Derick sat waiting on the front stoop of his apartment building, new manuscript on his left, telephone on his right. He waited in the dark for Craig Devon. Derick jokingly called him the 'demon of literature.' What bothered Derick most about the revamped manuscript was a new character that probably just popped out of Devon's head; a character called Craig Devon, a.k.a., the Lord of the Underworld. I can't believe he would make-up a character named after himself and put it in somebody else's book! How arrogant can you get?
He wanted to tell someone about it, but he didn't want to get Maria going again, so he decided to ask Devon himself. Finally, Devon pulled up alongside the curb. Derick went to the black Cadillac. "'Bout time." Derick said curtly.
"Sorry, I got hung up." Devon chuckled as if it was some joke that only he was privy to.
"Hey, look, I noticed a new character. Did you get that from some book or website?"
"No." Devon replied.
"What the hell, man! Then where did you get it? This is supposed to be a non-fiction book! You can't go making-up…"
"I can assure you that it is a factual character."
"But…"
"Are you going to give me the manuscript or not?"
Derick tossed the work thought the open passenger's window, onto the black leather seat of the car.
"We'll be in touch." Devon said before the window closed and he sped away.
"Huh." Derick muttered as he walked back inside the building. He decided to call Maria and tell her anyway.
* * *
"Hey. I rewrote it."
"You didn't."
"I did. And he added a new character."
Derick wiped down the kitchen counter with an old, musty sponge as he told Maria details.
"You're kidding!" Maria replied.
"Nope, and better yet, he got defensive about it. Claiming that it was fact. Pure fact."
"Maybe he's the Lord of the Underworld." Maria tried to sound frightening, and failed miserably.
"Yeah, and I'm Harry Houdini."
* * *
After Derick and Maria's second date that night, they went back to Maria's apartment, even though she had been sleeping in Derick's apartment for the past few nights. They fell onto Maria's couch, embraced in a rough kiss. Derick stayed at Maria's apartment that night.