A Fool's Journey: Book V, The Hierophant

By Mark R Pannebecker

It’s Fashion Week, New York, 1984, and 24-year-old St. Louis suburbanite Benjamin Porter is tapped into the most exclusive shows, parties, and clubs in one of the most exciting cities in the world. His success with the Aries Retail Apparel Group has opened the door to an influential contact into the fashion world. John Paul Bennett, AKA Th

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Pannebecker
• Release date: Jul 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9780998724362

Book preview

A Fool's Journey

Book V, The Hierophant

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by

Mark Pannebecker

Copyright 2017 Mark Pannebecker

All rights reserved

Kindle Edition

Kindle Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this Ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your continuing support.

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Developmental Editor: Tina Farmer

Content Editor: Blythe Terrell

Copy Editor: Carye Moses

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Cover Art and Author’s Photo by Sarah Clayton

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Special thanks to Sarah Clayton for her support

and Sarah Marchant for her assistance

Table of Contents

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

Book VI, The Lovers

About A Fool's Journey

About Mark Pannebecker

I

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Love your vintage bags, Benny. Mathew set his new olive and black striped Fendi luggage and garment bag down to be checked in at the airport.

He likes this beat-up shit? Oh, yeah? Thanks.

Benjamin had borrowed the old hard-shell, smelling of mothballs, Samsonite from his sister Linda, who had plastered it with flags from countries she’d never visited. He was embarrassed by the old luggage—it wasn’t meant to be vintage fashionable; it was just the only luggage he could get a hold of—but he carried them with a casual demeanor and a touch of hubris that fooled many people. This trait would serve him well on his first trip to New York with his friend and mentor Mathew Cohen.

This was Benjamin’s first trip out of St. Louis as an adult, and he planned to spend his entire savings on it. The tickets, the hotel that he and Mathew would share, the food, and various expenses like cab fare and souvenirs all were less than half of what he’d allotted. The bulk of his expenditures came from an eight ball of primo cocaine he’d obtained from his sister—nothin’ like having a full-on drug dealer in the family—and his new look. He’d changed his disheveled hairstyle to a ‘50s ducktail at the behest of Toni, his stylist, who had near-celebrity status in the St. Louis club scene. The clothes he bought were primarily from Genesis, a high-end store in the Aries Apparel Group family, where he got 20 percent off. For his flight, Ben wore baggy pants with pleats and a matching lightweight jacket over a simple T-shirt. His belt matched his shoes: ecru. Ben’s belt always matched his shoes in color, and often in material as well. Mathew wore penny loafers, no socks, with Levi’s and a sport coat over a striped button-down. Ben paid for a manicure and a facial at a local spa. He’d bought a new pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers that were sitting on the top of his head and a new black Swatch with oversized numbers.

Ben set his two-piece burnt orange luggage down to be checked in and smiled at the tanned attendant.

I like all the decals, Mathew said.

Yeah, those are great, the attendant said. You been to all those countries?

I sure have, yes.

I love Greece.

Yeah, me too. The water is amazing, right? The beach?

Yeah, I wanna go back so bad. What’s your favorite island?

Maybe I’ll take you the next time I go.

You’ve been to Ireland, too! You do travel a lot. Isn’t the green in Ireland like no other green you’ve ever seen?

It really is—so, where’d you get your tan?

Oh, I’m originally from Cali; just got transferred here. You been to L.A.?

I was there last year for a fashion show.

Awesome. Are you a model?

Ben laughed. No, but thank you. I’m a designer.

Wow, really? What do you—

—Hey, Mathew, let’s grab a drink before we board.

Of course.

Ben talked to Mathew about the current trend of padded shoulders and shawl lapels as the attendant finished checking them in.

Inside the airport restaurant, Mathew ordered two Bloody Marys,