Fact Checker

This used to be the job of journalist. Somewhere there would be a report of a story and a qualified news hound would be sent to investigate. Poignant questions and constant digging offered the details of the story that the established new agencies stated as ‘fact’.

Today what do you believe?

 Everyone is bombarded with ‘news’ or some variance of what could be true or not. How are we to make heads-or-tails of daily events that may (or may not) affect our lives?

So what are you going to do?

Tom: “Hi, I’m Tom.”

(Fact Check: Is his name really Tom or Thomas? Why did he shorten his true name?)

Kathy: “Hi, I’m Mary Katherine. My friends call me Kathy.”

(Fact Check: Is her name ‘Mary’ or ‘MK’ or ‘Kathy’ or as her father calls her ‘Babs’? Why would she tell a complete stranger like Tom what her ‘friends’ call her?)

Tom: “I think I’ve seen you around here before.”

(Fact Check: Does Tom just hang around this bar? Is he a lush? Is he just trolling for easy bar party girls?)

Kathy: “No, I’ve never been here before. I just got a call from my friend Wendy to come down and get a drink.”

(Fact Check: Does surveillance recognize her? She is letting Tom know she has backup. She is also letting Tom know she drinks.)

Tom: “Here is my wingman Tony. We come here all the time. They have great dance tunes.”

(Fact Check: Toni’s cute. Why do Tom and Tony come here all the time? Are they gay? Is Kathy wasting her time?)

Wendy: “Introduce me to your friends, Kate.”

(Fact Check: Kate? Where did that name come from? Does Wendy want to meet these fellows or get her friend out of a potential bad situation? )

Tony: “Hi, I’m Tony. Love your eyes.”

(Fact Check: Is his name really ‘Tony’ or is that just some kind of gang tag? He looks more like a Fred. Tony, or whoever you are, the eyes are up here.)

Tom: “Hey why don’t we leave this dump and head back to my place?”

(Fact Check: I though Tom and Tony came here all the time? Why do they want to leave? Did they drop something into Kathy’s drink? And where did Cindy go?)

To find out what happened next, you’ll have to turn the page.

(Fact Check: There is no other page. I’ve scrolled down to the bottom and there is nothing more about these make-believe people. It is all an illusion.