A Little More About Just After Sunset

All the thirteen stories have something to do with health, sickness and something like that.  Either the protagonist is sick, or someone he knows, or someone he hates.  I think if the title of the book is not to be taken literally, sunset could mean being at the last few decades (because days will be too short) of their lives. 

I have read a few short story compilations of Stephen King but it was too long ago for me to recall those books.  But if I remember it right, this is different from all of those other books I have read.  I couldn't remember in which compilation does "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" belongs (I'd be glad if you can tell me at the comments the book where it belongs), but that is the most memorable short story for me amongst all of them, "Stand By Me" being the second.

In this book, the story that got stuck in my head up until now is "Stationary Bike."  Please refer to my post about the story.  It is striking in as much as I wanted my best friend to read about the story even if I know that she doesn't read Stephen King books.  Not to mention the fact that this is the first time I urged her into reading something. 

It took me a while to finish this book.  One of the major reasons is the number of distractions around.  But the other reason is that I find it not too engaging as compared to his other books, to make me sit and really read and not bring down the book. 

But after all, Stephen King's style still amazes me.  Sometimes, it is not necessarily the story but those little things inside the story that makes me wonder how can someone think about that piece of a thought. 

Between Neighbors

This is the last story in the book.

Grunwald and Curtis became neighbors because of this guy who sold them adjacent properties.

Because of certain developments, they became foes, with each wanting a certain part of the land that lay between them and were claiming ownership of this piece of land.

With Grunwald being diagnosed with cancer and his wife leaving him, he seemed to be in a very tight situation, which includes needing money not just for his medications.

Curtis, however, was living his life a little comfortable as compared to Grunwald's. But this seems to be just in his point of view.

One day, Curtis received a phone call from Grunwald which was obviously an invitation for them to meet at a certain place, a construction site nearby, which Grunwald knows that Curtis is familiar with. For Curtis, this is enough for him to conclude that Grunwald will definitely ask for a settlement, which he knew will put him on top of the situation. He thinks Grunwald will probably ask him an out-of-court settlement just so to make things easier in his part.

The situation proved otherwise when he finally get to the meeting place and had a few words with Grunwald. With a gun pointed towards him, Grunwald asked him to get into one of those Porta-o-Sans that lie on its side [the door side] with nothing but his clothes on. At this point, you might ask: Who, now, is in a very tight place?

After about more than a day of desperation inside that place - stinking from the smell of that shit hole and losing hope - he saw light at the end of the hole. The situation shifted on his side and on this note, it seems that his dog, Betsy, saved his life.

Curtis got out.

What happened next was of course, between neighbors.

Ayanna Does

For some reason, I can't seem to remember what the name of the guy with cancer is.  Neither the son who tells the story.

But let me just tell you something about this short story.

Many people would not believe this until there is nothing more to believe.

The guy who wrote the story has a dad who was dying of cancer.  His condition gets worse until one day, a mother and child went to their home and kissed the father on the cheek.  After this happened, the father started to get well and began living his life as a normal being will.

Yes, it was a miracle.

Yet one day, as we all will in our own time, the father died.

But the son (who tells the story) believed it wasn't of cancer, but his siblings and his wife do not agree.  They told him he shouldn't tell. 

But how couldn't he, when he is a miracle worker himself?

Whose Sin Is It?

He came into the confessional box, not sure if it was even the right thing to do.

He picked up a hitch hiker who was deaf and mute (as the sign that hangs on his neck says) because it was raining hard and he did it out of pity.  He normally does not pick up hitch hikers, but he didn't know what hit him this time.  Being always on the road as a sales representative, he can almost call his car and the roads as his home.

The reason was probably he was lonely and devastated.  He was in the process of divorcing his wife and was going through his toughest.

Because we all know that misery loves company, he began telling his story.  He was confident that it will just be almost between him and himself since as I said, the guy he picked up was deaf and mute.

He came into confession because his wife and her lover were killed.  He thinks he was guilty and after telling the priests what had happened or what he thought happened, the priest asked him to do this as his penance.

"Ten Our Fathers and ten Hail Marys."

But before he left the confessional, the priest asked him one last question, and his answer was, "Of course, I do."

As a self-imposed penance for what he thinks was a guilty answer, he added two more Our Fathers and two more Hail Marys.

A Love Transcended

I don’t understand why the title is “The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates.” Certainly, there is something else. Maybe it’s just that I am having some information overload, that’s why I couldn’t get myself to ‘dig in’ like I used to when reading his story.

Or could it be…

The plot was not entirely new.

Maybe this is why my mind refuses to ‘dig in.’ A love that transcended, but it looks like one of those movie series where the boy could see what the future holds – what evil the future holds. I am trying to remember the title. Oh I just did… but am not sure… I think it’s ‘Final Destination.’

But in this case, someone is telling someone else about the things that would happen… that would happen in the future but without definite time.

It took years before what he told her will happen, happened.

Long after he was gone.