Episode 28

The Mutual Broadcasting System brings you another episode of Life in Hyperion.

Today's episode: "The Melting of the Iceberg", Part 3

Yesterday, Conrad managed to talk and con Cy and Phil into attending his sister Darlene's upcoming 30th birthday party, even getting Cy to agree to bring along Joanne.  Meanwhile, Elmer manages himself to convince Polly, the ever-budding singer, to seek out a concert venue other than the Hyperion city jail.  As we last left off, Cy had gone to the library and is presently reading a book...

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As his eyes scan the page, he is unaware of the librarian, now seeing Cy just lazily reading away in the back of the library. Her appearence is one of the typical librarian and she takes in the delight of controlling Cy.
She walks over to Cy, who is reading from the book as she approaches. His reading takes the form of mumbling, a trait which he inherited from his mother.
"I wish you would not read like that." says the librarian as she makes it over to where Cy is.
Cy looks up from his book and spies a familiar face to him.
"Ah, Darlene, my friend's sister." says Cy.
"Cyrus, what have I said about the feet?" says Darlene.
"Not to put them up?" says Cy.
"Right." says Darlene.
"You take some kind of joy in putting me down, even thought I'm your brother's best friend." says Cy.
"I'm older than you and Conrad and I have to teach you." says Darlene.
"You ain't my teacher." says Cy.
"That mangling." says Darlene as she winces from Cy's speech pattern.
"I'm sorry if my grammar is terrible to you, but I do it to annoy you." says Cy.
"I do not want to hear it." says Darlene.
"Well, I believe that I have the right to put my feet up." says Cy.
"And I say you do not." says Darlene.
"This is a free country, is it not?" says Cy, in Darlene's imitatable speech pattern.
"Do not do that." says Darlene.
"Free country!" says Cy.
"It is not really the feet, but the dirt and slush on the soles of them that I hate." says Darlene.
"Go busy yourself and you won't have to look at them." says Cy.
"Fine." says Darlene as she begins to walk away.
As Darlene moves away, Cy decides to fire a jab at her.
"Have a nice day... Hooja." says Cy, referring to a character in the book he is reading.
Darlene, having endured Cy's boasting of the story itself and of Cy's love for old-fashioned science-fiction and fantasy, takes the jab and spins around.
"Get out!" she mutters to Cy.
"You can't kick me out." says Cy.
"I can, too, if you are being disrupted." says Darlene.
"I'm not doing anything except reading." says Cy.
"Then check the book out!" says Darlene.
"Whatever you say, Darlene." says Cy as he finally takes his feet off the table.
He plants them on the ground and gets out of the chair and walks to the front of the library.  Cy takes out his library card and waits for the book to be checked out. When the card is returned to him, Darlene looks on as Cy collects his book. A smile crosses her face as Cy makes his departure.
As the sound of the jukebox fills the air, Cy enters the tavern. As he looks around, he sees the late morning first-in crowd he now joins.
"Good afternoon, Cy." says the waitress behind the bar.
"Good afternoon, Cathy." says Cy.
"What brings you around here at 11:30 am?" asks Cathy.
"I've had an interesting day." says Cy.
"What makes today interesting?" asks Cathy.
"Darlene practically threw me out of the library." says Cy.
"That sounds interesting already." says Cathy.
"It gets better. Conrad decided that me, him, my girl Joanne, and Phil have to get together and throw a party for Darlene tomorrow, for her 30th birthday." says Cy.
"How'd you get into that?" asks Cathy.
"Conrad forced us on us." says Cy.
"Even he should know better." says Cathy.
"It amazes me how Conrad can live with an iceberg for a sister." says Cy.
"Me, too. What will you have?" says Cathy.
"A big mug of beer." says Cy.
"You got it." says Cathy.
Just then, Polly enters the tavern with her guitar case in hand. She soon spots Cy at his stool.
"Good afternoon, Cy." hails Polly as she walks up to him.
"Good afternoon to you, Polly. What brings you to the tavern?" says Cy.
"Hopefully not the same reason as you." says Polly.
"I'm here to forget a bad day. Your reason?" says Cy.
"I'm here because I wanna play here." says Polly.
"You wanna play the tavern?" asks Cathy.
"Easedropping in your spare time, eh?" says Cy.
"That's right. I request a concert here." says Polly.
"Well, Polly, this place has a policy that anyone who can play an instrument and/or sing can do so here." says Cy.
"He's right." says Cathy.
"Say, I thought you were gonna play at the city jail until the day you die." says Cy.
"I've decided to play other places." says Polly.
"That's how a true musician does operate. You certainly have a grasp of this." says Cy.
"Well, can I perform here?" asks Polly.
"That depends. How good are you?" says Cathy.
"Cathy, you dare ask that of this, the best singer ever to grace the stage at Sam's Place and possibly the world?" says Cy.
"Are you my manager?" asks Polly.
"I guess I am right now. Believe me, she can sing, just don't ask her to do it now. I wouldn't wanna spoil the surprise." says Cy.
"You play here on Friday." says Cathy.
"Thanks, Cy." says Polly.
"No problem. I'll even back you up." says Cy.
"Thanks, but I've already got Elmer on his fiddle to back me up." says Polly.
"Well, at least let me join Elmer as a member of your backing band." says Cy.
"I guess it couldn't hurt." says Polly.
"I'll be there, backing you to the hilt." says Cy.
"You'll play your mandolin, as usual?" asks Polly.
"That's why I have ol' Debralee." says Cy.
"You're hired." says Polly.
"Be over at my house at Thursday so we can go over your set-list." says Cy.
"It's a deal." says Polly.
"Be there at 1:30 pm." says Cy.
"Right." says Polly.

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Tomorrow, Cy returns home and discuss life, liberty, and song with his new boarder and finds that Thomas has his own views of life worth living out.

Join us, won't you?
Yours truly, John Maxwell.

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