03: Facing the Music (with Family)

Experience: that most brutal of teachers.

But you learn, my God do you learn.

C.S. Lewis

Phil was nearly at his car, avoiding glancing at those he passed for fear of creating awkward encounters, when his phone rang.

“Hello, Walker Plumbing, Phil Walker speaking.”

“Dad? This is Toni. When you were in the city yesterday, did you notice anything unusual?”

Instantly on guard, he stopped to give her inquiry his full attention. “Not really, why?”

“There are some news reports of someone attacking the homeless in public parks. I was wondering whether you heard or saw anyone acting oddly.”

Phil laughed, struggling to disguise his nervousness. “This is the city. They specialize in bizarre behavior. If you want conformity, stick to the suburbs.”

“Are you back in Center City again today?”

Phil bit his lip. His inadvertent slip was evidence he wasn’t as careful about what he said as he’d hoped. He decided telling the truth—or at least a modified version of it—was his best approach. “Yeah, I’m here meeting with my friend again. What are they saying? I’ll ask whether he’s seen anything.”

“They say someone attacked a homeless man in the city yesterday. The social media is abuzz, but that’s all I know. I was just curious. I’ll check it out online and let you know what I find.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing. There are all kinds of weird people in the city. Out of the millions living here, a few are likely to overreact. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“You’re probably right, but it’s rare when Philadelphia gets this type of attention. It paints us in a bad light. If anyone asks me about it, I want to know what happened.”

“Well, do what you feel you must, but it sounds like a non-event to me. I’ll ask, but I’m not terribly interested in the story.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you alone to enjoy your day off. Have fun and tell your friend ‘hi’ for me.”

“I will,” Phil lied, before hanging up, suspecting he’d set himself up for ridicule. If he kept attracting attention—fighting beings no one else could see—he was likely to face increasing scrutiny over time. Sooner or later he’d be exposed. There was little sense in denying it, though he wasn’t sure how he’d deal with it yet.

________________________

Phil swallowed, plastered on his best phony smile and opened the door.

“Hi, I’m home.”

“It’s about time,” Jane called from the kitchen. “Dinner will be ready soon. I was worried you might not show up on time.”

He glanced in Jane’s direction, but couldn’t help noticing Toni sitting on the living room couch, studying him.

“Yeah, I met someone. It took longer than I expected.”

“How was traffic?”

“Not bad, better than usual.”

This time, his curiosity got the best of him on the way home, and he studied the cars he passed on the highway. However, he was still unable to see any magical flying creatures inside the other cars—even those with plain glass windows. He knew they must be there, but was relieved he didn’t have to confront them every hour of the day. Now if he could avoid going out in public indefinitely …

When he turned, Toni continued to glare at him. Her sitting there wasn’t accidental. She had something to say. Swallowing nervously, he figured he might as well get it over with.

“How was your day, Sweetie?”

“Oh, mine was interesting,” she replied. She held her ubiquitous gadget—a tablet this time. As they spoke, she began typing on it, not glancing up.

“Did you do anything unusual today? Like visiting the park?”

Phil bit his lip. She knew something. The fact she didn’t come right out and accuse him spoke volumes. She was fishing, hoping to get him to admit something. He needed to play along, not admitting anything while not revealing something which might trip him up, until he could weasel out what she thought she knew.

“After you inquired, I asked my friend. He hadn’t heard anything, but you know how it is. There’s so much happening in the city, the people living there don’t hear about it until they get home and turn on the news.”

“You said you were in Philadelphia yesterday and didn’t visit any parks?”

“I walked by Franklin Square, but that was the closest I got,” Phil said, thinking fast but only able to think of a single part. Unfortunately, his choice wasn’t far from the one he was in today. He winced at the clues he was giving away, rubbing his temples.

“Headache or guilty conscious?”

“Uh, possibly too much sun.”

“If you were in Philly yesterday, then how do you explain this?” she asked, handing him her tablet. “It was taken by a government worker in the Camden County City Hall.”

The photo displayed him from behind, shot from a distance without a lens, waving his cane over the homeless man in Roosevelt Plaza Park. “Is this the guy you were talking about?”

“How should I know?” he said, handing it back. “I wasn’t there.”

“He’s wearing a blue jacket, as were you yesterday.”

He shrugged. “A lot of people have blue jackets.”

“Not with that logo. It looks suspiciously like our company jacket.”

“It’s too bad the image isn’t clearer, otherwise you’d see it isn’t ours.”

“So you’re sure none of our employees were in Camden yesterday.”

“No one was scheduled to be there, but it’s possible someone stopped by.”

“That’s what I’m assuming. Isn’t that near Guido’s, the place you like in Camden? The one you frequently take me to, the one by City Hall?”

“I guess so,” Phil said, biting his lip.

She glanced at the image again, blowing it up so she could study it in detail. “Isn’t that your cane? What ever happened to that one? You’re using a different one today.”

“I switch them out every now and then, so I don’t wear them out.”

“Come on, Dad. The circumstantial evidence is piling up, and you’re sinking farther beneath your denials. Is that you or not?”

He glanced towards the kitchen, sighed and leaned forward, resting on his elbows. “Look, don’t tell your Mom. I don’t want her to worry, but yeah, I was in Camden yesterday.”

“Yet you’ve been claiming you were in Philadelphia.”

“Technically, I never said so. All I said was I was in the city. I never specified which one. You made the leap yourself.”

“I’m willing to forgive you for lying, but what were you up to, and why lie about it?”

He glanced towards the kitchen again, lowering his voice. “I was embarrassed. I went to Guido’s for lunch, like you guessed. Someone started harassing me for money and I lost it. I sorta blacked out. I didn’t hurt the guy, never touched him with my cane, but I scared the crap out of him. When I came to, I panicked and ran off. I didn’t say anything because I don’t want you and your mother worrying about me. I was frustrated, but I think my blow-up got it out of my system. I’ve been feeling better since then.”

“Don’t worry; I won’t say anything to Mom. The two of you haven’t been on the best of terms lately. This won’t help, but there’s one condition.”

Phil leaned back, watching her. “And that is?”

“You make an appointment with a shrink. You may be fine, but I wouldn’t count on it, and ignoring it suggests that you aren’t. If someone identifies you, this could blow up in your face. If you’ve already seen someone about it, it’ll look better.”

“That sounds fair. I’ll make a few calls tomorrow and see if anyone has recommendations. I’ve never been a big fan of psychiatry. They’re all a bunch of quacks, as was their mentor, Sigmund Freud. The man discovered his father was abusing his sisters and was unable to cope. He instead claimed victims of sex abuse imagine everything, and psychiatry hasn’t advanced since. It’s all based on a massive lie.”

“You can rationalize it however you want, but just discuss it with someone. Hell, talk to a priest if you want, as long as you work things out with someone.” She cocked her head, studying him. “You should also see a doctor. If you blacked out, there might be something more serious going on.”

“Not a bad idea, but I don’t think it’s a medical issue. It was an angry outburst, that’s all,” he said, not completely convinced.

“What about today? Where did you go? I assume this ‘friend’ was another convenient lie?”

“I wandered the city, Philadelphia this time—for real. I wanted to work things out and see whether I was likely to do it again. I felt good today. Better than I’ve felt for some time, so I figure both the blow-up and the day off helped.”

“Take care of yourself. I worry about you. If you fall apart, the business runs aground and a lot of people suffer, including all the people with leaky pipes. Do you need another day off?”

“That might not be a bad idea to insure I’m over it. Besides, I’ve been riding myself particularly hard. It’ll give me time to think.”

“Just don’t let it slide. This might be serious.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

________________________

Phil waited until he was outside the house and inside his car the next morning before making his phone call.

“Dr. Mansfield’s office.”

“Hey, Marla. This is Phil Walker. I’d like an appointment with Dr. Mansfield. I had an episode recently and need a referral; only I’m unsure whether I require a psychiatrist or neurologist. I …”

She giggled, always a pleasant experience when dealing with a busy clinic. “The doctor will need to hear your explanation, but I won’t do it justice over the phone. How serious do you think it is?”

“I’m not sure, but it might be significant if I suffered a minor stroke and am only now realizing it.”

“If you had a stroke, you should head to the Emergency Room. Your insurance will certainly cover it.”

“Except, I’m not convinced it was. It’s also been a couple days since it occurred, too late to do anything about it.”

“I see. In that case, you should see a neurologist. They can determine whether there was any damage, but again, Dr. Mansfield will need to make the determination himself. Let me see,” she said as the phone went silent for a few moments. “I can fit you in at ten this morning. I’m assuming it won’t take long and he can write up a simple referral between our existing appointments. Just don’t get too long winded.”

“I’ll keep it short, Marla, and thanks for the prompt attention.”

“See you at ten, then,” she said before signing off.

Starting his car, Phil backed up. “Hmm, seems I’ve got some time to blow off. I can’t stick around the house without Jane asking questions. Since there’s no sense leaving Upper Darby, hopefully there won’t be as many demon-afflicted people.” With that he set off for the center of town, near his doctor’s, but also a variety of shops. He’d have things to keep him occupied, though he doubted—regardless how many people were in town—it would be an uneventful day.

________________________

Arriving downtown, Phil parked a short distance from his doctor’s office. He knew he was likely to encounter the same pesky creatures, but wanted to try a new tactic he hoped wouldn’t attract as much attention. His efforts the previous day were moderately successful. Hopefully, he could continue his new mission without compromising himself.

He wandered past a couple of stores, noticing a few individuals with mysterious creatures flying around their heads. He ignored them, mostly because they were too distant to reach easily. He neared one woman with some tiny demons, his most despised nemesis since they actively tried to incite their victims to commit suicide. He decided he needed to take action. Tipping his hat to the woman, he twirled in place, swinging his cane in the air. When he completed the turn, and the demons continued ignoring him, he bashed one’s head in with his cane, unnoticed by its companions. Finished, he smiled and doffed his cap to the lady.

Rather than take offense or cower in fear, she giggled—which he took as a good sign. Replacing his hat, he left her and her demons, trusting she’d be less tempted to follow their suggestion if there was at least one fewer tormentor. It wasn’t a complete solution. For all he knew, those killed might return. He had no evidence his actions had any effect. If these were indeed magical beings, there was no assurance death meant anything to them.

Only a short distance later he encountered a mother with two small children in tow, beset by dragons. Stopping before her, he tipped his hat, winked at the kids, and spun once again, eliminating a single dragon as he finished, though killing dragons took a harder blow than demons did. When he bowed afterwards, the woman’s children giggled, one applauding his efforts. The mother, looking momentarily confused, smiled at him before ushering them into the store.

“Did you see him?” the one boy asked his sister. “I’ve never seen old men dancing in the street before. Can we see if he’ll do it again?”

“Maybe when we return,” their mother offered, “assuming he’s still here.”

That single comment, more than any other detail, convinced him he’d discovered a winning strategy. If people were thanking him for killing these fantastic creatures, he’d be able to continue without attracting so much attention. He couldn’t hope to escape detection for long, but if anyone was upset, he could potentially pass it off as a harmless prank.

As he strolled along the promenade, he continued with one person—and a single creature—at a time, perfecting his technique as he went. Some people clapped, a few thanked him, several appeared understandably confused by his actions, but no one complained or stared. Instead, most took it in good humor. When he reached the end of the shopping plaza, he glanced at his watch, realized it was closing on ten. He proceeded to his appointment only a few buildings away, not bothering chasing any additional creatures for fear he’d be late.

“Phil Walker for Dr. Mansfield.”

“I’ll tell him you’re here,” Marla said. “Take a seat. How’re you feeling?”

“Actually, I’m in a delightful mood. I haven’t felt this positive in quite some time.” He took a glance around the room. There were another two patients waiting to see the doctor, one with tiny court jesters swirling around his head, complete with funny multicolored hats with tassels. Grinning, he turned and winked at Marla before she could close the window separating the office from the waiting area. “In fact, I feel so energetic I want to dance, even with this durn cane I’m forced to carry.”

With that, he twirled in a circle, his cane outstretched since it cleared everyone’s head. Completing his spin, he brought it down hard, well away from the man’s head, but clipping one of the flying jesters. The man, obvious distracted before, glanced up, surprised.

“Pardon me, but haven’t you ever had one of those days when you felt like dancing?”

“Not in some time,” he admitted, “but seeing you enjoying yourself makes me feel better. Please, continue.”

Smiling, Phil bowed in acknowledgment, before spinning in the opposite direction with one leg outstretched, clobbering another jester at the end of his move.

“Delightful,” the man exclaimed. “I need to do that more often myself.”

“Take my word for it, skip the cane. It makes for an awkward dancing partner.”

Marla, who’d never closed the window, continued to stare at him wide-eyed. “You seem to be feeling better, which negates your worries I’d imagine. But if you don’t mind, let’s avoid any more dance moves for the moment. As unsteady as you are with that leg, I don’t trust you not to break anything, yourself included.”

“As you wish,” he said, blowing her an imaginary kiss. Sitting down, he observed the remaining jokers were beside themselves, zipping back and forth, searching for any sign of their companions, neglecting their victim.

“Do you do this everywhere you go?” the older woman asked.

“Not normally, but I’m feeling so enthused, I need to burn off the excess energy. It makes me feel better, while entertaining small children. If that’s all it takes to bring a smile to people’s faces, I don’t mind making a fool of myself.”