from Middle Men: Stories by Jim Gavin
Simon & Schuster 2/13
I won’t discuss the third story in this collection, “Elephant Doors”, as there is just too much for me to spoil. I will let fall you fall in love with it on your own.
In the fourth story, “IIuminati”, we meet Sean, (he’s a Hollywood loser) on the eve of a lunch with his father and a family friend named Fig. Apparently there is a fantastic story to be told to Sean who is a screenwriter in waiting. It’s so good that it can only be told over a steak dinner at a swank Hollywood eatery. Gavin gives this story a strong odor that often reminded me of what it’s like to be in your salad days and the overall flavor of struggle. Sean is already jaded, and feels worthless, but his father has endless desire to put wind in the kid’s sails. With promise of a juicy steak, and a great story, we sit down at the table and hear stories that are both hilarious and heartwarming, and we come to find out that Sean’s mother is a dyed-in-the-wool basket-case that someone should be caring for. His father gives her money, using Sean as a messenger, but admittedly she doesn’t know how to handle it, and pisses it away.
By the time we hear this story, which involves a racetrack and a jar of mayonnaise, it has become a truly great moment in Sean’s life. Why doesn’t anyone in this story worry about the present, and stop shooting for the stars? What does become of the “story” and how does Sean benefit? It’s a funny and sad moment when Sean punches a hole in the “story”, and one that will remind you of every good idea you’ve ever had, especially the ones you got up in the middle of the night to write down. The next morning you look at the piece of paper and it reads, “man robs bank.”
