"There are three ways to make napalm."I said.
"One, mix equal parts of gasoline and frozen orange juice..."Tyler continued.
"Two, equal parts gasoline and diet cola. Three, dissolve kitty litter in gasoline..."
"Until mixture is thick."Tyler finished.
"Pardon me?"The guy sitting next to Tyler asked.
"Tyler Durden."
"Veronica Crowe." we said offering our hands.
"You know why they have oxygen masks on planes?"Tyler asks.
"No, supply oxygen?" he asks.
"Oxygen gets you high. In an emergency, we're taking giant, panicked breaths..."Tyler explains as he grabs a safety card from the seat handing it to the guy.
"Suddenly we become euphoric and docile. We accept our fate." I explained as Tyler pointed to the passive face on the card.
"Emergency water landing, 600 miles per hour. Blank faces calm as hindu cows."Tyler says as we laugh.
"What do you do Tyler, Veronica."Jack asks
"What do you want us to do?"I asked him.
"I mean for a living."
"Why so you can say 'Oh that's what you do.' and be smug little shit about it?" Tyler asks. Jack laughs as Tyler reaches under the seat in front of us to lift a briefcase.
"You know you have a sick desperation in your laugh."I said.
"We have the same briefcase."Jack said pointing at it.
"Open it."Tyler said pointing the top towards him. Jack looks at Tyler and I like we're crazy the pops the latches and raises the lid to reveal bars of Soap.
"Soap the yardstick of civilization. We make and sell soap." I said as Tyler handed our card.
"The Paper Street Soap Company."Tyler said.
"If you were to add nitric acid to the soap making process one would get nitroglycerin. With enough soap one could blow up the entire world if one were inclined."Tyler says snapping the briefcase shut as Jack stares. I was currently drifting off and leaning on Tyler's shoulder.
"Tyler you are by far the most interesting single serving friend I've ever met."
"Be quiet now and let her sleep."Tyler said noticing me drifting off.
"You see when you travel everything is small, self contained."Jack said none too quietly might I add. I groaned quietly but loud enough for Tyler to hear.
"Shut up man she's trying to sleep and you're making it none too easy for her. The spork I get it you're very clever."Tyler said.
"Thank you."Jack said still loud as can be.
I just sat up in my seat with tired eyes.
"Now you've done it asshole."Tyler said. "Oh and how's that working for you?"
"What?"
"Being clever."Tyler stated simply.
"Well..uh great."Jack said taken back.
"Keep it up then. Keep it right up."
"As I squeeze past so I give you the ass or the crotch?" we move towards the isle asses towards Jack and walk away.
"We are defined by the choices we make." I say as we go to the curtain dividing first class and push it aside sitting in empty seats I leaned my head on Tyler's shoulder.
"You owe me."I said tiredly.
"Why?"Tyler asks.
"Because you couldn't get him to shut up."I said.
"Alright alright I gotcha."He said wrapping his arm around me let me fall asleep on him as we waited for the flight to end.
Yes we did blow up his condo but we had good reason he needed to learn to let go so were forcing him to let go.
We were sitting at the bar when Tyler got a call but we didn't answer it in time so we called it back almost immediately.
"Hello?"
"Who is this."Tyler asks.
"Uh... I'm sorry. We met on the plane. We had the same briefcase. I'm... you know the clever guy."Jack said nervously.
"Oh yeah."
"I called a second ago there was no answer im at a payphone.
"I star sixty nined you I never pick up my phone whats up?"
"Well .... let me see....here's the thing...."
We had ended up at Lou's Tavern sitting in the back with two pitchers of beer. One for me and one for them.
"You buy furniture. You tell yourself this is the last sofa you'll ever need. No matter what else happens I've got the sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. The right dinette."Jack goes on.
"This is how we fill up our lives."Tyler said lighting both his and my own cigarette.
"I guess so."Jack says
"And now it's gone."Tyler states.
"All gone."Jack says quietly.
"Could be worse. A woman could cut your penis off while you're asleep and toss it out the window of a moving car."Tyler states.
"There's always that."
"I don't know maybe I'm wrong maybe it's a terrible tragedy.
"....no......no..."
"I mean you did lose a lot of nice neat shit. The trendy paper lamps, the euro trask shelving unit, am I right?"Jack laughs nodding his head drinking to what Tyler had said.
"But maybe just maybe you've been delivered." I said.
"Delivered from Swedish furniture." Jack toasts.
"Delivered from armchairs in obscure green striped patterns." Tyler says as we put our glasses up finishing off the beer.
"Delivered from Martha Stewart." I continue.
"Delivered from bullshit colors like cobalt, ebony, and fuchsia."Tyler finishes off.
"Insurance'll cover it." Jack says
"Oh yeah you gotta start making the list." Tyler states.
"What lost?" Jack asks confused.
"The 'now I get to go out and the exact same shit all over again' lost. That list." I say.
"I don't ....I don't think so." Jack says.
"This time get a widescreen tv you'll be occupied for weeks." Tyler says loudly.
"Well I have to file a claim."
"The things you own end up owning you." I say.
"Don't I?" Jack inquires.
"Do what you like." Tyler states.
"God it's late I should find a hotel." Jack says looking down at his watch.
"A hotel?" Tyler says dumbfounded.
"So you called us up so you could have a drink before going to a hotel?" I ask him like he's a complete idiot, which he is.
"I don't follow." Jack says confused.
"We were all on our third pitcher of beer. Just ask." I said.
"Huh?" God this guy is a fucking idiot.
"You called us so you could have a place to stay." Tyler says.
"No I...."
"Why don't you just cut the shit and ask if you can stay at our place?" I say.
"Would that be a problem?" Jack asks.
"Would it be a problem if you ask?" Tyler inquires.
"Can I stay at your place." Jack asks.
"Yes you can." Tyler states.
"Thank you." Jack says.
"Your welcome but we want you to do us a favor." I say.
"What?" Jack asks quickly.
"I want you to hit us as hard as you can." Tyler said.
"I don't know about this." Jack says.
"What just cause I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't take a hit asshole."
"Well neither am I I've never been hit. Have you?" Tyler asks.
"No that's a good thing isn't it?"
"I don't want to die without the scars. How much do you really know about yourself if you've never been in a fight? Come on you're the only person I've ever asked." Tyler says.
"Me?" Jack asks.
"Why not you? I'm letting you go first do it." I say.
"This is crazy." Jack says.
"Alright go crazy let it rip." I say.
"Where do you want it? In the face?" Jack asks.
"Surprise us." Tyler says.
Jack swings two wide and clumsy roundhouse hits and hits our ears. Our fucking ears. What the hell man!?
"Like hell it didn't." I say.
"That counted." Tyler says.
Both Tyler and I threw hits back at Jack Tyler hitting his core and me hitting his nose. He teared up.
"How do you feel." I ask.
"Strange." He answered.
"But a good strange." Tyler said.
"We've crossed the threshold. You want to call it off?" I ask.
"Call what off." He asks.
"The fight." Tyler says as I roll my eyes.
"What fight?" Jack asks.
"This fight pussy." I say.
We continued fighting till we ended it and sat on the curb a little ways away from the bar.
"If you could fight anyone one on one who would you fight?" Tyler asks.
"Anyone?" Jack asks.
"My boss probably."
"My dad no question." Tyler said.
"What about you Veronica?" Jack asks. Tyler tenses up. I clenched my fists and jaw. I stood up with my half empty beer in hand and started walking home.
"I'll see you at home." I said.
I had finished my beer right as I turned onto paper street I threw the bottles as hard as I could into the street earring it shatter a few seconds later. I walked into the house and trudged up the stairs and layer on the bed facing away from the door and closed my eyes as the memories replayed in my head. I heard people come into the house as come upstairs.
"Your rooms right there." Tyler said quietly.
"Thank you." Jack said.
I heard footstep approach the door to our room and open it quietly shutting it behind them and taking off their shoes. They payed down beside me and wrapped their arm around my waist pulling me to them.
"Listen I'm here for you, have been for 6 years you need to talk to me." Tyler said quietly. I opened my eyes and looked over at him.
"I would fight my brother." I said quietly.
"Why?"
"So that I know I'm capable of protecting myself." I told him.
"Why would you need to fight your brother to know that?" Tyler asked genuinely confused.
"Because he was the one that protected me when our parents came after me." I said.
"Let me see your back." Tyler said lowly.
"Why?" I asked.
"Just let me see you back." He said a little louder. I took off my shirt leaving me in jeans and a sports bra exposing all of my scars and my right arm which was covered in burn marks from the acid my father put on it. I turned and showed Tyler.
"Your parents did this to you?" He asked angrily.
"Yeah." I said.
Tyler immediately grabbed his jacket. And started towards the door.
"Tyler you can go after them."
"And why not?" He asked turning around with a murderous look on his face.
"Because I killed them." I stated but my voice cracked and the last moment.
"Come here." He said. I walked over to him and he pulled me into a hug I buried my face in his chest and inhaled his scent as he buried his face in my neck.
"Let's go to bed we're starting a fight club tomorrow." Tyler said calmly dropping his jacket picking me up and laying down on our bed.
