Firemen and paramedics came in through the back of the store and rushed past them. They heard loudspeakers announcing that the Mega-Center was closing... That announcement was accompanied by shouts of anger from many of the shoppers who had already made it into the store and had picked up sales items. Ruthie heard several things inside breaking. She correctly assumed the crashes were from disappointed shoppers smashing things they had picked up but would not be allowed to buy.They exited through. She still loved the color scheme of lush gold and red, only now it was decked out with Christmas trees and tasteful decorations. With the fireplace in her line of vision she could see people milling about throughout the room. Holiday music played softly in the background and the house was adorned with all the festive trimmings customary for the time of year. The fireplace, she had noticed earlier, had fresh pine limbs and gorgeous red and gold ornaments strategically placed. Thick, red pillar. .. and bound them to my head with a blindfold. I'd lostthe ability to do anything but hear the dusky beat and distant "Yeah, yeah"with a repetitious synthesizer accompaniment, until the "Yeah, yeah...."was my only thought, as my mind took my body in time with Talia's taking mybottom with another Jumbo Jack like the one now up her own ass.... Ohhhfuck.... ohhhhfuck....oohhhhhh...FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! . .."Ilene loses herself in tears.Monday comes quickly.It's almost 12PM, and Philip still couldn't do anything. He turned on his laptop in the morning, and that's it.He can't take his eyes from Ilene. She's staring blankly at her laptop, with the deepest sadness he has ever seen on her."Ilene ... I have to go to a team meeting, I think it won't take long. We'll go lunch somewhere, wherever you want, OK?" he says to her. He's hoping that a lunch outside, in a restaurant full of other people, can.