Read Online The Last Days of Video by Jeremy Hawkins - Free Book Online

Dodge toward Star Video.
    When she entered the shop, the floor was empty. Jeff stood behind the long counter watching Harold and Maude , slack-jawed, a wild look of pleasure on his face. Handsome Jeff, tall Jeff, frightfully young Jeff—his lips moved as if he were conversing with thetelevision. On screen, Bud Court screamed, and Ruth Gordon fell through a trapdoor. But Alaura ignored the movie because she hated to enter scenes, especially interesting scenes, midstream.
    â€œHas it been this slow?” she said, flipping her purse under the counter.
    Jeff snapped to attention. “Oh, hi. Yes, ma’am.”
    â€œHow much have we done?”
    â€œAbout two hundred dollars.”
    â€œFuck a monkey.”
    â€œThe new Blockbuster opened,” he said in a low voice, and Alaura noticed that, today more than ever, Jeff averted his gaze from her. She hoped this was because of her unparalleled beauty.
    â€œI know,” she said. “I saw.”
    â€œBlockbuster was on campus today, handing out free rental coupons. They’re giving away PlayStations and Blu-ray players.”
    â€œChrist.”
    â€œAlaura!” Waring yelled from The African Queen.
    Alaura sighed—already she was exhausted by Waring. “Time to face the music,” she said, and she dragged herself up the loft’s spiral staircase.
    Through the blue-gray fog produced by Waring’s fuming cigarette, Alaura could see that he was drinking a beer and reading a fat hardback book, while High Fidelity played on The African Queen ’s flat-screen. Waring looked up from the book, which Alaura knew would be some film-history text or celebrity biography, and his face slackened into shock and awe.
    â€œHello, nurse!” he said as his eyes scanned her up and down.
    â€œOh Jesus, shut up.”
    Then Waring’s expression twisted quickly into an and-where-have-you-been-young-lady grimace.
    â€œSorry,” she said as she plopped onto the couch beside him.
    â€œSorry for what? For being late? Yes, I’d say late .” He coughed into his fist, then turned his book face down onto the loft’s clutteredcoffee table. “In the meantime,” Waring went on, “I’ve been stuck with Blad, aka Captain Annoying. Have you seen his employee picks? He actually picked Bring It On .”
    Alaura shrugged but did not remove her gaze from the movie, enduring her midscene entry.
    â€œBlad is Jeff’s new nickname,” Waring informed her. “You look amazing, by the way.”
    â€œI asked you to be nice to him, Waring. And Bring It On is a good movie.”
    â€œIt’s literally impossible that Bring It On is a good movie. And I am being nice to him. He still has a job, doesn’t he? Which reminds me, I might have to fire Farley.”
    Alaura’s face tightened, but she quickly released the expression, hoping to leave her makeup undisturbed. “What’s the problem now?”
    â€œListen,” Waring said with sudden theatrical Waxian urgency. “Farley was just up here filming with some little digital camera thingy. First of all, him being in The African Queen with his, well, girth and everything, is not exactly safe. Which he knows. Which I’ve told him. And when I asked him what he was doing, he said, in that wheezy voice of his, ‘Uh, I’m getting footage for some stupid documentary about modern technology and the state of the video store industry and some other crap.’ He’s out there now. Filming, not working. So clearly I should fire him.”
    â€œNot like you care, Waring, but Farley’s in school for documentary filmmaking.”
    Waring reached for the remote and paused High Fidelity.
    â€œYou’re over three hours late,” he said. “And you didn’t call.”
    She took the remote from him, pressed “Menu.”
    â€œIs something wrong?” he said.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWhy are you so