More Chapter 1

     Putting his self hatred and loathing at the back of his troubled mind Charles brushed his teeth before getting into a steaming shower. He was too weak to stand so he settled himself down on the tiled floor as hot water pulsated over his aching muscles as the pain in his head abated momentarily. "Ah," Charles said as he exhaled deeply while the thermodynamic properties of the hot water helped to expand the veins and capillaries of his cranium. He found relief under the water so he sat there for as long as he could before he had to get up and get ready for another horrible day to begin.
     After his headache subsided he climbed up out of the shower hurrying to shave and comb his hair. Wrapped in a thick white robe Charles went into his walk-in closet emerging five minutes later dressed immaculately in an expensive hand tailored Italian merino wool suit, black like his short,slicked back hair. He adjusted his Armani silk tie that matched his Prussian blue french cuffed shirt. Charles looked at his reflection in the full length mahogany mirror. Charles was pleased, he could still pull off the G.Q. look. Even though he felt horrible about every aspect of how his life turned out, he still looked like a movie star. He thought how nice he would look in his coffin in this suit. He thought he would be a fine specimen for the old boys at the mortuary. Then he laughed to himself a little knowing full well he would not be so lucky as to have a funeral. There would be no friends or family to bury him. As good looking as he was, it would never really matter when he ends up in a small bag of ashes, and bits of bone and teeth, in a box, on a shelf, in the basement of some funeral home. Charles exhaled turned off the light then went to the kitchen to eat something before Mr.Pruce arrived in twenty minutes.