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March 14, 2002
| FICTION |
 "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."
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Commentarium (20 Comments)
crazy.
Please don't write any more blurbs that look and read like this dribble-----it's boring as hell. I hope you got paid by the line instead of the word------in this case it would make a nicer check...............Maybe you should get out of the house more often---meet people---get a hobby.
I thought this story was excellent. I look forward to more of your writing. I found it engaging. But most of all it helps with understanding. Who are we to side with? And how?
a lacerating piece of fiction. this writer continues to surprise me with his piercing studies of men and women. good work!
if dribble had not been in one of the previous comments, i would have lauded this piece of finely written dribble.
Good story, it kind of rocks! Very funny and almost sad, in the end. I like it.
This is the sort of writing that keeps me interested in Nerve. Ernest would be proud.
I thought "Merge" was bang-on in its use of just dialogue to tell me everything and nothing about these two people.
NERVE continues to offer not just great fiction, but the best kind of fiction: fiction of the moment.
i enjoyed merge... it was tantalizing and teasing- but maybe it's atmosphere was a little lost ;)... i always have a problem with that sort of thing. and, yes, you can fit it into the dialogue with a just a little more effort. also-with which of these characters am i supposed to identify, if either?
I couldn't read beyond the first page. This piece gave me a headache. I wanted to smack both people and then tell one to shut up and the other to talk.
great story and very funny!
Neil -- PLEASE get past your Pulp Fiction dialogue phase!! You know, the one you employed in Nurse Betty, your stab at a Tarantino-esque commercial film. It's not you, it's boring, it's trite, get over it. I love the old you, the first two films-you (didn't see "The Shape of Things", unfortunately). Please come back!
What FUN! I love putting things together.
[Bah! to those who lack the patience or intelligence to read and think concurrently]
Excellent short fiction...elliptical and taut. Funny, too!
Thank you, NERVE, for continuing to provide the good stuff.
Yawn... Sorry.. I wanted some sexy story .. Didn't happen. Didn't care about either character.. Didn't hold my intrest one bit.. Kind of like that "Godsford Park" Kept waiting for "something" to happen, it just never did.
very enjoyable.
I LIKED THIS A LOT. VERY NICELY DONE.
The story is obvious but the format sucks
The exposition of the characters parallels Hemingway's "Hills LIke White Elephants" in which dialogue reveals character motivation. With the title, the setting serves as a metaphor in which the orgy of numerous sexual partners is compared to the the convergence of various roads.
DUKZsm I decided to help and sent a post to the social bookmarks. I hope to raise it in popularity....
Now you say something