As he talked on Cowboy paced in
circles around Eric and the chair in which he was bound. Each time this pacing would place him in
front of Eric, Eric struggled to catch some glimpse, some
view, of what his imprisoner looked like.
"Damn it!" Eric said to himself. The only time Cowboy would pass in front of
him placed Cowboy strategically between Eric and those blinding lights facing
him. Cowboy still appeared as nothing
more than a passing dark figure.
Suddenly, Cowboy stopped directly
in front of Eric as his verbal tirade continued. Now for the first time, Eric was able to
notice that Cowboy was wearing a baseball style cap upon his head.
As the silouette
of Cowboys face slowly turned, Eric struggled to squint hard and catch any
features it may give him. He was eye to
eye with Cowboy and only but the distance of a few feet separated them. The bill of Cowboys cap only created a darker
shadow upon his eyes, his face. He was
still but a dark ghost to Eric.
"But
enough about me." Eric heard
Cowboy say. He had been so intent on
grasping some recognizable feature of Cowboys appearance that he had tuned out
all other enviromental factors. He realized he hadn't heard one word Cowboy
had been saying.
"Yes, let's talk about you
Eric." Cowboy said. "You must be saying to yourself, how did
I get to be so lucky---huh?"
Eric was completely focused on
Cowboys every word.
"Well Eric, let me assure
you that it really is nothing personal.
It was just lady luck my man."
"That
fickle finger of fate. I guess
you were really just in the wrong place at the right time." Cowboy said, a
slight chuckle in his voice. Again
Cowboy began his pacing around Eric.
"Lady luck
and four-leaf clovers. Yeah, Eric, lady luck and four-leaf clovers."
"But again Eric,"
Cowboy continued
"It's all fate, man!"
"Like every instance, every
moment, during our entire being."
"It's all fate!"
"And how
these moments contact with other moments."
"It's all fate!"
"And the
results, the outcomes of these contacts."
"It's all fate!"
"What will be has already
been predetermined as to what will be."
"It's all fate!"
"Do you see that
Eric?" Cowboy asked him. "Do you see that? Huh?"
A hard slap to the back of Erics head
immediately followed this question.
"Well answer me
man!" Cowboy barked. "You can still nod your head, can't
you?"
"Then answer
me!!!!" he
roared.
Eric nodded his head up and down
in agreement. He wasn't really quite
sure if he did understand the meaning behind Cowboys last ramblings but he
nodded yes in agreement.
"Yes fate Eric," Cowboy paused
before continuing "she is one beautiful woman!"
"Fate brought me to your
little town here. Of all the places I
could be fate brought me here. And fate
made my car break down here. And fate
had me rent across the street from you then."
"And fate showed me your
precious daughter."
"And fate showed me the love
you two shared."
"And fate took me away from
here Eric. Fate had me miles and miles
down the road."
"And fate stopped me!"
"And fate brought me
back. She brought me back here."
"And fate brought us all
together. Now!"
"But why
Eric?" Cowboy asked. "Why?"
"Trying to
find out her purpose, Eric. To figure out her reason why. To make sense of her."
"THAT,
is her beauty!"
"You will excuse me
please." Cowboy asked