Episode 71: Let It Happen

Saturday Morning

Lana pulls up to Sam’s mansion in her Volvo several hours before the grey of morning.   She texts Levi that she’s out in drive, and he comes out of the door thirty seconds later, with a travel coffee cup in hand.  Hi, she says.  Morning, he replies, and sees that she has her earbuds in.  What are you listening to?  Bettina sent me some new music that she wants us to cover.  I picked up a talking book from the library if you’re willing to give it a try with me.  Sure.

Three hours later, Lana pulls into the shooting facility.  This is a good story, Lana tells Levi.  Let’s go reserve our seats and then come back and listen some more.  We’ve got forty-five minutes to kill.  Lana and Levi go into the large conference room and pick out two seats over in the front row left corner.  Lana puts down two America First/Peace and Safety campaign brochures to mark their spots.  Seat reserved.  LANA.  0712 hours.  She hands Levi her pen.  Seat reserved.  LEVI.  0713 hours.  One of the Glock guys comes over to visit.  Hi, Lana says.  We just wanted to reserve our seats.  Please excuse us while we run back to the car.  We’re expecting a call.  The man nods and looks over the campaign literature as she and Levi walk back out.

I’m setting my alarm for half an hour, Lana says. Then we stop it and head inside. Levi chuckles.

Forty minutes later, they take their seats in the packed conference room of the hunting lodge.  Lana puts the brochures back in her backpack.  So what’s it like working for Senator Johns?  The same Glock guy comes over and asks.  He’s the same person in private as he is in public, Lana says.  It’s an honor to meet you, another Glock rep says, offering Lana his hand.  Thank you for inviting me, Lana replies.  She rubs her hands together and gives Levi a neck rub as she stands behind him.  She sings softly:

You’re full of life now

And full of passion

It’s how He made you

Just let it happen.

The Glock guys and the surrounding tables go silent, and stare at Lana, as she sings the chorus two more times with different inflections.  She opens her eyes, and pats Levi’s shoulders, and sits back down next to him.

Welcome everyone, the leader says, as Lana sips her BCAA mix out of her ancient NOPD mug.  After the Glock Team introduces themselves, the speaker asks the attendees to introduce themselves.  Tell us where you’re from and what agency you’re with.  We’ll start with you, Lana.  I’m Lana Radley.  I’m from New Orleans.  And I’m self-employed.   She pokes Levi in the shoulder with a finger.  I’m Levi Galil.  New York by way of Israel.  And I work for Lana.  Wish I had that job, a wisecracker pipes up from the back of the room, and everyone chuckles.  I’m David Petzal, senior writer for Field & Stream…

The Glock team introduces the Model 48.  The plastic factory sights are to keep production costs down.  While they are functional, we realize that most of our customers will opt to switch out the sights to their own preference.  The sights are calibrated to an initial zero of 7 yards and a far zero of 25 yards with standard 115 grain bullets...

Lana pulls into Sam’s place at 8pm, and they sit in the drive for another twenty minutes to finish their talking book. Great story.  Thanks, Lana.  Levi says as he gets out.  Are you coming in?  No.  Goodnight, Levi.

***

He’s been sitting in a parked car with Lana for the past half an hour.  Ohp, here he comes.  She’s driving away.  I’ll call you back later uncle, and Sam hangs up.

Come down to the kitchen in five, Sam tells Levi. She goes out to the pool and gets Toni, who is swimming laps.  Levi’s back. I’m going to make a kale smoothie if you want one.  Five more laps and I’ll be in, Toni responds.

Sam pours a glass for Levi and Toni.  So, how did it go?  You get to know someone when you take a roadtrip with them, Levi replies, I think that was the point of the trip.  Did you outshoot Lana?  Toni asks. It wasn’t a competition, Levi responds. We listened to a really good John Grisham book there and back.  Which one? Playing for Pizza.   We got there forty-five minutes early, so we went in and reserved our seats with two campaign brochures, then we went back to the car to listen some more.  When we came back in, the room was full.  And the Glock reps started to swarm Lana.  She got up and gave me a neck rub while she sang softly to me.  Everyone around us went quiet.  What was the song?  I’ve never heard anything like it before.  They were the most beautiful words anyone has ever spoken over me.  How did the lyrics go?  Sam asks.  We’ll find it.  Search for “Let it happen”.  Toni does a search on her phone, and puts on Tame Impala.  Sam and Toni juke their heads.  That’s not it, Levi says curtly.  Toni goes back to the search results.  There’s a worship song, Toni says, live from Knoxville.  That sounds more like Bettina, Sam replies.  She clicks on it.  No, Levi says, after hearing it for a couple seconds.  It was a really smart ploy.  Everyone thought we were together, so none of the guys hit on her. Was she the only woman there? Toni asks.  Levi nods.  Did you talk to her about it?  Levi shakes his head no.  We spent the whole time listening to the Grisham book.  I asked her to come inside, but she just said no, and then a quick goodnight.

So what did you think of the new Glock?  Levi shrugs.  It’s a Glock.  Hard to get excited about it.  What did Lana think of it?  She liked it.  Everyone else was nitpicking it, and when the factory reps asked her what she thought, she said that she’d buy it as is.  That she knows now what she’s getting Bettina for Christmas.  And then everyone agreed that it’s what they’d get for their wives/girlfriends.  The Glock people loved her.