Gorge, a novel in progress by Michael Gullo (2026)
“Why did you bring that?”
“Security.”
“Yeah, exactly. If campus security catches you with a gun on campus, you’re going to jail, and I won’t be able to get you out.”
“How’s that? Who’s going to search my purse, Kyle? I’m a PhD, a department head. I’ve taught at this school for ten years.”
“What if..?”
“The only what-if is, what if you keep talking. Just be quiet about it.”
“Do you want milk for this?”
“No milk. Sprinkle a couple dirty grounds on top to give it a kick.”
“Ma’am?”
“It was a joke. How long are you open?”
“I only came in for a coffee, and people walked up.”
“Wait. No panini?”
“No, sir. No panini. We don’t even have a POS. I like wanted to swipe my card so I don’t get fired, and the system won’t come up.”
“Have you been on campus all weekend?”
“I’m Jewish.”
“Not your biggest holiday.”
“Like, there’s Passover, but we’re not religious. There’s lots of people on campus. I’ve made coffee like four times already.”
“But no paninis.”
“I mean, how would I even charge for them? I’ve got a pile of coffee cash here and no way to get the register open or make change or anything.”
“Then why sell coffee?”
“I didn’t open to open. I wanted a coffee.”
“So who’s here?”
“There’s us – the Canadian students. I should have gone home this weekend, but I had OR, and I’m way behind. There’s you. You’re the first old people I’ve seen all weekend.”
“Old people? Who’s your Business Organizations professor? I know Klein likes teaching that class.”
“Shawna, how you know Business School?”
“Department meetings. Klein’s the department head. He’s the guy turns every fifteen minute meeting into a two-hour efficiency and profitability seminar.”
“That’s him. He’s made me late for Finance half the semester – I actually lost ten grade points until I filed a complaint.”
“He’s a pain in the ass.”
“Shawna!”
“What, Kyle? He is. He’s a pain in the ass, and what’s he gonna do about it now, anyway?”
“She’s right. He’s a pain in the ass.”
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Renee.”
“I’m Shawna and this is Elizabeth…”
“I know Elizabeth.”
“I live here long time, Shawna.”
“Of course. This is my husband, Kyle.”
“I know Dr. Macy. Anthropology, right?”
“That’s me, but you’ve never been one of my students.”
“I’m in Yokum a lot.”
“Business classes are…”
“Computer Science minor.”
“Is there any business class that teaches you the benefits of turning on the Panini press for the nice professor?”
“We had a couple classes on that. Panini on the Hudson?”
“That’s the one.”
“This’ll have to warm up a bit.”
“Who else is here?”
“Really it’s a skeleton crew, but no old people. It’s like all students, even in Clinton.”
“Were they open all weekend?”
“Yep.”
“Who set the menu?”
“The work-studies have been feeding everyone since Saturday.”
“Work-Studies only, are you sure?”
“My roommate is a Food Service Systems major, and he’s the Student Supervisor at Clinton.”
“How many people in Kent right now?”
“I didn’t take a census, but there’s me an Gui and I sold at least fifteen large coffees as soon as my brew hit the ductwork.”
“I remember that smell. I lived from the remodel to last summer when we bought our house.”
“You lived on campus six years?”
“Eight years.”
“How’s that even possible?”
“When I first came from Sacramento, I stayed in graduate housing, and I saved a lot of money living in graduate housing – business, Renee.”
“I’m applying to the MBA program next year.”
“You sure about that?”
“Of course.”
“Interesting.”
“I mean. I don’t buy into all this doom and gloom stuff. So what, the credit cards don’t work. They’ll fix that. It’s what we do.”
“I think it’s a little more than that, Renee.”
“That’s an American thing. You guys think everything’s the end of the world.”
“Renee, I’m on your side…”
“See? Kyle’s with me.”
“I didn’t say that, Renee. I said I’m on your side. This is not the first financial collapse of all time. It’s a little different with the depth and complexity of our communications systems, but money has collapsed many times in human history, and we always, as you say, fix it – I’d hold off on the MBA idea for now though. Things are going to be very different when they – fix it.”
“So you’re one of the fire and brimstone guys?”
“It’s not fire and brimstone. This has happened many times – in recorded time. It’s even happened in the United States more than once. We always come through it.”
“That’s exactly my point. We get through it.”
“I know, Renee. We aren’t in disagreement as much as you think we are. We had the Great Depression, and we got through it. But look how different that was. Emergency Banking Act in one day, a fireside chat on the Sunday night, and on Monday people lined up to put the money back. The fix was a radio voice. We don’t have cash this time though, and there’s no radio either.”
“We have a radio. We’ll even have television by tonight. There’s a bunch of students in Yokum right now getting the studio up.”
“Are you serious?”
“We saw them.”
“Did you see Eric Barnes this morning?”
“Wait, you were watching TV?”
“Yeah, did you see it?”
“Stone cold, bruh.”
“That was dangerous.”
“No cap, but that’s where the idea came from, get our own stations up and running. Nobody’s been able to get online for days, and they were planning to activate the school’s LAN system and at least play Minecraft or Counter Strike or something.”
“Wait, you know Counter Strike? How the hell do you know Counter Strike?”
“Nostalgia, Unc. Counter Strike 2, actually. All of that stuff’s catalogued in Memorial Hall. When the internet goes down and stuff, they load up the old-timer games in the lounge.”
“Glad we could help.”
“Upstairs all hallway is cable. CAT6, criss cross, this room that room.”
“Probably the best census we’ll ever get.”
“Maybe I join. How I get cable?”
“You won’t need one, what’s your name?”
“I’m Elizabeth. My gamer name TingTing.”
“If everything works out, the whole campus will be activated before the afternoon’s out. They’re over there now trying to activate the old campus LAN, which already has an RJ45 jack in every room.”
“Do you know how many people are working on this? We saw like four people running between Beaumont and Yokum. Is that them?”
“There’s a bunch. I’d bet ten people from here. It’s hard to tell. Like half were getting a coffee for the road to head home, and half were headed out for the gaming setup.”
“Why didn’t you go home?”
“My old roommate from Mason, we’re still friends. He borrowed it to head over to Smuggler’s Notch.”
“When’s he due back?”
“Today’s the day.”
“A little late.”
“Wait, the ferry’s not running.”
“Good call, Shawna. There’s an hour anyhow.”
“Are you going back to Quebec if the semester is cancelled?”
“What makes you think that?”
“You know.”
“I don’t. How you want this sandwich, well done?”
“I like a lite press. Leave a little air in the bread.”
“Only way to make it.”
“Shawna, why not head in and pick us a table. This is almost ready. What do you want, Elizabeth?”
“He not open. I don’t want make trouble for him.”
“I’m sure he…”
“I’ll just go Clinton. I don’t really want sandwich anyway.”
“Whaddya think, Renee? Is she just being polite?”
“She usually gets tea, and she’s out. Do you want some tea, Elizabeth?”
“Thank you, Renee. But I go rest little while. Very long drive home.”