Rhymes with mosh lit
A Little Reviewish
Glue
Steven Soderbergh
1. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
END OF CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
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2. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
She finished the drink and signaled the bartender. Three down, two to go…
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3. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Was the disappointment because she didn’t include him? Was he envious?
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4. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Did he understand it wasn’t just about money, it was about freedom?
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5. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Scratch a cynic and you’ll find an idealist, she thought, in the parking lot. Had someone written that?
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6. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
She watched as the slow spread of disappointment found every part of him.
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7. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
The image being the look on _____’s face when she told him about the arrangement.
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8. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Because after the fourth or fifth one the image would start to fade, a little.
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9. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
She wanted to be done with this martini already. And the next one.
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10. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
That was the problem, she realized: A tested fantasy is no longer a fantasy.
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11. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Of course she could now afford to live anywhere she wanted, for as along as she wanted.
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12. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
As she raised an 18£ martini to her lips, she wondered how all these people could afford to live in the city.
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13. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
She listened without hearing. A habit.
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14. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Forty-five minutes ago it was empty except for the staff. Now it was a scrum of flushed faces and noisy narratives.
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15. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
She was supposed to feel better than this, she thought as she scanned the bar.
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16. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN pic.twitter.com/jAk7vGpkeP
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17. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
END OF CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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18. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Repetition is key, key, key. pic.twitter.com/2Jck9g7NGC
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19. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
You followed him. He was heading for the address you gave Paolo.
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20. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
American, early 40s. Thinning hair. Glasses. Off-the-rack suit. Briefcase.
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21. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
You saw him enter Paolo’s apartment and you saw him leave twenty-two minutes later.
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22. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
The effort to keep your eyelids open was cruel.
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23. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
So far the benefit of the doubt is the only way to distinguish what’s real from what’s been surgically enhanced.
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24. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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25. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
END OF CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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26. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
SZ analytics continue to monitor for any indication that #&%# has been deployed.
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27. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
All available assets have been engaged to track and acquire Chamasmany, and his immediate family is now in custody.
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28. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
In addition, Five Continents will attempt to track Dunsmuir, with instructions not to engage unless so ordered by SZ.
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29. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
SZ has engaged the services of Five Continents Imports to track, acquire, and question him about all of the above.
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30. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Agent _____ is believed to be in Rome.
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31. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
There is no record of any embarkation attempts by Dunsmuir under any of the various aliases known to SZ/CIA/NSA, et al.
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32. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Special Action Service France views Maraval as officially separated as of 02/09, and has no interest in pursuing the matter.
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33. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
It is unknown what events led to his killing.
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34. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
It is unclear why Michel Maraval showed up at Les Halles and whether or not he was expected by Agent _____ or Dunsmuir.
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35. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
It is unclear whether Dunsmuir and Agent ______ are working in concert. The Cuba case is being reviewed for indicators.
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36. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Such activity, should it be confirmed, would be actionable.
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37. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Such activity falls outside the guidelines set forth in the Functions and Structures Chapter of the Station Zebra Directive of 11/11.
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38. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
These events lead us to believe Dunsmuir, the Spanish courier and Chamasmany entered into some sort of arrangement in Madrid.
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39. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
After the killing of Michel Maraval, Agent _____ and Dunsmuir stayed overnight in safe house 9 and separated the following morning.
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40. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
We are awaiting DNA results and stonewalling all MI5 enquiries re: Sonnenfeld as per your instruction.
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41. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Whether the Paris meeting took place is unclear, although luminol tests reveal recently cleaned bloodstains in the bedroom.
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42. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Dunsmuir has not contacted her employer since she arrived in Paris.
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43. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Instead, Dunsmuir arrived in Paris alone, and Chamasmany and the courier have disappeared.
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44. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Dunsmuir was supposed to escort Chamasmany to Paris, where he would meet Agent _____ and MI5 analyst Sonnenfeld.
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45. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Chamasmany was last seen in Madrid 72hrs ago, when our Spanish courier escorted him to a rendezvous with Dunsmuir at location Q.
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46. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
As of this writing, the whereabouts of both Chamasmany and the #&%# are unknown.
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47. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
The following diplomatic traffic is now being intercepted: Amsterdam/Paris, Paris/Madrid, Paris/Rome. Contents attached.
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48. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
It is not to be quoted or referred to in communications to any other organizations, branches, sections, or divisions.
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49. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
This memo is not to circulate outside Station Zebra in its present form.
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50. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Subject: JCOS/DCI briefing preparation
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51. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
From: DBHarriss@cicgov.org/sz/asst_dep_sec
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52. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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53. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
END OF CHAPTER FIFTEEN pic.twitter.com/mbln7YPKX3
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54. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
A week after that you were promoted.
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55. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
An hour after that the target arrived, and you went to work.
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56. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
You went to the chair again, sat, and listened. Two hours later the scraping sounds stopped.
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57. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
And there would be a lot of explaining to do.
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58. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
No screws, nothing. It would take a spot welder to solve this.
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59. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
After you considered that list item by item, you went to the door again, to see how it was assembled.
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60. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Nothing to do but add it to the suffering you ignore in life. That we all ignore.
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61. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
The noise continued.
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62. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
You thought about killing it. But how? You couldn’t reach it and you weren’t in the habit of carrying fast-acting mouse poison.
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63. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Then again, there were no steel columns before Man showed up. So maybe it was on us.
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64. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
At least it wasn’t in some lab having cancer injected into it. It was dying, but it wasn’t being killed.
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65. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Maybe the mouse now had some cosmic significance because you were aware of its imminent mortality.
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66. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
The kind of thinking H encouraged you to abandon.
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67. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Then you thought: how many trillions of creatures, humans included, have died without anyone knowing? Or caring?
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68. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Was it making deals with the mouse God in order to obtain a miraculous escape? Were you the mouse God? Were you the mouse?
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69. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
How did it decide when to rest and when to struggle?
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70. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Was its family wondering where it had gone and why it hadn’t come home? Was it usually good at this, or a fuckup?
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71. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Was it cursing itself for crawling in there? For being curious? Had it been trying to find food for its family? Maybe it fell in.
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72. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
What did the mouse know about its own predicament? How long before it died of starvation and exhaustion?
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73. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
And you started thinking.
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74. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
You went back to the chair and listened to the mouse struggle while you waited for the target to arrive.
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75. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
No way to save it without taking the door apart.
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76. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Droppings indicated it had been there awhile. pic.twitter.com/mUf0dJiOdD
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77. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Obviously it had climbed in through the top and was now trapped; not enough clearance to escape from the bottom.
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78. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Inside the column: a mouse.
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79. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
A strong scratching sound drew you to a sliding door, then to your knees in front of the metal column opposite the door handle.
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80. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Judging from the spread, selling black market munitions paid very well. Until it didn’t.
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81. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
You were in Grand Cayman. 1997. Alone in the bedroom of a resort home belonging to a target. pic.twitter.com/6TNSEujxi4
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82. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
So you wait, and waiting always makes you think of the mouse.
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83. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
The pattern is clearly random—what you need to remember is the one thing that eludes you.
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84. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
Not everything can be avoided when your head is in a hurry and reappearances remain a fixture.
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85. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
You don’t feel anything, so you decide to take another. pic.twitter.com/DgjCNyGJzW
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86. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 12 May
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
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87. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
END OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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88. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
BEAT i appreciate that, i just need to…i’m just going to stay here for a bit, have one more drink. pic.twitter.com/QJNqIYZUEc
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89. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
BEAT BEAT listen, dani, was it? you should…you should just go BEAT yeah something’s…i’m just not...it's not a good time.
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90. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
BEAT my man is in rome, and that estimate is still--BEAT yes, sir. i understand, the absolute moment--BEAT that shouldn’t be necessary BEAT
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91. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
BEAT i’m sorry, i need to take this. can you…i’ll just step in here BEAT yes BEAT put him through BEAT yes, sir
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92. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
no, i’d like to keep the socks on, if that’s okay BEAT i, uh, i work in…technology. security BEAT exactly. for your computer BEAT PHONE
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93. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
it’s all there. you can count it if you like BEAT pic.twitter.com/ynh6NcsPxf
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94. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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95. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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96. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
Not a minute goes by where you don’t think it’s pointless, but people need something to do with their hands.
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97. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
He had switched from wine to bottled water. In preparation. pic.twitter.com/xJDLKS9ytH
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98. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
When you were done feeding him, he filled the silence with talk about Walter. Something about their anniversary.
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99. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
Never trust what you want, or you might end up staring at the big blue marble from a great height.
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100. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
He would hear what you have to say, and he would repeat it to his captors. He might even be allowed to live.
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101. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
You both knew your hand had been forced. Not that it helped.
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102. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
The world is full of misplaced ambitions, and the only cure is a crash rewrite with no interruptions.
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103. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
His smile was at half-mast and his eyes were focused on the ending.
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104. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
By the time you sat he had arranged his expression into something life-like.
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105. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
When Paolo saw your face he also saw his future. He was too much of a pro to run. And not exactly young anymore.
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106. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
But everyone has a different definition of popular, and in this case the numbers do tell the whole story.
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107. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
The one where some geek didn’t invent the #&%# while on the payroll and then drop off the grid.
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108. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
The one where you weren’t recruited. The one where you quit to save your marriage.
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109. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
As you stare at the ceiling of the Pantheon, you imagine the other life. pic.twitter.com/FS29EjACk8
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110. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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111. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
END OF CHAPTER TWELVE
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112. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
because not gary maloney hated movies.
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113. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
not gary maloney motioned for a refill. an actress, he guessed. he wasn’t sure, though.
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114. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
sibilant whispers traced her name in the air. it sounded familiar. american.
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115. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
a well-dressed woman had entered, trailing a handful of pilot fish disguised as people.
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116. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
the air in the room changed, and not gary maloney looked into the mirror behind the bar.
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117. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
he wondered what he would do with the gay italian after he got what he needed.
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118. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
ketel one on the rocks with lime. forty-two euros. and a short pour to boot. pic.twitter.com/xsQ7LLQpPd
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119. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
once there, he showered, shaved, and went downstairs to the bar. pic.twitter.com/buoccIFSU9
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120. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
not gary maloney took a taxi to the de russi. pic.twitter.com/DJVzsVbJIW
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121. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 6 May
CHAPTER TWELVE
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122. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN
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123. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
The conclusion was determined from the start, and there isn’t a word for the taste in your mouth.
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124. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
The subtle phrases H left behind suggested a shortcut, but if everyone knows about a shortcut it’s not a shortcut anymore.
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125. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
She feels invaded, judging from her expression, so the only thing to do is book her a round trip to somewhere she won’t stand out.
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126. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
In the audience-friendly version you’d stay together, but it’s never going to be as good as you remember. Time to move on.
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127. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
The hole it left behind would become your new obsession.
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128. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
Then she told you everything, and when she was finished you were strangers; anything you shared disappeared.
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129. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
You were both quiet for awhile. No tears this time, you noticed.
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130. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
Then again part of you would like that. The simplicity of it. You said nothing.
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131. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
She stood in the parking lot and asked what you meant. Listening to her lie was like having your skin pulled off in one strip.
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132. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
CHAPTER ELEVEN
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133. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
END OF CHAPTER TEN
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134. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
thirty minutes later he was on a plane to rome. pic.twitter.com/K6frxtSCnQ
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135. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
at the gate, he uploaded one encrypted file from an internet cafe computer. pic.twitter.com/M2QotXLpgW
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136. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
he discarded all three phones before entering the international terminal at dulles.
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137. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
the first two were dictated messages to voice mail. the third was a conversation that lasted nine seconds.
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138. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
on the way to the airport, not gary maloney made three phone calls from three different disposable phones.
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139. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
all the people who knew gary maloney’s real name are dead. some from natural causes.
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140. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
not gary maloney felt it was a bad idea for any government agency to know his real name. for obvious reasons.
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141. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
gary maloney’s real name is not gary maloney.
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142. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
CHAPTER TEN
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143. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
END OF CHAPTER NINE
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144. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
And especially not while you’re driving. pic.twitter.com/VXxEU9YJuM
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145. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
Clearly the plan had been changed without your input, and the consequences couldn’t be nullified with the usual cocktail of distractions
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146. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
Remember what H said: A teaspoon is about earning trust; a tablespoon is something else altogether.
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147. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
No question it was her. Refusing to discuss the courier in Madrid, then this. Were you asleep?
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148. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
An hour later you were at Les Halles. An hour after that, M arrived.
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149. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
“I guess if there isn’t some sort of surprise, then what’s the whole thing for?” D said before stepping past you.
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150. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
Three passports. 500 Euros. A boarding pass. Alitalia. pic.twitter.com/GyKMBy2siV
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151. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
You put your gun away, although part of you wondered why. She nodded at S.
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152. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
CHAPTER NINE
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153. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
END OF CHAPTER EIGHT
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154. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
BEAT yes, sir. BEAT jesus. BEAT why are you still here? what the fuck are you smiling at?
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155. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
yes. BEAT yes, sir. BEAT i anticipate retrieval of all assets within 24 hours. i have my best man in front of me now.
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156. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
gary, listen to me: you do not want to be in the blast radius of the #&%# situation PHONE
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157. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
and would this be buffet style or a la carte? BEAT okay. eyes on her. no touching. yet. BEAT how do you know about that? BEAT
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158. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
BEAT sherrill will sort all that out. anything else? BEAT
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159. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
he is a fucking tumor, and you are going to cut off his blood supply. i want him on a graph yesterday.
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160. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 2 May
CHAPTER EIGHT
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161. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
END OF CHAPTER SEVEN.
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162. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Then complete silence. Then darkness. A beat. D appeared at the door.
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163. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
S was on the floor. Light from the bathroom highlighted his blood. The sound of the sink running his requiem.
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164. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
No response. The bedroom next.
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165. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
You drew your gun, and started breathing through your mouth. You called her name, softly.
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166. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
As soon as you saw D’s jacket on the floor you should have known this was just part of an attempt to move things along.
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167. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
That's why she was early for the S meeting. Remember? The door was open.
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168. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Suddenly all those off-the-record chats with H made perfect sense to you.
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169. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Then she mentioned the #&%#. That S had told her where it was.
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170. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
The smell of ignited sulfur filled the car, followed by the thin smoke of D’s ultra-light. There was nothing to go back to.
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171. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Thirty minutes later you’re driving, D beside you.
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172. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
You know what H would say: The beats are a map, not a clue.
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173. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
She said you fell asleep with your fists clenched last night, but she didn’t seem worried.
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174. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
CHAPTER SEVEN.
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175. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
END OF CHAPTER SIX.
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176. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
no, but i can--i can--yes, we can--BEAT (off, left) sherrill, can you--get gary maloney
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177. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
well, if she confesses and he kills her, great. the question is will she kill him first? BEAT
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178. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
CHAPTER SIX.
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179. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
END OF CHAPTER FIVE.
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180. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Follow your instincts before the numbness becomes a symptom instead of the other way around.
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181. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
She might be your age when you wake up, and who knows what she’s seen. pic.twitter.com/Bl5rMVcSRW
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182. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
There’s nothing to eat or drink here. She sleeps with her back to you. pic.twitter.com/7eLKCpQ6Ji
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183. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
You both knew M stepped off the merry-go-round and got exactly what he asked for.
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184. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
You always said you deserved each other, but the fact is you would be mad if she agreed. pic.twitter.com/5FUQL7I80p
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185. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
It’s late and your attitude is nowhere to be found.
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186. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
She wanted to hear herself talk. That’s when you learned you can be lonely anywhere.
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187. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Your stomach tightened, and any and all conclusions crawled away to look for sustenance or an exit.
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188. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
At the safe house her tears came right on schedule.
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189. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
CHAPTER FIVE.
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190. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
pic.twitter.com/rH3JKDGst6
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191. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
END OF CHAPTER FOUR.
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192. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
where’s sonnenfeld? BEAT well, keep looking. BEAT my guess would be rome...
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193. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
no. wait for them to move. she’s obviously dirty, and he must know that, but let’s see what he does.
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194. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
where’s the girl? BEAT
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195. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
what? wait a minute—what was Michel doing at les halles? how he even know to be there? BEAT BEAT
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196. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
CHAPTER FOUR.
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197. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
END OF CHAPTER THREE.
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198. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Mayhem. The French have a word for what came out the back of M’s head: sweetbreads.
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199. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
And when M’s hand moved, you didn’t hesitate. Did they think you were a fucking child?
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200. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Loud laughter from the Americans at the next table turned your heads. pic.twitter.com/Oze0O62QMS
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201. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
“Fuck fair!” M said. “It’s not like waving a wand!”
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202. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
To cover, you said something about H and the company. Something amusing.
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203. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
You glanced at D. The crack in her veneer was threatening to become a crevasse.
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204. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
M’s stale sweat smelled like failure. You downed your drink and said, “The only people who enjoy this kind of thing tend to suck at it.”
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205. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
“Who are your heroes?” What kind of question was that? You needed to get out of there.
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206. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
You looked at M and thought: A perpetual smirk must be earned, otherwise it lives alone.
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207. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Her deference was nauseating. Every “sir” that came out of her mouth felt like a dagger.
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208. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
When M mentioned something about Madrid, D lowered her head. A series of questions followed, and she answered. His drink arrived.
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209. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
H used to say procedure was a masking agent and nothing more, but he also kept repeating himself in the way vermouth sometimes does.
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210. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
You made a mental note of the exits. M sat without a word and gestured for a waiter. pic.twitter.com/R6sQAXsxpJ
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211. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Under your breath you said D’s name. She looked at you and then the door.
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212. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
“Have another glass,” you said. She refused, and checked her watch. That’s when you spotted M shoulder his way through the door.
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213. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Dessert. The room was a lot louder than it was an hour ago, and D knew it.
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214. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
You had to admit you’d lost the thread months ago. Maybe if you could get the #&%# it would buy you some time.
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215. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
You asked again and she said not to worry, but everything sounded like a worst-case scenario with fuck-you money around the edges.
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216. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
You asked D about Madrid, and she smiled an answer.
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217. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
By the time you reached the restaurant, things had changed.
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218. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
CHAPTER THREE.
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219. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
END OF CHAPTER TWO.
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220. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
BEAT i absolutely will, yes, yes-- BEAT fuck
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221. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
turner’s fucking cat food if he doesn’t PHONE yes? BEAT hello? BEAT hi, ted, i was BEAT yes, i know i BEAT i don’t really have one right now
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222. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
somebody would have come up with the #&%# eventually, why are you so special for coming up with something everyone predicted?
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223. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
like you’re the first person who ever had an idea? fucking kids like you are hanging out in every fucking starbucks in the world.
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224. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
this kid. this FUCKER. that look on his face. arrogant piece of...what, we’re supposed to treat you like a rock star?
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225. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
CHAPTER TWO.
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226. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
END OF CHAPTER ONE.
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227. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
If S was in Paris, then so was the #&%#. Good to know. pic.twitter.com/mbon8vRYXo
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228. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
A text from D. breaks the spell: Meet with S at 2000 hrs at Apt 23. _______ restaurant at 2130hrs to follow.
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229. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Never heard if they found Luis or not. Hopefully not. pic.twitter.com/umLUHYsc6M
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230. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
A successful trip all in all, even if death was on the menu and your employer owns your history. pic.twitter.com/i5wr2KBFJT
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231. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Still...
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232. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
The American liaison had a worried look. And the joke about ordering breakfast into the lamp didn’t help.
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233. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Where the entire 6th floor is wired like Marilyn’s bedroom. But that was okay. You were supposed to be married.
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234. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
pic.twitter.com/heZW25aLnx
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235. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Your first memory of her was her neck. Neither of you said anything worth hearing that night, the first of three at the Nacional.
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236. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
The hotel in Paris is a womb. No message from D. pic.twitter.com/PfnWMUtxk0
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237. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
The smart move is to pull up stakes and head for the nearest cliché. But you don’t.
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238. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
But now there’s a new definition of permanent, and the same page is something for everyone to get off of.
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239. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
After all, it’s easy to imagine the worst and the pay isn’t too bad, either. Why else have you been saying yes?
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240. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
H always said, “The hours are great if you agree to work whenever they want you to.”
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241. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
A message: Paris by train. Overnight.
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242. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
The window reminds you that you haven’t been in one place for more than a week in four years. pic.twitter.com/m78b98AsnM
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243. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Everything that used to be a foregone conclusion was for sale—cheap—and regret was a dead battery. pic.twitter.com/47HfFZtGmG
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244. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
You’ve become the receptacle for everything forgotten, and an impulse can only be ignored for so long before people begin to wonder.
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245. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Like anything else, the #&%# was only valuable because everyone wanted it and nobody had it.
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246. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
It was difficult for you not to assume the worst after the way your funeral went down. The whole thing seemed like a parody of itself.
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247. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
Amsterdam. pic.twitter.com/K7BKflK17w
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248. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
CHAPTER ONE.
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249. Bitchuation @Bitchuation 28 Apr
I will now attempt to tweet a novella called GLUE.
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Given our ‘crumbs’ theme it’s easy to see we needed to run as many of these bookish tweets as we could get our cut and paste hands on. What we’ve got for you here are several chapters of director Steven Soderbergh’s tweeted novella, Glue. (Start at the bottom and read upwards.) Glue is a tight little crime story written in a clipped film noir-ish style. And, S.S. isn't the first author to go Twitter on us. Last year at this time Pulitzer Prize winner, Jennifer Egan, published an 8,500 sci-fi tweet turner all of her own. Catch up with the latest installments of Glue @bitchuation. Meanwhile, we’re going to get busy with our own summer reading. D P is taking a brief hiatus but will be right here again in early fall. Deadline for the fall issue is 9/23 & our theme is ‘hope.’ As in ‘hope’ you submit. neena@drashpit.com