Read Online Memphis Movie by Corey Mesler - Free Book Online Page A

it?”
    â€œProblem? Load it and I am on my way.”
    â€œAh, cash, well. Lemme—you know—you look familiar. Something about the way you hold that piece. I can’t place it.”
    â€œYou see many movies?”
    â€œMovies, nah. I don’t go out much. The wife, she’s got phlebitis, she don’t like to go out much.”
    â€œLike this, if I hold the gun like this?”
    â€œWait. Wait. Oh. Oh, shit. Yeah, Murder Among Friends . Or, what was it? Murder with a Vengeance ? You’re—you’re Harrison Ford.”
    â€œClose enough.”
    â€œReally? Shit. Wait till I tell the wife.”
    â€œNice to meet you—eh—”
    â€œTom.”
    â€œTom, nice to meet you.”
    â€œYou here to make a movie?”
    â€œNah. Nah, no movie. I’m here to make a hit for a friend. Don’t tell anyone, ok?”
    â€œHeh-heh, right. Listen, thanks, Mr. Ford.”
    â€œYes, Tom. Thank you.”

18.
    The bartender, accustomed even to early morning drinkers, still seemed perplexed at his patrons. They seemed exotic, from some other place. Perhaps it was Camel’s flop-brimmed hat.
    â€œThe story,” Eric was saying, “is about cynicism. It’s about how irony only takes one so far and then you discover that you are tightrope walking without a net.”
    Camel was nodding, sagely, into his beer.
    â€œIt’s all but written,” Sandy added. “Though, typically, what we do is keep the script fluid, malleable, especially when we go on location and we’re unfamiliar with the local zeitgeist. That’s where you come in.”
    â€œLocal zeitgeist,” Camel said.
    â€œSure,” Eric reassured him.
    â€œWill I, like, be on set?”
    â€œNo, not necessarily. We’re hoping you can communicate with us by email as we go. We’ll give you pages and—”
    â€œEmail,” Camel said.
    â€œYou don’t have email,” Eric said. It wasn’t a question.
    â€œThat entails a computer, am I right?” Camel suddenly sounded like a schoolboy.
    â€œSorry . . . um, we can work differently. What do you think, Sand?”
    â€œWell, we can work . . . differently.”
    â€œYes,” Eric said.
    â€œOk, sure. Gimme some pages and I’ll see what’s what.”
    â€œThat’s great, Buddy.” Eric was straining his effusiveness. He was about out of it.
    â€œAnd you can get me drugs?”
    â€œSure.”
    â€œHollywood drugs.”
    â€œSure, Camel. Hollywood drugs.”
    â€œHey, did you see that special on Dylan last night?”
    â€œNo—I didn’t—”
    â€œHe’s gone electric,” Camel said.

19.
    Sandy and Eric gave Camel a working copy of the script. First, all three of them had to go to Kinko’s to print a copy from Sandy’s laptop since giving Camel a zip drive of it would be inane.
    â€œMemphis Movie,” Camel read, weighing the pages in his hand as if they were so many tomatoes.
    â€œWorking title,” Eric said.
    â€œI like it,” Camel said. “It’s kind of like ‘This is not a pipe,’ except you’re saying it is, it is a pipe. Or in this case, a movie.”
    â€œR-right,” Eric said. “Take it home, live with it for a few days. But we need to get rolling, so, you know, ASAP (he pronounced it “ay-sap”), anything you think you can help us with.”
    â€œYep,” said Camel.
    After they dropped him off on Rembert Street Eric had to take a call from Jimbo.
    â€œHey, what’s up?” Eric asked.
    â€œHave you been drinking?” Jimbo asked.
    â€œA beer.”
    â€œThat’s my dog.”
    â€œYes. What, I repeat, is up?”
    â€œSince we’re not shooting today I thought you’d want to see the grocery store I found, you know, the one Ike’s character owns.”
    â€œI’m sure it’s right,” Eric said. “Use your best