a little help today. You’re always looking for a little help, aren’t you?”
Georgie starts looking me over. Georgie is maybe 5’5” tall and could possibly be 5’5” wide as well, but his most noticeable characteristic has to be his ears. They are the hairiest ears I have ever seen; there’s a forest coming out the sides of his face. I stare at him dully.
“What’s the matter with him?” Georgie asks.
Sal tells him I am a college intern who just wasn’t up to the heavy labor today, so he thought Georgie’s line of work might be a better match for me. Then Sal excuses himself, leaving me in the capable hands of Georgie Skolinsky, who introduces me to Felipe Cortez, Ramon Pizzaro and Lily. They are talking and getting ready for what must be the task at hand, but the whole thing has a weird feel to it. After all, Sal did say something about a shit detail. I look around and notice that everyone is a little...odd. There’s Georgie with his hairy ears, and Felipe, who walks with a bad limp, as if one leg was 12 inches shorter than the other. Ramon isn’t talking at all and I’m not sure if he doesn’t want to be part of this group or just can’t follow the chatter. And then there is Lily, who is extremely heavy and has the most god-awful dyed red hair ever. It’s more orange than red. She has on orange lipstick that perfectly matches her hair, but there’s more lipstick on her teeth than on her mouth. What is this, the detail of the damned?
Georgie barks, “Let’s get started.”
Ramon wheels in a huge, tall vat while the others circle around a stainless steel table. There is steam coming from the vat and something is obviously boiling. Between the boiling vat and the cold of the refrigerated room it looks as though the vat is on fire and smoking up a storm. Felipe has a ponytail, and it looks pretty funny when he puts on the plastic sanitary hat that they all begin pulling on. Everyone looks pretty silly; it’s like an operating room.
“Here you go, sweetie,” Lily says as she gives me a hat.
“Don’t try too hard, Lily. I don’t think he’s ready to marry you yet,” Georgie says with a yellow-toothed grin.
I put on my hat and watch as Ramon wheels the vat next to the table. He gets on a step stool and, wielding a huge spoon the size of a shovel, begins scooping something from the vat. The water strains from the holes in the gigantic spoon and he dumps these slimy things on the table. They just slide toward the middle. Within about three minutes there are dozens of huge pink blobs on the table, roughly the size of an NBA basketball player’s foot. Then I recognize them. They are rock-solid huge tongues. I might still be a bit buzzed, but it looks like these tongues are aimed at me, taunting me.
Georgie sees my amazement. “Tongue,” he says.
“I can see that, but from what?”
“Cows, moron.”
I’m watching as the group begins working with surgical precision. Hands move fast and each huge tongue is processed in about three minutes.
Lily is complaining about how the government is too soft on crime and how she can’t even walk two blocks in her own neighborhood. She keeps at it for a few minutes. Man, she can go.
Finally, Felipe interrupts her. “The men in your neighborhood must be all over you. They can’t get enough of you.”
Georgie and the others start laughing. It’s a bit sad that they are having such a good time at Lily’s expense, but I have to admit, I’m grateful that Felipe got Lily under control. Just listening for a few minutes, I could tell she is a runaway train.
Georgie notices me and says, “Someone get the kid involved.”
“C’mon over here, hon, I’ll help you,” Lily offers.
“Quiet down, Lily, I got it. Stand over here, kid,” Felipe says.
That’s a relief; the last thing I need is to be cornered by Lily. Felipe begins to show me the ropes. He lifts one of the gigantic tongues, tosses it up a few inches and catches it
Georgie starts looking me over. Georgie is maybe 5’5” tall and could possibly be 5’5” wide as well, but his most noticeable characteristic has to be his ears. They are the hairiest ears I have ever seen; there’s a forest coming out the sides of his face. I stare at him dully.
“What’s the matter with him?” Georgie asks.
Sal tells him I am a college intern who just wasn’t up to the heavy labor today, so he thought Georgie’s line of work might be a better match for me. Then Sal excuses himself, leaving me in the capable hands of Georgie Skolinsky, who introduces me to Felipe Cortez, Ramon Pizzaro and Lily. They are talking and getting ready for what must be the task at hand, but the whole thing has a weird feel to it. After all, Sal did say something about a shit detail. I look around and notice that everyone is a little...odd. There’s Georgie with his hairy ears, and Felipe, who walks with a bad limp, as if one leg was 12 inches shorter than the other. Ramon isn’t talking at all and I’m not sure if he doesn’t want to be part of this group or just can’t follow the chatter. And then there is Lily, who is extremely heavy and has the most god-awful dyed red hair ever. It’s more orange than red. She has on orange lipstick that perfectly matches her hair, but there’s more lipstick on her teeth than on her mouth. What is this, the detail of the damned?
Georgie barks, “Let’s get started.”
Ramon wheels in a huge, tall vat while the others circle around a stainless steel table. There is steam coming from the vat and something is obviously boiling. Between the boiling vat and the cold of the refrigerated room it looks as though the vat is on fire and smoking up a storm. Felipe has a ponytail, and it looks pretty funny when he puts on the plastic sanitary hat that they all begin pulling on. Everyone looks pretty silly; it’s like an operating room.
“Here you go, sweetie,” Lily says as she gives me a hat.
“Don’t try too hard, Lily. I don’t think he’s ready to marry you yet,” Georgie says with a yellow-toothed grin.
I put on my hat and watch as Ramon wheels the vat next to the table. He gets on a step stool and, wielding a huge spoon the size of a shovel, begins scooping something from the vat. The water strains from the holes in the gigantic spoon and he dumps these slimy things on the table. They just slide toward the middle. Within about three minutes there are dozens of huge pink blobs on the table, roughly the size of an NBA basketball player’s foot. Then I recognize them. They are rock-solid huge tongues. I might still be a bit buzzed, but it looks like these tongues are aimed at me, taunting me.
Georgie sees my amazement. “Tongue,” he says.
“I can see that, but from what?”
“Cows, moron.”
I’m watching as the group begins working with surgical precision. Hands move fast and each huge tongue is processed in about three minutes.
Lily is complaining about how the government is too soft on crime and how she can’t even walk two blocks in her own neighborhood. She keeps at it for a few minutes. Man, she can go.
Finally, Felipe interrupts her. “The men in your neighborhood must be all over you. They can’t get enough of you.”
Georgie and the others start laughing. It’s a bit sad that they are having such a good time at Lily’s expense, but I have to admit, I’m grateful that Felipe got Lily under control. Just listening for a few minutes, I could tell she is a runaway train.
Georgie notices me and says, “Someone get the kid involved.”
“C’mon over here, hon, I’ll help you,” Lily offers.
“Quiet down, Lily, I got it. Stand over here, kid,” Felipe says.
That’s a relief; the last thing I need is to be cornered by Lily. Felipe begins to show me the ropes. He lifts one of the gigantic tongues, tosses it up a few inches and catches it
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