I See You, Tone (Part 1)
Morning.
The sun barely peeked through the blinds in Tony’s bedroom. He lay there, exhausted, his body stressed beyond comfort, jaw clenched, teeth grinding.
He exhaled. Slow, sharp, menacing.
“Fuck. This. Shit. Today.”
His phone blared in the background, obnoxious and unrelenting. He rolled out of bed one foot at a time. Left. Right. Avoiding the mirror, he dragged himself toward the bathroom. The light flicked on, harsh and unkind.
And then, the mirror caught him.
“You disgust me,” he muttered.
“I disgust me, too, motherfucker,” came a voice, not from the room, but from the mirror itself.
Tony froze. His head slowly turned back toward the glass. He stepped closer.
“Say that again?”
“I didn’t stutter, motherfucker.”
He rubbed his eyes. As they focused, his reflection sharpened, slicker, darker, smoother. A version of him dipped in swagger and venom.
“You got eye problems too? Or just deaf?” the reflection taunted.
“Fuck. You.” Tony replied.
The reflection chuckled.
“There’s my bitch! He’s up and mad! Brav,fucking,o. I’ve been waitin’ for you to wake the fuck up.”
Tony stumbled back, startled.
“You up now… ain’t no runnin’.”
Cautiously, Tony returned to the sink and splashed his face with water, hoping to blink it all away. But the reflection only smirked, flashing a platinum grill.
“I’m still here. Still handsome, bitch. Take a pic if you wanna.”
Tony rushed back to his room, snatched his phone, and returned to the mirror. He snapped a photo. Click.
“FUCK!” he yelled, blinded by the flash.
When his vision returned, the reflection still leered at him.
“Now you can remember how much of an ugly fuck you are.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Tony asked.
The reflection laughed.
“Surely the fuck not you. But don’t trip, I’mma help you.”
“Help? Me? Motherfucker, please..”
The phone rang again, slicing through the tension. The reflection smirked.
“You gonna get that?”
Tony looked at the phone, then back at the mirror. Inhaled. Exhaled. He muted it.
“Mmhmm. Just as I thought.”
“What you mean?”
“Tch, nothin’, playa. I’mma take over your shit from here. And if you try to resist, I’ll strangle you so bad you’ll swear the Devil himself bound you. Then again…”
“Fuck the Devil.”
“There’s that fire again! That’s it, my boy. Fuck the Devil.”
“And fuck you too. I ain’t listenin’ to shit else you say.”
“Okay.” the reflection shifted, smooth and melodic. “You’ll be back.”
Tony reached for the phone again,but couldn’t. It was like his hand didn’t belong to him anymore.
“Told you, bitch. Now listen…”
“Uh… uh, okay.” He trembled.
“First, get your funky ass in the shower. You smell like ass. Second, bring your bitch ass to the closet mirror. We got work to do.”
The water hit his skin like a baptism, or maybe just the beginning of one.
He stepped out slowly, walking past the bathroom mirror. For a moment, it was just him again.
He grabbed his phone and moved toward the closet. Each step felt heavier than the last. His hand trembled as he turned the knob.
The mirror inside greeted him, unchanged,but the reflection returned.
“Don’t act like you ain’t never seen a dick before. You beat the hell outta yours at least four times a week.”
No grin this time. The reflection was stone cold.
“Motherfucker, what’s your name?”
“T,Tony.”
“Nah. What’s your birth name?”
“Anthony.”
“Right now, your name is Bitch ’til I tell you otherwise. You hear me, Bitch?”
“Yeah.”
“You fuckin’ up already, Bitch. Let’s get started. First thing you gon’ do is grab that black button,up shirt and put that on.”
Tony reached for the shirt,one he didn’t remember owning,and put it on, buttoning each carefully.
“Leave the top two. It’s hotter than a witch’s pussy out there. Roll them sleeves up, too. Now,what’s your name?”
“Bitch.”
“Goddamn right. Next,silk boxers. Black.”
“Is there a reason for all this?”
“Yeah, Bitch, there is. Now put on them slacks,the ones that fit. Not that cheap swap meet shit you bought last week.”
Tony obeyed, still shaking.
“Okay. Okay. We gettin’ somewhere. Now,accessories. I got somethin’ for your ass. Close your eyes.”
“Don’t try no funny shit.”
His hands moved to a box he’d bought weeks ago. Inside,he didn’t know how,was a silver ring. A heavy signet pulsed with energy.
“Put that shit on. We gonna keep it simple.”
He slipped it onto his finger. The reflection nodded.
“Now you look like someone. What’s your name, Bitch?”
“Bitch.”
“Today, I’mma let you call yourself Tony. Don’t you got somewhere to be?”
“Yeah.”
“Then remember,FUCK. THIS. SHIT. TODAY. And close my fuckin’ door on your way out.”