The Further Adventures of Bonko (Fiction, 2005)

Bonko the clown stood sadly honking his horn. His pants slowly slid to his ankles--he'd given the pretty trapeze artist his suspenders because she needed them for her cocaine addicted boyfriend--she said he wanted to hang himself--so the clown was a little conflicted as to his true motive for giving. She never thanked him for his sacrificial gift and in fact seemed to think it his place to bestow the suspenders on her. A tear streaked down his face, "Honk, honk," if only the pretty trapese artist had eyes for him--but beautiful women never noticed clowns like Bonko, "I give up," he muttered, scuffling off to his run-down trailer."

Later that day Bonko turned on his 12 inch black and white television and after twisting the rabbit ears for a few minutes, he managed to hear on the news about a man on a tricycle who had accidentally hung himself from a telephone pole. The man's girlfriend was on talking to the newsman about the tragedy. Tears streaked down her face as she recounted the life of her only true love. Despite the fuzzy picture, Bonko noticed what appeared to be his suspenders hanging from the pole. The orange braces dangled in the wind and Bonko wished that he was wearing them now; that he hadn't given in to such a vain notion. He thought about going down to the scene and asking for them back but, he didn't want to get involved--he also wasn't certain as to his complicity in the man's death--he wasn't good with gray areas--his life was a gray area.

Later that day he answered a rapid knock on the door, it was the trapeze artist. "Here, take these back--there's blood on them...YOURS!"

Bonko didn't see any blood--she was being metaphorical--Bonko didn't understand metaphors so he dropped the suspenders to the ground and stared at his lily white hands, "Honk, honk, honk, honk, honk."

The trapese artist looked at him with disgust,"You killed the man I loved and that is all you can say? Pick them up and wear them. You deserve them, you killed him, you bloody loser," she uttered contemptuously.

She turned and walked away, but spoke again, seemingly to no one--that is, to everyone,"Nothing but a God damned loser."

And so he was.

And so was she. And so am I...and so are you.

"Honk, honk."