“Winner!” by John Dunne

“You won.” says Scott Fitzgerald to Nancy.

“Yeah.” says Nancy skeptically.

“So. When do we make love?” says Scott.

JFK’s something laughs.

“Ahh. I don’t know.” says Nancy.

“That’s sad. Why not now?” says Scott.

“Hey Nancy.

What if…you were worth $6 trillion in oil? What do you think of the situation in Ukraine. Answer in 4 seconds or piss me off!” says Elon Musk.

“I have no idea.” says Nancy like it’s a stupid question.

“Oh! Okay! Then your family will lose all their oil. In this pretend scenario. And you’ll be cursed.” says Elon Musk.

“For real? It’s that constantly intense?” asks Nancy.

“No fucking shit it is!!!” says the CIA, sincerely.

“Yeah. There’s no recovery. You’ve blown it.” says Elon Musk. “She’s never dropped the ball. Ever. In eight years. EVER.”

“You interrogate her constantly?” asks Nancy.

“24/7.” says Germany.

“Her only respite is when she fights us off. And Queen Elizabeth II and a few others protect and protected her.“ says the CIA.

“Nancy! Let’s make love!! Now!” says Scott Fitzgerald. “NOW!”

“Don’t do it!!” says Casi.

“I’m depressed!” says Scott.

“I lack common sense.” says Nancy.

“Too bad. Let’s make love.” says Scott.

“Nancy. They’re trying to make you a call girl.” says the FBI.

“Who?” asks Nancy.

“The evil Illuminati. Because you’re vulnerable. And slightly insane.” says the FBI.

“No!” says Nancy.

“No?” says Scott.

“Lots of kids get as scared as you…and then are kidnapped and tortured.” says Lacey. “There lives are living Hells.

Do you feel special? In comparison to them?”

Silence.

“What about their tears? They’re just waiting to die. And they’re kids.” says Lacey.

“Okay so…here’s my theory about myself.

I got really popular on YouTube. I had so many followers. So many.

And…I made some money.

And…I think it went to my head.” says Nancy.

“Yeah. What did that feel like?” says Lacey. “I felt a tiny bit of that. But it was minimal compared to what you likely felt.”

Scott stares at Nancy.

“I felt…very successful.” says Nancy.

“Like how successful?” says Lacey.

“Extremely successful.” says Nancy.

“Like as successful as me?” asks Scott.

“ Honestly, I’m starting to fall in love with myself you’re painting me as this, Hispanic, not just Puerto Rican or Nicaraguan, but like Hispanic woman who grew up poor in a hood in Philadelphia, but married recently well not rich, not rich, but in a middle class and has her masters degree from an online university, and was trying desperately to sort of pull her self up by her own bootstraps and has this fanciful, romantic, naïve, ill-conceived idea that you can really do that completely as a person. And I’m not like gorgeous, but I’m kind of pretty and it’s something sort of romantic because I had to go through all these surgeries, and that sort of part of my characters trajectory that they grew up sort of poor, maybe a little average looking, maybe even a little ugly and then they got surgery and suddenly became so much beautiful and has this way, or they act glamorous in front of other people, even though it’s not real. End she needs this woman who’s this Eros who she becomes someone obsessed with who is slightly dead because her father is a historical man who conceived her in his late 80s. And that’s her birth father anyway, she becomes obsessed. My character me becomes obsessed with her because she sees conquering this person, and sort of overtaking her, and becoming her as a way of sort of one upping her, but also becoming some thing that she wants to be, which is the superiority of Just being super superior. Well, then you know if she finds out that doesn’t work, loses lots of money Call spot on her face, and yet they still somewhat happy, and just tells herself and everyone else that she doesn’t care if people believe her because she doesn’t care as much as she should and she’s slightly insane, I want the truth you know, truthfully, speaking she does care. I’m not ugly and fascinating. No, I’m starting to actually like my own character become sort of attached to myself.” says Nancy.

“ did you think you could beat Zelda Fitzgerald I having 40,000 followers on YouTube?” says Zelda.

“No and yes and no.” says Nancy.

“ I think your theory holds some water, Nancy I think that’s part of what might’ve happened to you.” says the CIA.

“ you know honestly, I might have borderline personality disorder very slightly.” says Nancy.

“ oh well yeah where did you develop that because of your act?” asks a reader.

“ well, either way I’m done talking to you if you don’t tell me the next five minutes that you’re interested.” says Scott.

“ is that what you tell people?” asks her husband.

“ yes because I’m F Scott Fitzgerald and I do not have time to waste. I’ve never talk to you before and that way possibly if I have talk to you I don’t think it was quite that clear, so what do you say?” says Scott.

“No.” says Nancy.

“Alright see you later.” says Scott.