"Turn here."
"All right so, there were, what, two of them?"
"Yes."
"You're sure, just two."
"I think two, maybe three. No, it was two. Definitely two."
"Definitely?"
"Pretty definitely."
"Pretty or completely?"
"Pretty completely definitely. Yes. Two."
"Two?"
"Two. Watch the road, please."
"Two guys?"
"What?"
"I'm saying, it was two guys, or like a ?"
"Yes, men. They were all men "
"All?"
"Yes. Of course."
"No, not 'of course.' It didn't have to be just men. It could've been a mix, a combo of some kind. A boy and a man. Or two women, for that matter. Hell, I don't know. I wasn't there"
"I know, I know. But it wasn't. They were men, I'm sure. Mostly."
"'Mostly?' See, no, that sounds like a mix of some sort."
"No, it doesn't. I meant 'mostly' sure. I'm mostly sure they were men."
"Oh, okay "
"All of them. Grown men."
"Wait a minute, you just said 'all' again. Before, it was 'two.' Why's it suddenly 'all' now? What's that supposed to mean? Is it two or not?"
"Yes, it's two. Two men. I think."
"Come on!"
"Well, it's hard to remember I'm a little tired."
"'Two' is what you said, distinctly. A second ago. You said that, and now suddenly it's a group, it's this 'all,' which could be like forty or whatever. You don't usually use that word, not 'all,' if it's only two. Like in 'two' of something."
"You don't?"
"No, I wouldn't."
"Oh. Are you taking the freeway?"
"Nah, it's jammed."
"All right."
"I mean take two hamburgers. Say you went to a place, Burger King or wherever, you buy two Whopper Juniors, that type of thing, you'd say what?"
"I don't follow "
"I'm saying, you've got two sandwiches in front of you, you polish them off, and a person comes by, he asks you "
"Who comes by?"
"I dunno. He works there! An employee "
"I think they call them 'team members.'"
"Whatever! So this guy, this 'team member' breezes past, he's cleaning tables and whatnot, and just casually, out of courtesy, he asks, 'Hey, how was your lunch?' And you'd say ?"
"'Good.' I mean, depending I like Burger King, usually."
"Right, okay, yes, and then he asks where your food went. What then?"
"Oh. Well, I ate it."
"Ate what?"
"My food. All my burgers "
"Why 'all?' It was just two why not just say, 'I ate both of them.'"
"I could."
"You would, right?"
"Maybe. Or all. I might say 'all' of them."
"That is truly bizarre "
"No."
"It is. Absolutely. I've never seen a person in my life use 'all' where you
could just use 'two' or 'both.' Never."
"I do. I mean, sometimes "
"Yeah, well, I've never heard you."
"Anyway, I'm sure it was just the two of them."
"These men?"
"Yes, the two men."
"Not more, like a bunch of guys?"
"No, two."
"Okay. Two's fine. Two I can handle "
"I mean, I guess they were men boys, men. What's the age cutoff on that? Eighteen, nineteen, or what?"
"Yeah. Same as getting drafted, or voting. Right around there."
"Okay, so I'd say 'men,' then."
"You're not sure?"
"It was dark."
"Dark."
"Yes darkish."
"It was dark when they came in the room?"
"Uh-huh. I think 23rd would be faster fewer lights."
"But you'd seen them earlier, correct? You told me that in the airport."
"I did, right. Downstairs in the lobby. I saw all of them near the lounge "
"Again with the 'all' thing! How many were there? Huh?! You make it sound like a platoon or something, for chrissakes!"
"Don't yell at me "
"I'm not yelling "
"Yes, you are. You are and you know it."
"All right, sorry "
"You said you wouldn't do that, if I just told you about it. That's what you said."
"I know, I know "
"So, I'm telling you. I didn't want to, we've been through this kinda thing before where something happens and you get all excitable and I knew how you'd be so I was just gonna but you're, like 'No, no, come on, no, I can tell something's up, please, please, please, you have to tell me, I won't say a word, I just have to know.' And now you're yelling "
"Okay, fine. Tell me. I'm silent."
"It was dark, in the room, and then they came in. The 'two' of them. They 'both' came in. There, is that better?"
"Yes, thank you."
"They came in and I don't honestly remember much else. I sort of blacked out not long after that "
"You blacked out?"
"I did, yeah."
promotion
"'Blacked out,' like passed out or like someone hit you, something like that? Don't tell me somebody smacked you"
"No, I don't think so, no."
"You just 'blacked out?'"
"Yes."
"In a darkened room, with all these guys in there?"
"That's right oops, see, you did it now."
"What?"
"You said it, too 'all these guys in there.' You said 'all' when you meant two.
" no, I didn't."
"Yes, uh-huh, you did. I heard you."
"No, I wasn't meaning 'two,' I said 'all' because "
"Why?"
" because I was trying to trick you, probably."
"What do you mean?"
"To see if you stumbled, if you weren't telling the truth and you'd trip up by telling me there was more than two. More guys than just the two."
"Why?"
"I dunno. Maybe I don't totally believe this"
"Why would I do that? Lie to you?"
"Maybe because you don't want me to be scared or angry or because you're scared, or whatever. Hell, I don't know!"
"Don't yell!"
"I'm not!! I mean, I am, but I'm not trying to you're frustrating me."
"I'm just trying to tell you what happened. You don't have to fool me "
