Theodore sat near the elevator and bathroom on the third floor for fifteen minutes. For all fifteen he pretended to read from red composition book. “William Tell” was the name on the cover.
Sixteen minutes in, an old man in a brown blazer exited the elevator. He paused for a moment, looking at Theodore’s book, then came over.
“Is this seat taken?” Brown Blazer asked, tapping the seat to William’s right. Every seat in the row was empty.
“Slow day,” replied TheoWilliam.
Brown Blazer sat down next to him.
“That is a nice book. Do they come in blue?”
“The pens do.”
“Okay,” said Brown Blazer. He sat there for two more minutes, looking at his watch. The band was brown.
After the two minutes, he rose, tapped his left hip pocket, and went to the bathroom. A minute later he emerged, tapped his left pocket again, and departed for the elevator.
Theodore pursed his lips. He was tempted to go check the bathroom, but H.Q. had said the contact would wear a tan a blazer. Better to be safe and maintain his cover.
Counter est. March 2, 2008
Nice. Was the William Tell thing a reference to anything in particular? William S. Burroughs accidentally killed his wife in a drunken state while doing a "William Tell" routine with her. Just wondering.
ReplyDeleteOften the references I make in these Bathroom Monologues are purposeful, but in this case it was just a scenario in which two people threw up a series of very specific cues and having the name on his notebook be "William Tell" was simply one of them. Sorry if that disappoints, Mk.
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