Laurels Literary Magazine Spring 2016 | Page 109

Five Minutes in the Life of Billy Pilgrim Like I was saying, I have the cigarette. You may as well just hand over the lighter. BILLY You can get KILGORE to give in to you but I’m not so easy. I think I’ll just hold onto it. LAZZO Alright, I’ll trade you my cigarette for the lighter. BILLY (laughing) And what good will that do me? A cigarette with no lighter. LAZZO I’ll get you a cigarette and I’ll have me a lighter. Of course, I’ll let you use it. As long as you trade me something else you picked up. I’ve seen your sticky fingers putting all kinds of stuff in them pockets. I bet you KILGORE’S head you got something else in there. C’mon, show me! BILLY Well, that just sounds like me losing two things, all for one little cigarette. BILLY thinks for a second. A guard walks up and aggressively hands BILLY, LAZZO, and KILGORE, a piece of old, black bread and walks off. KILGORE (examining the bread sadly) Same thing as yesterday. LAZZO What were you expectin’? Steak and potatoes? BILLY We’ve gotten the same thing everyday for the past few months, KILGORE. I doubt they’ve found it in them to give us anything different today. 97