Ryan slumped into Will's sofa, staring at the picture being hung on the wall.
" Is it straight? " Will asked.
"Yeah, but I liked stains which used to be there much better. " he said, "They were much more interesting. They reminded me of drinking fine whiskey. What is that a picture of anyways? "
" Its this abstract thing Paula had to do for her art class. " Will replied " She said the theme was useless death or something. I just like the colors. "
Ryan twisted the blonde curls of his goatee with an idle hand. While the other patted absently at the pockets of his army surplus jacket. Finally his thin fingers dipped knuckle deep into left hip pocket. He pulled out a crumpled pack of unfiltered cigarettes. Ryan looked down at the crumpled pack hesitating.
" I stole these from the liquor store near work. " he smiled.
Will stepped back to look at the picture. Ryan held his stolen pack at arms length, shaking it three times. Three times he brought the wrapper to his lips, extracting the stubs of a broken Camels with his teeth. He placed three useless specimens neatly in a row on his lap. The stubby white tubes spilled flecks of stale tabacco on his dungarees. Ryan grumped disgustedly before setting his malt liquor bottle down on the table beside him. Then he held the pack up towards the light. With his left eye half shut, Ryan peered into the foil opening, wiggling the pack back and forth. As Ryan carefully drew package to his face his lips froze into a toothy smile while he drew out his last whole cigarette.
" I don't like workin' at the pizza place no more. " Ryan said. One of his hands reached for his beer, while the other searched for his lighter.
" The owner's too cheap."
Ryan lit the cigarette dangling in his jaw, breathing in a cloud of white. He pushed out six small rings of smoke. After impaling each one with the mouth of his beer bottle, Ryan laughed to himself.
" I 've been workin there for three months and he still ain't given me no raise. What's worse and he still won't bring another guy in to take care of kill the rats in the alley. "
Ryan's voice changed in tone, " Every Saturday night he calls me back into that stupid office and says ' Ryan you gotta go out back and kill some more rats around the dumpster or they gonna close my place down'. "
Ryan hefted the beer to his lips, tipped the bottle and swallowed hard for a couple of seconds. Then he rubbed his sleeve across his mouth.
" I didn't think much of it the first time he asked, I figured I'd do him a favor. Besides he gave me ten dollars extra that night. He said I get ten more each night I did it. "
Paul walked around the corner to the kitchen. Ryan quickly flicked the cigarette in his right hand towards the opposite wall. The ash flew off the embered tip, hitting the picture Paul had just hung. His face became suddenly serene. Ryan raised his voice.
" The Dude should hire an exterminator, but he's too fuckin' cheap. He says he ain't makin enough money to do that. He's a liar. About five times a week I carry a stack of pizzas over to those computer guys who work over in the Federal building on Calvert St. And we're always full for lunch and dinner. He's a fuckin liar."
Will came back from the kitchen in time to see Ryan scratch his twitching forehead and take another drag from his Camel.
" I hate liars, I hate cheap liars even more, they' re the worst kind." he blurted.
Ryan traced the halos around the distant street lights with his mind. The city outside seemed to look though the window. His eyes followed the cars running along the oily freeway. He took another drag from his smoke.
" Last night." Ryan said, swallowing another gulp of beer. " The owner wasn't there. He said he was going to Atlantic City for a birthday party or something. So, I closed early and turned off all the lights up front. Then I went to the liquor store and bought me a fifth of vodka. I took the long way back, walking along Read street. Then I cut through the alley behind that Gay Anarchist book store. I got pretty toasted by the time I got back. I didn't care though. I just went to the back sat down and waited."
" The owner called at a quarter till eleven and told me to take ten dollars out of the register and go out back and kill some more rats for him."
A memory twisted a slight smile onto Ryan's face. " I was so buzzed I forgot where I hid rat ladle. That's what I call the big spoon I use to club 'em over the head. I hide it in a special place so that none of the day shift uses it to mix the pizza sauce with. I found it after a few minutes and set it up on the dish sink. Then I made the pizza. Just to get rats more interested."
" They come out a lot faster when they smell hot food." Ryan explained, " So I make a special pizza for the rats to eat. I used put pepperoni ,hamburger, and sausage on top, but then some guy told me that rats like veggies a lot more than meat. Now I pile lots of pineapple, green peppers, and black olives on it. Lots of cheese, too, I always put lots of cheese on top..."
Ryan paused to drink. "Rats like cheese you know. " He smirked . Will smiled back and leaned within the entranceway listening. Ryan wiped foam off the mouth of his beer.
" I washed the dishes while the pizza cooked. Then I pulled it out of the oven and let cool a bit before I walked it to the dumpster. I threw it in and went back inside to get my rat ladle, I hooked it under my apron then went back and climbed up the side of the dumpster."
Ryan took a long drink. Will's eyes moved from the window back to Ryan.
" You know that bastard wouldn't have such a problem with rats if he leased a dumpster with a cover on it. But he's so cheap he'd rather pay me forty extra bucks a month to jump into his dumpster to kill rodents. "
Ryan squashed his cigarette out in the ashtray.
" Anyway, " he continued, " I climbed up the side of the dumpster and waited. I really hate waiting for those rats. 'Cause you gotta stand there real still while the smell of fresh pizza and garbage rises up to choke you. Last night was the worst. Some body on the day crew threw out a batch of dough it started fermenting. It smelled like somebody took a piss on a box of crackers and piled it up with rotting vegetables. It really stunk "
Paul nodded his head as Ryan continued without pause.
" I was glad when they finally did come. I heard their little claws scurrying over the boards piled up back there. So, I stood real still, watching four rats hop nervously through the moonlight towards the dumpster. They kept stopping to sniff the air with their snouts. Their front legs tucked above their shadows on the concrete. They disappeared behind the other side of the dumpster. I heard them clawing their way up the tree. One after another, their heavy bellies thumped upon the wet cartons I threw in there earlier. They twisted and scraped against them as they slid down, trying to steer themselves closest to the pizza. at the bottom."
" When they were all eating, I unhooked the rat ladle from my belt, and jumped. I landed right in the middle of them and started conking them on the head..."
Ryan stopped speaking. Draining his beer, he cast his eyes wistfully between the silence and the picture on the wall.
" You know, " Ryan said. " I don't think I'm going back to work for that guy. I don't like killing those rats for him. Its not right. I'm going to find me another job."