Hope Springs Eternal

From the diary of Penelope Halwind:

Easter
Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To Be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

-Alexander Pope,
An Essay on Man, Epistle I, 1733

A couple of days after Joker ransacked my office, Stanley came by at closing time.

“Here. This is for you.”

He handed me a tube, like you ship posters in. I walked with him to my office, which still had graffiti on the walls. He looked around and scowled.

“What happened?”

“An overambitious client.”

He looked at me like he couldn’t believe I was so calm about it.

“Ok. One more reason to put your present up at home.”

I opened up the tube. It was a print of Impression: Sunrise! Bigger than the one I used to have.

“Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied with a bow. I smiled.

Nightshade looked through his binoculars. Lady Panther was on the roof across the street, where she had just robbed an apartment. She stopped and looked around. He ducked behind a chimney. He wasn’t ready to confront her yet. Would he ever truly be ready? She took his breath away, but she was a criminal and needed to be dealt with as such.

She knew it was unprofessional, but from the moment she laid eyes on Joker, Harleen Quinzelle was in love. Now here she was, The Harlequin, helping him ‘withdraw’ some money from the 1st National Bank. She suckerpunched the guard and set the explosives to blow open the safe. Joker had even said “Good Job, Harl.”

Lady Panther had seen him. He was trying to hide and stay alert, but it wasn’t working. He had to settle for acting menacing. She wasn’t buying. He even gave her a chance to give back what she stole (like THAT was gonna work). She KNEW that he knew it was hopeless. Then they both heard the explosion. He left without a second thought.

The Harlequin was running as fast as she could, but was lagging behind. She couldn’t hear well after being too close to the explosion. When she got to the get-away car, it was already rolling. Was Joker thinking of leaving her behind? No, he was just getting the heck outta there and she should’ve kept up.

The next night Lady Panther went to Pigeon’s Place with the jewelry she stole. She was concerned to learn that Joker had caused Pigeon more grief (She needed a convenient place to fence her ‘prey’…AND she kinda liked birdie).

After I had dealt with Madam Cat, I sat down at my desk and thought about my new Monet print in my penthouse. I smiled as I thought about asking Stanley over to see it in its new place of honor over the mantle. I was about to get up and leave when Joker busted through my door. All of my happiness vanished. I stood, fists on my desk, totally and completely outraged.

“WHAT IN THE HE….”

“You shouldn’t oughta talk ta Mista J that way.”

“You tell ‘er Harl. HAHAHA. You’re the one who’s supposed to be all ‘civilized’, isn’t that right Pidgey?”

The dumb blond (I was assuming) had a gun drawn. Joker was giving me one of his sick smiles, and me without my ‘boys’. I took TWO very deep breaths, figuring that MAYBE he actually wanted to do business. I sat down.

“Do you have something you wish me to sell?”

“No. I just had so much fun ‘playing’ at your house (he gestured around my office) that I thought I’d come again.”

“Yeah, maybe ya got new ‘toys’ since last time.”

Joker grabbed her by her pointed hat. “I’m talking. You stay quiet. GOT IT?” She squeaked a yes and repointed the gun at me.

I realized I needed to put my foot down, without being murdered, or I would never have another day of peace.

“You realize I can’t stay in business if you keep ruining my location. Then where will you fence your stolen goods? You know I get the best prices…”

He leaned over my desk. “Right now, I. Don’t. Care.”

“WE do.” Lady Panther and The Question let themselves in through my open window. “You keep this up and Nightshade will have us all for sure.” My office door then opened to reveal some of my dearest (meaning most intimidating) ‘boys,’ with guns. Joker scowled.

“Come on Harl. These guys are no fun.”

Hopefully Joker won’t bother me, at least for a while. When I got home, I looked at my Monet print over my mantle and smiled. On the mantle was a nightshade bloom.