Business is Business (Master Class 06)

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This week's prompt from Professor SAM can be used anywhere in our writing. I was not satisfied with the first prompt, so I did another, one that has non-fiction origins, that I was required to learn to understand. Sometimes what needs to be said, is the thing that does not want to be said at all.

Cut That Out!

Kristy twirled the hospital bracelet around two of her fingers. Every time she had seen one of them it seemed to wrap itself up in the most current moment. The sad realization was that no matter how hard she tried, she could not keep Tami from cutting. It wasn't that she was afraid of blood, actually she was fascinated by it, but she just couldn't wrap her head around the process that Tami went through. Tami said it was the only way people would listen to her. There was no consolation in that kind of thinking. Tami said a lot of things that defined her untamed personality, but none of it consoled Kristy.

"Maybe you're right about it all. Every transaction between human beings is a business transaction" Kristy said with tears filling up in her eyes.

"What the fuck are you crying for? It's not like it changes anything," Tami said, while she fluffed the pillows on her bed, her left arm wrapped in gauze from the wrist to her elbow.

Kristy's forehead was scrunched up in between her eyebrows, "It changes everything!" She said as she pressed her face into her hands, but it didn't hide the sobs.

Tami laughed.

"It's not funny Tami, why do you have to be such a bitch about things?"

Tami shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see what the big deal is Kristy. People who are nice to you, just want something from you, and people that are asses to you want something from you they can't have. How do you not see what that means?"

"What about people loving each other, and wanting to spend time with each other? Are you that hard-hearted that you can't see that it makes a difference? People can love unconditionally you know," Kristy said as she stood up and started pacing the room.

"Bull Kristy, people don't love unconditionally, they love CONDITIONALLY. If you are cute enough, smart enough, cook well, play hard, or some other kind of condition they want to apply, but they don't love just for the sake of it, they want something in return. That's a business transaction to me," Tami plucked the leaves off of a plant in the window.

"That makes me think life is hopeless Tami, just hopeless" Kristy said.

"Well, that's what it is, so you better get used to it, or they'll take you down with them," Tami said. "I'm going to make something to eat, you want something?"

"No, I don't have any kind of appetite right now. You just told me the whole world was fucked, and you want me to believe it, and then you want to feed me?" Kristy just shook her head and wiped the tears off of her face. She didn't realize that while she was crying, Tami had sliced another notch in her arm. Out of breath, [she] dropped both arms to [her] side, still gripping the knife in [her] left hand (Daniel Alarcon).

"Maybe you should try it, it makes things better for a little while," Tami said as she wiped the trickle of blood off the end of the blade and walked away.