate it more than you know. So now put the house books aside. I’mma show you the speak books and how I hide money.”
53
If you don’t want to wait 2 years to get to the end, you can buy it here.
Donations can be made here, if you so desire.
This is most of you reading my Firsts.
The others just admit to themselves they like it.
lofuckingl
Not sure which is more dangerous to her, the cash or the knowledge.
The best part is, she understands this all too well.
“A’ight. Normally, I’d take you to the bank, but my granddaddy’s called me damn near every day since we got married demanding I get my money out of it ’cuz somethin’ to do with the stock market, which I don’t know what that has to do with me, but he’s rich an’ I ain’t, so I’mma do it anyway.”
His granddaddy is the inverse Jim Cramer.
Ol’ Trey has a strange way of wanting respectability. While I understand his motive, cheating both his employer and on his tax bill seems like a recipe for failure. Now he’s making Marina a co-conspirator.
This is a good one, Moj, I need to pay attention on the government part. Thanks
Marina is, at heart, a utilitarian. She just wants to be a good wife.
Eh, it’s time to start drinking. 🍸
It’s been 2pm for damn near seven hours.
☝🏻
Update: STEVE SMITH has been sneakily deposited onto the next door neighbors’ outdoor patio, between two chairs and clearly visible from their enclosed patio room (“three-season room”?) The weather here is predicted to be gorgeous this weekend, so they’re bound to go out there and see it. The question is whether they’ll guess where it came from. 😁
Excellent!
You stopped?
And today’s award for outstanding achievements in memes goes to…..
This guy:
https://twitter.com/PaulHook_em/status/1707916660395659600?t=bdRbcjk8f33GBSHlORKtZx9gwcd0WWB-WYv4K29qrNI&s=19
Interesting, that Ukrainian transexual spokesperson got prank called by those two Russians that’ve nailed god knows how many people and it’s a doozy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H44RxR9apzE
The stuff that comes out of that person’s mouth is something else.
I’m still can’t get past “Ukrainian transexual spokesperson”. No idea what that person is about.
All the current things, obviously.
“We agree with you. Now send us money.”
Everytime I think our current political climate can’t get anymore ridiculous, something like this pops up and blows my mind a little bit more.
This is an American tranny who was obviously imported into Ukraine and appointed to some position just to appeal to the sensibilities of our elite who are so perverse that a tranny spokesman seems appropriate and necessary to them at a time of all-out war for Ukraine.
Accounting was hands down my worst class in college.
Whatever it takes to do that crap, I don’t have it.
Managerial Accounting.
You have a refinery with 17 step refining process. Please value WIP and COGS for the quarter ended.
I both understood the necessity of learning it and hated it with a passion. But if you want to be a finance person or a business person in general you best understand how the figures you work with are created.
I went into college with an accounting major. I did okay. It fulfills my need to sort and sift and categorize and organize things, but it was never a passion.
It used to be a way to be a professional with only a 4 year degree instead of something like law or medicine.
Naturally, those in the profession needed to pull the ladder up and now you essentially you need to do a 5 year program to get a CPA.
I never had an interest in it, but have 15 credits in it between my two degrees all from required courses.
That and it was different from accounting clerks who might have jr college but maybe just HS diploma and less responsibility. Back when there used to be far more clerical staff for menial work in all departments.
Heh, my mom’s last job was “executive secretary” – a position which probably doesn’t exist at that tiny company anymore.
Agreed, Sensei.
I’d just prefer to chew broken glass.
Accountants might be God’s frozen people but at least we know the true meaning of “Equity” and it isn’t what the SJWs and race grifters think it is.
Watching Hell’s Kitchen S22E01 and what strikes me in current year is that Ramsey is still dividing the teams into girls and boys. He’s also got a Team America theme going on this year but the sex thing seems even more retro.
Retro Sex – surprisingly good follow up to a well received first album?
No genderqueer otherkin teams then? What a bigot that guy is.
He’s a couple years older than me, so yeah. Irredeemable.
I can only imagine all the nervous chattering going on behind the scenes among the Gen Z stringers that run the show day-to-day.
Tales from new town…..
I went to a dying (?) mall the other day (a Saturday). Some stores had some activity – I bought a pair of shoes in one. There were many vacancies. Modernly, there was a roller derby track and a pickle ball center that may or may not be in business but I hope so. Hard to tell due to the time of day I was there. The food court was deserted except for one homeless looking dude. There was a Best Buy that I didn’t enter because I didn’t need anything there but I was surprised they still exist. I might have them confused with Circuit City. And there was a Spencers that is still open because of course there was.
The Target, in contrast, was absolutely hopping. Almost as jam-packed as the Wegmans was just before Bills game day on Sunday.
I’m happy for you now that you’re in Wegman’s county. I’m a fan.
Their family 4-pack of ribeyes is my mental benchmark for steak. Been pretty steady at 15.99/lb for a while now, around here.
One of the Glibs may or may not be a Wegman’s employee…
I grew up in Wegman’s country, and I’m wondering why they won’t open any nearer me.
I mean – Look at this map They’re to my east, to my west, to my south, but not my area.
I blame “Big Price Chopper “
They have nothing going for them. Used to be there were some 24/7 Price Choppers. Then the lockdowns hit, their employees became petty tyrants over the stupid social distancing crap, and I’ve never been back.
Ugh that is weird. I did not know there were so many in PA and MD.
I’m in the Wegmans-Publix overlap zone, so happy.
I was in one yesterday.
Their pre-cooked wings are solid. Got three dinners out of that this week yum.
Wegman’s is not bad.
The mall in which I grew up (first in the Dayton, OH, area) has been scraped away except for the carcass of the Sears anchor store – which I just learned has been added to the National Register of Historic Buildings 🙄 [Note: the accompanying photo is dated – the letters of the ex-store’s name are no longer on those pillars, and I’d be willing to bet there’s nothing but weeds growing in front of the building.]
I grew up near twin malls that merged after I left the area for college. I wonder what’s left these days.
Possibly the most depressing shopping experience I’ve ever had was looking for something tool-ish in that Sears during its going-out-of-business sale one December. The GOOB signs were all over the almost empty shelves…and Christmas music was playing over the PA system. It’s lucky I didn’t come across some lingering tool suitable for slitting my wrists.
Good lord.
Also note the designation opens the door for more handouts.
Well shit. Rip.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_McCallum
😮 Nice run.
Now I want to pop in a Sapphire and Steel DVD.
For some reason, a government shutdown means that the Armed Forces Network can’t air NFL games:
That strange reason would be that the powers that be always attempt to make the shut down as painful and noticeable as they possibly can. They’ll do this even when doing so inexplicably uses more resources at a time when the government is supposed to be, you know, non-operational. Example – Obama posting armed guards to block access to monuments and national parks.
It’s a joke. Not an actual consequence of what is going on in DC at the moment.
Government shutdown? We can only hope….
I hate the same old dog and pony show every time they do this nonsense. Dont shut it down, burn it down and piss on the ashes.
It’s the same old bullshit they pulled at the Hawaii legislature. They’d put the non-essential stuff in the main funding bill, then put stuff like public safety funding in the tax or fee increase legislation.
So the handful of Republicans had to choose between tax or Fer increases, or defunding the fire department or ambulances or some such.
To truly Obama the situation, you need to pay people to put up barricades and guard areas that are normally unstaffed.
Apropos.
Nice. Bookmarked.
I’ve been told to continue work but most of the federales will be on a free vacation so I may be blocked getting approvals for some work.
I lost out on a permanent job due to one of the gov shutdowns back in the ’90s. I was a temp-to-hire (through Manpower) admin assistant at a Computer Sciences Corp location that did a bunch of programming for some military office out at Wright-Patterson AFB. Before my temp-to-hire period was over, on the last work day in September, I and all their other contractors (mostly computer programmers who’d just put in a ton of overtime work to finish some big project) were unceremoniously booted. Found out from one of the permanent admins that one of our supervisors had tried to buy out my temp-to-hire period and make me permanent early, but Manpower wouldn’t go for it. Ah, well. Just as well. Wouldn’t be where I am now.
My path to where I am had many unexpected turns. Some were my decisions, others not. I would probably still be in California if not for the conflict in Bosnia and my decision to not do ROTC.
Good morning all!
Having had a taste of her lyrics in one of yesterday’s tunes, today we have Laurie Anderson singing.
First up, Hiawatha
Then, an interesting take on creative destruction.
The Dream Before
What is history?
History is an angel being blown backwards into the future
History is a pile of debris
And the angel wants to go back and fix things
To repair the things that have been broken
But there is a storm blowing from Paradise
And the storm keeps blowing the angel backwards into the future
And this storm, this storm is called Progress
Share and enjoy!
Mornin’
Still gloomy here in southern NH.
At some point I’ll leave for the gym.
Mornin’.
Still gloomy here in southern NH.
Yesterday’s deluge led to the demise of my next door neighbor’s Bradford pear tree (which he should have taken down years ago). Fortunately, no cars were parked underneath it at the time.
Were there any partridges?
An entire family!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nGNAHFUCRqo
Sadly, they are now homeless.
😂
My second love! 🥰 (Right after Jack Wild from Oliver!/H.R. Pufnstuf!)
Fortunately, no cars were parked underneath it at the time.
Good.
Hey wait a minute… it looks like the Sun might actually come out….
Mornin’, Beau!
I was not familiar with Laurie Anderson, so thanks for the introduction! I love her voice.
She does have a lovely singing voice, doesn’t she? Be warned, Strange Angels, from which those 2 songs come, is rather an outlier in her work. Personally, I love Big Science, her first album, but many find it anywhere from off-putting to pretentious to unlistenable.
I wish she’d have done more singing.
I’m glad you enjoyed these!
These are cool! I, too, was familiar with Big Science – still have it on vinyl, I’m pretty sure. Learned of it from hearing “Sharkey’s Day” on WOXY-FM shortly after they went to their “Future of Rock & Roll” format back in the day.
Mornin
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I7UvbwCjXUk
🎶🎶
😉
Good morning, Sean, Beau, ‘patzie, Ted’S., DEG, prole, and Suthen!
Back at Tranq Base for the last day of September. Next door neighbors has trapped a possum in a humane trap beside their shed (“yard barn,”) right next to their big cutout of STEVE SMITH!
Can’t wait until they find Mike S.’s STEVE SMITH cupholder on their patio! 😄
You’ve been trespassing on your neighbors’ property to threaten them with STEVE SMITH? 🙂
BY TRESPASS, MEAN…
Morning.
Good morning, U! How are you today?
I just woke up so I could make it to the grocery store to pick up the order I placed last night. And they say they’re out of cheese curds 🙁
😭 How can they allow that to happen???
This would never happen in Wisconsin.
Just another case of The Man trying to keep you down.
Who’s missing?
https://www.nj.com/warren/2023/09/man-slams-suv-into-nj-police-station-while-blaring-guns-n-roses-cops-say.html
Kurt Cobain is in da house!
Present.
Bonus points if he went in first and told them “I’ll be back” in an Austrian accent.
suh’ fam
What’s goody yo
/hey from Denver
The stories of the demise of malls left me depressed. They came and went in my lifetime. I am puzzled. As a young family we often spent Saturdays wandering the halls of commerce, we had little money to spend but time to look. It was like Christmas deja vu. At the end of the excursion the Twoscores would manage to find the food court and have what passed for a sit down meal. Kids getting an ice cream dessert at the end.
Now the few(er) open malls have become a dangerous place to be. We haven’t been to The Mall of America for 20 years, Jeff Bezos has become my shopping partner.
Good morning, 4(20)!
The ex-mall I mentioned above was our high school hangout. And a few years later, the day I met the Rev. GT, he took me to lunch there after church. After we ate, we walked around and passed a tobacco store. I inhaled the aroma and said, “Mmmm! I love the smell of pipe smoke!” He very shortly thereafter went out and bought a pipe and tobacco! 😄
My last mall trip was ~30 years ago in Shreveport. We stayed for 15 minutes and got the hell out of there. It was after dark, early evening and the place was like a zoo full of howling savages. There were at least two mounted cops patrolling. No children, no single women. I was glad I was armed but could not get out of there fast enough. I have never been back to a mall. What a shame.
King of Prussia Mall is thriving; every other mall in PA is more than half empty with a few Boscovs and Macy’s hanging on, surrounded by sketchy pop up stores and a busy Cickfilay.
I haven’t been there in forever.
Ours just reopened after expanding, and this past Wednesday evening, the drive-through lines looked longer than ever…as we watched from across the street at our nice quiet Culver’s.
News on in the background. It looks like our whole civilization is going the way of malls.
I may have to move even further out into the sticks.
Malls are dying in Texas. I did notice last time I was in Shreveport that malls were a thing. I figured Louisiana would skip that stage and go right to boutiques and Amazon.
I like the local news channel. They were talking about fall foliage and actually pressing apples for cider this morning.
There is an apple festival a block over I am told is worth checking out.
If anything, I do like cider.
I want to crack a joke about iPhones and Beatles music…
Both overrated?
It was an Apple festival.
Not to be outdone, an orchard down in Lebanon, OH, is having a Caramel Apple festival this weekend. 😋
What would that be – out onto the bayou?
Has anyone seen an old jew on a milk carton?
I have. It was a strange form of transport. I was surprised a milk carton could gallop like that.
“Injured quarterback Aaron Rodgers ‘plans to make surprise appearance at Sunday’s Jets-Chiefs game’ amid reports that Taylor Swift will attend to support new beau Travis Kelce”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nfl/article-12577437/Aaron-Rodgers-Taylor-Swift-plan-attend-Sundays-Jets-Chiefs-game.html
Possible fingercuffs?
Oh great. I look forward Collinsworth jabbering about that woman for three hours. 🙄
LOL, bye bitch
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2023/09/29/feinsteins-death-celebrated-by-novi-ammo-shop/71003854007/
I played https://squaredle.com 09/30:
*38/38 words (+6 bonus words)
📖 In the top 8% by bonus words
Play streak: 2
I played https://squaredle.com 09/30:
38/38 words (+6 bonus words)
📖 In the top 8% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 6
I sucked at https://squaredle.com 09/30:
38/38 words (+2 bonus words)
🎯 In the top 34% by accuracy
🔥 Solve streak: 6
The last shall be first, therefore I win.
I played https://squaredle.com 09/30:
*38/38 words (+1 bonus word)
🎯 In the top 38% by accuracy
Yay. I’m at work on a Saturday. I was voluntold to be a tour guide for the open house at our new facility.
“Coppage’s OnlyFans channel raked in between $8,000 and $10,000 per month, which has since doubled following the news of her suspension.”
https://nypost.com/2023/09/30/missouri-teacher-brianna-coppage-on-leave-after-boss-finds-her-onlyfans-account/
Bullshit.
“The Tennessee teacher charged with raping a 12-year-old student was rearrested Thursday after she was caught texting the victim — warning him that he would “regret” reporting her to police…
The former fourth-grade educator had been released after posting a $25,000 bond under the condition she ceases any communication with the boy she is accused of raping in 2021.
McCommon tried to skirt around the parameters by allegedly messaging the 12-year-old from a previously unknown phone number.
“The evidence indicates McCommon texted a victim, using a specific code word known to the juvenile as a code word McCommon would previously utilize to confirm that the juvenile was alone, often before sending nude photographs on SnapChat,” Covington police said in a statement.”
https://nypost.com/2023/09/29/teacher-charged-with-raping-student-rearrested-for-harassing-victim/
These sort of stories have been common for a while now.
Interesting that the NYT has decided to help here.
The Harvard Professor and the Bloggers
They write like 1,500 words, but seem to really give far few of them to the analytic processes and data anomalies that got her tossed. Once could be an accident, twice maybe bad luck, but there are too many.
Naturally lawsuits aplenty.
Seems like a good moment to post this and begin rocking back and forth
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BXqPNlng6uI
Dr. Evelyn has finally been absorbed into the NPR Hive Mind
That was my thought. We got up this morning, “woke” and is currently atoning for his sins by picking out a nice dress and a wig.
We’ll be getting links to how great the economy is doing, how sharp Biden’s mind is, and how there is no evidence of corruption by the Biden family. Also how OMB tried to destroy democracy with an unarmed group of rioters.
Next zoom, he will have a pink beard and lipstick and want to have a struggle session.
Forgive me comrade for I have sinned.
You forgot to state your pronouns. Gulag!
Heh. He will have to change his name from “Old Man with Candy” to “Old Xer with Baby” or something. Thoughts? What’s xer’s woke name?
Comrade Capuchin (Mon/Key)
Old and baby need new euphemisms.
Yes. But he would KEEP REMINDING US THAT HE COULD GET PREGNANT ANYTIME HE WANTED.
Jesus H.
https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2023/09/i-have-so-many-opportunities-in-front-of-me.html
Free money. $40k/home for at best $10-15k/home worth of “improvements”. Social and climate Justice arble-garble.
Prediction: won’t deliver on even that, will not achieve the state goals, and will suck even more money or collapse entirely as a scam. Every fucking prog delusion gets promoted like some grand Young Pioneers glorious effort and they all end up as DMV or Madoff.
Oh, now there’s links.