My pal Muhammed has a father who is on the same road as Raven, only not quite so far down it. He called me up as I was peering out the glass windows of my eighth floor office at the sun sinking into the Arlington heights under thin salmon-colored cirrus clouds.

“Yo, Vic,” he said.

“Yo back at you. Wazzup?”

“Got a story for you. My Dad Bill has been falling a lot.”

“Raven just had one, too. Freaked me out when the nursing home called.” I know his Bill pretty well from when we were teens, a couple centuries ago. He was tough as nails, and was a navy gunner on merchant ships that did the Murmansk Run in the Big War, the one that was in waters so cold that death was the only outcome of going in the water.

“I knew that and thought you would be interested. So here is the deal here. His Doctor placed him in a Physical Rehab facility in Southfield.  He is in a single room with TV and a bed, kind of like a Hospital room.”

“You just described Raven’s roost at the Bluffs.”

“Well, Bill got placed there Friday, when they moved him from Beaumont Hospital. I went to visit him earlier today on my way to work.   He and I discussed the Temple win over Villanova in basketball and he asked if the community college where I teach  was near this facility, and whether I had to work today.”

“Sounds like he is still with it,” I said. “Doesn’t he have Parkinson’s or something?”

“Yeah, but here is what is interesting. He began to tell me that he has been in this facility and has not been able to escape yet.”

“Funny, that was Raven’s last sentence to me when we put him in the home. “I gotta get out of here,” he said.

“My Dad told me there is a plot afoot and he is trying to figure it out.  But, he told me that spies are everywhere and they are assembling files and dossiers.  He then said that Bonnie, the Head Nurse, is a leader in the conspiracy.  He is worried that they eventually will get information out of him.  So he told me that he is clamming up and will not talk to these people who could be spies.  He is refusing to “talk.”

“Sounds like he remembers the Code of Conduct pretty well.”

“Yeah, in the middle of this, Bonnie walked in. My Dad and I stopped talking.  Bonnie talked to me about his physical condition and when he will be released.  Then Bonnie says to me that Bill is confused and mentally cannot follow what is happening.”

“That is not what was going on, was it? He was trying to not tip the Nazis off that he knew what they were up to.”

“Yeah. So, Bonnie tries to prove to me that he is out of it. She asks Bill who I am  My Dad ignored her.  She repeated the question.  He looks at her and mumbles:  “Evelyn Mae Muhammed, my Mom’s full name.  Bonnie, thinks Bill said “Brian.” So Bonnie looks at me and says.  “Well, is your name Brian?” So she says, “See, he is confused and does not know who you are.”

“Yeah but you knew he did.”

“Yep. She sat there, as if she had proved her point.  I said nothing. I knew that Dad had not said Brian.  To me, it was like he was stonewalling her and giving his Serial Number but was not gonna tell this potential spy my real name.   He didn’t want them knowing who I was, since I could help him solve the case and help him escape.”

“I am glad that Raven doesn’t have any confederates to break him out of the home.”

“Well, my Dad may have one. So then, Big Nurse says  to him:  “Bill, he looks just like you, he has the same shaped head as you”  She seems to be prompting him to make the connection on who I am.”

“But he is not going to give it up, is he?”

“Yeah, he just looks at her and says:   “That is not my problem, that is his problem.”

“That is a hoot.”

“Yeah, so when Big Nurse leaves.  He starts discussing the plot again, how Bonnie is a ringleader and how he wont give her any information. Then he asks me if my brother can visit today because he needs to know about this and may know what to do.”

“Isn’t he still living in California?”

“Yeah. I tell Dad that I will call him and let him know the details and report back to Bill tomorrow. Then he says to me: “The food here is lousy, can your wife cook me some food and bring it tomorrow?”

“So he knew who your wife was and that she is a great cook?”

“Hell yeah. He not only knows my name, knows who I am, he knows what my brother’s name is and who my wife is. Then he asks me some for some details about the Lions win over Minnesota.”

“Amazing. Maybe he thinks you are with the Red Cross.”

“Could be. I dunno how long this goes on.”

“He has more in common with Big Mama than Raven. Raven is just out of it. She is mixing up the movies on TV with reality.”

“Yeah, it is pretty amusing how these things work.   I guess this is why we may not actually need LSD as we age.”

“Good luck with this. There is no instruction manual with this.”

“Take care, Vic. I will keep you posted,” he said and clicked off. I shuffled some papers on the desk and watched the last light of the day reflected in the clouds. Then I turned off the computer, slung my briefcase over my shoulder and went down to the street.

I don’t know if it is better to be held by the Nazis or just be out of it. Honest to God.

I walked up the block and crossed the street and walked into Willow. The Lovely Bea was planning a surprise birthday for Jon-with-no-H and all the usual suspects were there. Jon-without is turning 50, I thought, and that means there is around thirty to go until the Nazis capture us all.

In the meantime, I suppose we may as well drink up.

Copyright Muhammed and Vic 2011
www.vicsocotra.com