The Underground Read Online Free Page B

It had been a long time since he felt any hope. Forget about love, all he could think of was his future with a woman he despised. He tried, unsuccessfully, to quell his yearning for fulfillment. Just as Nathaniel started to feel sorry for himself, he passed a group of Spots and reminded himself to be grateful. He threw the napkin in the next trashcan he saw on the corner, knowing he shouldn’t screw up what he had.
    He had only walked a few steps when he saw a woman walk by him.
    “Hello,” she said to Nathanial, without a threat. Her tone seemed almost…pleasant.
    “Hi” he said nervously back, trying to keep his eyes on the ground as she passed by. Was this a trick? Women weren’t generally friendly like that, but what if some women could be like that? What if there was something better? He turned around and went back to the trash can. He fished out the rumpled napkin and smoothed it out so he could read the number.

Chapter 6
    As soon as he got home, he saw Janice’s note.
    Nathaniel,
    I got out of work early and came home, but you weren’t here. WTF? I called your cell. No answer. Thought we were having a late dinner, but I couldn’t wait, so went down to Zelda’s for a drink and a bite with Janey.
    Did you find out about the wedding photographer? You were also supposed to get information about liposuction. You know I’m still hoping to get this done before the wedding. In any case, even if there isn’t enough time for my procedure, you need to get Botox in that wrinkle between your brows and those crows’ feet you have. There is no way our wedding photos are going to have your face all wrinkled.
    Call when you get this.
    Love,
    Janice
    There had to be a better life. Nathaniel looked at his phone and she had, in fact, called four times. He really should have been more mindful as he knew there wasn’t cell service in the Black Hole, since it was a basement bar fully underground. Cursing, he dialed her cell nervously.
    “Hi love!” he said, hoping his upbeat tone might gloss over the fact that he didn’t tell her he might not be home on time.
    “Where..ya..been?” she said, slurry.
    “I was making calls about liposuction and missed your calls.”
    “Oh, well what’d you find out?” she said.
    He suppressed a sigh of relief. She bought it.
    “There’s not enough time for the surgery and recovery before the wedding.”
    “Yeah, but what about the Botox? That’s done in a doctor’s office. Hmmm, maybe I could get some on the Internet and do it at home even,” she said, making him shudder at the thought of a drunken Janice jabbing his face with poison after watching some how-to-inject-Botox YouTube video.
    “The Botox is possible. I’ll certainly make an appointment for that, but I’m talking about the surgery you wanted. I still don’t understand why you would want to do that silly surgery anyway,” he said. “You are gorgeous exactly the way you are.”
    “Nathaniel DeLuca, you are just the sweetest man who ever walked the earth,” she said, laughing. “I’ll be home in an hour. Janey and I are finishing up. Can’t wait!” she said.
    “Me too!” he said, forcing himself, but feeling relieved her mood sounded upbeat.
    He immediately went into the kitchen and turned on the timer for forty minutes, in case she came home early. He opened the lower cabinet and reached all the way to the back. He touched the worn cover respectfully, thinking of the many times it had been read. Perhaps fifty. No, maybe twice that, he thought. He flipped through it slowly, caressing the washed out text.
    … The world changed before my eyes when I was young. Our country had a male president. He died and the vice president, a woman named Madeleine Smith took over. She demanded to be addressed as “The Queen.” Everyone feared her and obliged her wishes, and this was the first mistake. Her new policies began to infiltrate the country:
•        She released full reports with fabricated or exaggerated