The rusted-out, black van had come to rest in the ass end of the swing club parking lot. Who knew how long it had sat there, dormant?
The night was still, and freezing cold. Glistening snow flakes fell — powdered sugar sprinkled by an omnipotent hand.
It was darker out than normal. Everything seemed so distant, and murky.
The van, however, came in crystal clear.
My halitosis condensed into steam, that poured from a mouth perpetually reeking of pussy. Cautiously wandering to the rear of the vehicle — which had been manufactured prior the catalytic converter — I gazed inside.
Amid the winter scene, the guts of this mobile fuck pad simmered hot — heat radiating from its interior.
Carpet-covered walls lined the inside of the ancient van.
Fake fur — the pigment of a cheerleader's bubble gum — wrapped a star-shaped, vibrating bed.
On a television more obsolete than dial-up modems, a white guy with a perm, bent a black chick with straight hair over a kitchen table, while disco music played.
The home-spun recipe of three different bargain basement colognes filled my nostrils, to the point I felt they may bleed.
A greasy, half-drained bottle of sloe gin awaited atop a homemade particle board dresser, lovingly thrown together with wood staples and duct tape. Beside it, an open package of Magnum XLs spilled over the counter.
From the darkened confines of swinger Hell, I discerned the cantaloupe-colored glow of the Prophet's fire stick.
Although I couldn't see his face, I knew he was there, anticipating my arrival. None of my other acquaintances wreaked of a whorehouse, devoured '70s porn, or had a dong the size of a Christmas Yule log.
Once again, I'd come for advice. Like before, the Prophet would convey his particular brand of profligate profundity. As a result, I'd depart wiser and better than I'd been five minutes previous.
Nobody was ever certain the whereabouts of this intangible nomad.
As far as I knew, none had seen the Prophet's face. Many had heard his voice, but what he looked like was an enigma. Rumor had it he'd done a stint in the joint for tearing tags off mattresses, and copying DVDs.
Over the years, I'd battled angry, naked soccer moms to meet with the Prophet. I'd braved blizzards, crashed my alloy steed through guardrails, and stared down impoverishment to be here. In the end, I knew it would be worth it, when I heard the guru croak, "Never discharge your gun within city limits."
At that, the rear doors of the van shut, locking tighter than the legs of a devout nun. In seconds, the vehicle sprung to life, it's headlights carving the void, as it backed out of its parking space, vanishing into the night.
What the fuck—?! That was it?! I'd fended off armies of jealous husbands for that shit?! Legions of lasses, tossing innumerable burning obstacles in my path, all for a mandate I could access from a municipal Website?!
It was more disappointing than climbing Everest, and discovering a Walmart at the summit.
I didn't even own a gun, and if I did, what the hell did shooting it have to do with swinging?!
Despondent, I retreated to my corroded chariot, and limped home.
Folks knew the Prophet spoke in parables. That's why they called him the Prophet.