DRTA reading of a few words

Paraphrase:

Holding the fountain-pen tightly between his fingers with all his love for Maeve, Wallace wrote everything’s going pretty well and he’s thinking about going back to Samson, the small city where he might do better. Here came Flapjack putting the black timeworn gun on the coffee table on the paper he was writing on, Wallace dragged the letter out and put it in his pocket and lounged on his green velvet sofa, smoking a Salem cigarette with his eyes closed.

Reminding Wallace the fact that he needed it and there’s no way back to change his mind, Flapjack pulled out a Winston and sat on the other velvet sofa playing with his cigarette pocket with tapping it on his twitching knee. He always seemed to be plunged into danger.

As Wallace stooped dawn to crunch his cigarette into the ashtray, he denied having any intention to quit this job with his serene voice and didn’t look at Flapjack’s eyes, he already knew how much Flapjack was feverish about doing this job.

Then Flapjack declared he didn’t mean it that way and he just thought maybe that might have happened but Wallace didn’t care about every single word he was saying and had already taken his way to the kitchen. Then he just got rid of Flapjack by telling him the time to see each other and so he left.

As Flapjack left, Wallace returned back and sat in his green velvet chair taking another cigarette out of its pack, looked at the black worn-out gun and went deep into his distracted thoughts, drowning in his miseries. He knew how necessary it was for him to commit such a senseless crime to earn as much as that of a bread, not to starve. He was regretting about the doom he was condemned to, he could be that perfect man whit his both knees sound for Maeve to rely on, and then maybe she would stay. His eyes moved to the oil painting of Elvis on the dark blue walls, he did hate Elvis and that painting was just for decoration. He took a deep breath of nicotine into his lungs. He was thinking of losing everything by injuring his knee in that goddamned war, he was thinking if he wasn’t black, then maybe he was not bounded to acquiesce whatever Flapjack says. Again his eyes moved on to the black gun on the coffee table. He knew it that nothing’s going to change.

Wallace was sitting on a chest and waiting for Flapjack to come. He was a bit late. But he finally came and they got ready for the job.

All Wallace was thinking about that moment was the rent of three months which must be paid for the next few hours and it was the reason reminding him there’s no way back! He just wanted to go back to see Maeve again, but there was only one way to earn the money for buying the ticket.

They were staying out of the very small convenience store, Wallace declared to Flapjack that when the other people in the store left he has the responsibility for not letting anybody in. it was 11:45 and they had just fifteen minutes. They went into the store, Flapjack pleased himself with the magazines and Wallace went to the aisle where baby foods were put. There was a cop in the store and the voice of a woman bargaining about the price of tomato paste to Leroy Whitaker, the store’s owner.

The cop left the store while the woman was complaining about the fact that the prices are much lower at Food King Store which is across the town. Wallace felt himself in much ease.

Leroy suggested the woman pick something else instead of a tomato paste cause he was going to close the store in the next ten minutes. The woman having no other choices went among the aisles.

Wallace knew Leroy, he was one of those man having a wife and a girlfriend both, driving a Caddie and having overpriced tags on his stuff. The woman was still uncertain about what she really needed, Wallace saw the time running out, and it was time. Looking around to find Flapjack he was angry. It was 11:58. Flapjack was missing and Wallace went through the job with the gun in his hands.

Wallace put his gun on Leroy’s temple and asked him to put his hands on the counter, Leroy looked enraged compressing his lips on each other. The lady started shrilling and dropped the things in his hand with a loud noise. Wallace threatened her to leave or to die with his calm deadly voice. She ran away hitting whatever that was on her way out.

Wallace felt Leroy’s looking eyes on himself, there was something frigid and familiar in his eyes that wasn’t bearable for Wallace at all, so he put more pressure on Leroy and asked him to give all the money he had. Leroy seemed very indifferent to what was happening and it was driving Wallace crazy. Leroy didn’t even oppose, he just took the money out the cash drawer and put it in a bag.

Leroy started to tease Wallace with his harsh words, he was telling Wallace that he was never meant to be someone special for himself or even anybody else and he was meant to be nobody. He told Wallace that he would have trained him better if he had been his father.

Wallace was burst into rage. There came the moment he did not know Leroy anymore. He could not understand anything. That was the end, he shot the gun and in the next second Leroy’s body was lying on the ground with the bullet settled in his head. Wallace’s eyes were no longer that much calm and his voice was no longer deadly and cold.

Leroy was taking his last breaths when Wallace swore to his goddamned father. Wallace took the bag with the money in it and headed down, he was thinking about what he had in his hands, the rent is due in just a few hours and he did have enough to pay. There was a change, something happened not planned before, and it caused a much bigger change. He no more wanted to go back home, he preferred to think about having a job. He made his final decision. He arrived home and sat on his green velvet chair again smoking another cigarette.

Flapjack called and explained about his sudden disappearance and Wallace noted him that he could not be given more than a twenty. He was really angry with Flapjack, he was also thinking about sleeping but he suddenly remembered about the letter in his pocket and continued writing on about that he’s not going back anymore cause he’s satisfied with the city life and he thinks he is certain about his decision.

Summarize:

Wallace is writing a letter to his love, Maeve, and expressing that he wants to go back home, but as he is writing his friend Flapjack comes to him, reminding him about the robbery that they must do together in that night, persuading him with his all capability. In the rest of the story, the writer declares his miseries in a frame of regret. Being black, being left by his love, being ignored by his family and being injured in a war, they all make him feel down. The story goes on with the planning for robbing the convenience store in less than 15 minutes and when the time for doing it comes Flapjack fades away and Wallace does the job lonely but when the owner of the store teases Wallace in a very harsh way, he becomes so angry that he loses his control over himself and kills the guy. Then he understands he has the money he needed to pay the rent and he no longer wants to leave the city he is living in. And at the end of the story, he continues writing the letter and telling he’s not going back home.

Questioning and noting (because I take my notes as the answer to my questions most of the time):

The title, of course, is one of the most important parts of a small story that narrates the story on its own term, what’s the idea or the reason beyond the name “a few word”? Each word has a great world, sometimes the gathering of two or three small words can totally change your whole life. I mean people might tell you just two words and then you just decide to change their opinion by changing yourself, or sometimes it comes to very small changes like changes in the circumstances. when I see “a few” before “words”, I feel there’s something vast and extended that comes to a halter because I think the world of words is too big to choose just a few through them, and when you do so, you must be careful to do it attentively. One of the most important questions is “what does the title stand for? A letter? If so, a letter to whom? Or a quote? If so, whose words?” The answer surely is not clear before reading the story concisely but I think these few words belong to someone who has been the main reason for a change in the main character’s personality. The other question is what do these few words imply? Considering the preconceptions I’ve already in my mind, it can be about sympathy, but as I said before I don’t think this few words to be about a letter so I mean these words are kind of harsh words that are going to hurt you, make you more conscious about whatever’s happening around you and whatever you’re doing.

Who’s Maeve? What does her name mean? Why has the writer chosen this name for her? And what has happened between her and Wallace before?

The origin of the name Maeve is Irish, Maeve means "she who intoxicates."

The character says “just like I left it”, where does he mean? And if it is about D.C. or his hometown (actually I have some problems with the words “states-D.C.”  And I’m not sure about what I have inferred but I think he means he has left his hometown “Samson” to “Washington D.C.” for some reason.) Why has he left it? Is there any special reason behind it?

Why does the character he’s thinking about going back? Is it about money and such problems? Or he just missed his family or Maeve?

Why is the adjective “scarred” used for the table?

I think it is about the first words showing how much the furniture is time worn.

Why is the gun well worn? Does it mean that they have done more suicides before?

There are too many brands of cigarettes, why Salem and why Winston? Is that (crazily) indirectly mentioning anything about the town named Winston-Salem city?

Why is Flapjack persuading Wallace to do the work by telling him “you want to back out”? How does he know about Wallace’s hesitation? And does Wallace seem uncertain about the robbery and the gun?

Why does the writer describe Flapjack personality as the flame in the forest of life since grade school?

There’s this weird contradiction between Wallace and Flapjack’s personality, Wallace is described with calm, cold and deadly voice but Flapjack as the fire that burns the forest so he’s from those troublemakers who always have themselves and their friends in big troubles.

Why is Flapjack that much excited for the job?

What was the exact reason he couldn’t have the world combed and styled as he wanted? What was the obstacle or obstacles?

Why is he having the oil painting of Elvis on the dark blue wall? Is it just about the decoration?

Why did he hate Elvis?

Why does he have such feelings of despair for his father? Why does he think that his father has not paid enough attention to him?

He’s dissembling the truth with all the bad happenings in his life, but maybe it could happen by his own attempt.

Why does he think the war in ‘Nam was thankless? Is that because he became injured?

Why did Maeve leave him alone? And why didn’t he blame her?

Why does he think the robbery of the convenience store is so foolish and ridiculous? And why does he think he’s more than that to do such a thing?

Why does he have no money? Not even that much of a ticket?

Why doesn’t he believe in himself? Why does he say “you ain’t got a damned thing”?

Maybe because he was never believed by his friends and family.

Why was Wallace checking the gun for smudges? Smudges of what? Does it mean that they have committed suicide before?

Why did Wallace think of calling the job off and going back home?

Why is a life saver’s number in his pocket? And why is Carlene Tilen’s number in his pocket? Who is Carlene Tilen?

Why was the convenience store that small although the owner of that seemed a wealthy man?

What did Wallace hope to be Playboy? Why?

Why did Flapjack suddenly fade? Where did he go? And why did he left the job that he was that much excited for?

What were the reasons that made Wallace that much angry about the indifference in the owner’s treatment?

Why was the reason for telling those harsh words to Wallace? Only annoying him and making him feel dawn? Why did he do that although he knew he might be dead by teasing Wallace?

A few words, this was the reason I found behind the title, the words that will drive you crazy and make you go mad, and do what you really don’t want to. Then there’s a big change in you and you find everything different.

Why did Wallace feel defeated when he left the store?

Why does Wallace finally change his mind and does not want to go back home? Didn’t he miss Maeve?

Wallace is a Scottish surname which means "foreigner" or "Welshman".

Flapjack would be used to describe something similar to an apple flan, but it is not until 1935 that the word is first used to describe a food made of oats. Flapjack is also referred to pancakes.

The name Leroy is a French baby name. In French, the meaning of the name Leroy is: The King (it’s chosen because of his being wealth maybe, ha ha ha)

Keywords:

Paragraph 1:

D.C., Good, Samson

Paragraph 2:

Gun, worn, letter, cigarette

Paragraph 3:

Twitching knee, flame, forest

Paragraph 4:

Back-out, Flapjack, excitement

Paragraph 5:

Thought, kitchen, faucet

Paragraph 6:

Eleven-thirty, nodded

Paragraph 7:

Black gun, Elvis, nicotine, being black, father, knee, Maeve, robbing

Paragraph 8, 9, 10, and 11 (small conversation):

Cupped hands, damn thing, late, wiping, drill

Paragraph 12:

Flapjack, being high, rent, call off, bus fair

Paragraph 13:

Listen

Paragraph 14:

People, leave, watch the door

Paragraph 15:

Money, safe, johnny law

Paragraph 16:

Closet, magazine row, cop, fat lady

Paragraph 17:

Tomato paste, food king, cop

Paragraph 18:

Something else, close, 10 minutes

Paragraph 19:

Leroy, ring, caddie, find Flapjack

Paragraph 20:

Too late, 11:58, gun, counter

Paragraph 21:

Compressed, temple, dropped, screaming,

Paragraph 22:

Swung, three cans

Paragraph 23:

Familiar, angry, indifference

Paragraph 24:

Money, paper bag,

Paragraph 25:

No good, no better, strap, daddy

Paragraph 26:

Rob earnings, crack, hot, calmness

Paragraph 27:

Bag, defeated, different, rent, gun

Paragraph 28:

Flapjack, twenty,

Paragraph 29:

Changed mind, city boy