Day 3: Redemption
Jan. 4th, 2004 03:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
3pipeproblemMatchstick Men (I know! Dear God!), spoilers
Frank never thought about redemption. Well, ok, that wasn't exactly true. Once he'd thought, "Redemption is bullshit." But that had been it.
He hadn't told Roy, because he had a feeling Roy needed to believe in things like that.
But, c'mon. You did something, you lived with it. Not because of responsibility or choice or anything...well, anything Roy would talk about, but because it was done. If Frank had the money in his hands, if he could feel each and every one of the crisp bills, count them out, he sure as hell wasn't giving them back.
Angela'd told him about Roy making her return the money to that woman, and they'd both shrugged and laughed about it. That's Roy for you, he'd said. When we're done with this, don't think I'm giving the money back. Probably should have said "we," but she'd been too busy laughing to notice.
The woman they'd given the money back to, she would have been pissed. Thinking she was doing a little girl a favor and then finding out it was all a big scam? Yeah, Roy wasn't getting any thanks for that one. Better to have kept the money and let her keep the illusion that she'd done a good deed. The illusion wouldn't last, but then neither would the money.
He never considered giving the money back to Roy. Roy would do fine on his own. Roy understood. It'd be insulting, to pull a con like that then turn around and give it back.
No, it worked like this. The money wasn't lasting, of course. Actually, it was kind of disappearing quicker than usual. But after the gamble it had been to get ahold of the cash in the first place, what was a few card games?
When Frank was honest with himself, he knew it would be gone soon.
And when he was really honest, he knew he felt kinda good about that.
Frank never thought about redemption. Well, ok, that wasn't exactly true. Once he'd thought, "Redemption is bullshit." But that had been it.
He hadn't told Roy, because he had a feeling Roy needed to believe in things like that.
But, c'mon. You did something, you lived with it. Not because of responsibility or choice or anything...well, anything Roy would talk about, but because it was done. If Frank had the money in his hands, if he could feel each and every one of the crisp bills, count them out, he sure as hell wasn't giving them back.
Angela'd told him about Roy making her return the money to that woman, and they'd both shrugged and laughed about it. That's Roy for you, he'd said. When we're done with this, don't think I'm giving the money back. Probably should have said "we," but she'd been too busy laughing to notice.
The woman they'd given the money back to, she would have been pissed. Thinking she was doing a little girl a favor and then finding out it was all a big scam? Yeah, Roy wasn't getting any thanks for that one. Better to have kept the money and let her keep the illusion that she'd done a good deed. The illusion wouldn't last, but then neither would the money.
He never considered giving the money back to Roy. Roy would do fine on his own. Roy understood. It'd be insulting, to pull a con like that then turn around and give it back.
No, it worked like this. The money wasn't lasting, of course. Actually, it was kind of disappearing quicker than usual. But after the gamble it had been to get ahold of the cash in the first place, what was a few card games?
When Frank was honest with himself, he knew it would be gone soon.
And when he was really honest, he knew he felt kinda good about that.
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Date: 2004-01-05 01:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-05 01:45 am (UTC)