glint in his eye also bore an uncanny similarity to that of that former king of porn, though others took equal pleasure in protesting that Benny was cut from somewhat nobler cloth. “I had five call-ins today,” said Benny in an attempt to shift the conversation in a more promising direction. “Two were from your regular listener,” Bright pointed out. “She’s very knowledgeable about plants,” countered Benny. “Why shouldn’t she be? She runs a nursery.” “Actually, she’s retired from the business. The stress got to her. Probably from watching the plants grow.” Dennis Bright smiled in spite of himself. But then he remembered his responsibilities as the KKKS program director and recovered his dignity. “One was from Shannon,” he pointed out. “She asks very intelligent questions.” “That’s because you tell her what to ask.” “It’s not just what she asks; it’s how she asks it. Her phrasing is impeccable.” “Her phrasing may be great, or whatever, but the woman doesn’t know a tulip from a cactus. I oughtta know. Ten years I’ve lived with her.” “Aha!” said Benny as he placed a second foot on the desk. “So that’s where she picked up her impeccable phrasing.” Bright ignored this remark, but not the foot, which was dangerously near his coffee cup. He stared at the encroaching sandal. “One was a wrong number,” he pointed out with a warning frown. Benny carefully relocated his sandal to a site several millimeters away from the cup. “Did you notice how curious she became about begonias? I think we can expect to hear a lot more from that young woman.” “One was from an Alzheimer,” Bright pointed out. He could be hardnosed. That was part of his job. He liked his job. It allowed him to show the ruthless side of his personality. It also paid reasonably well. It kept the wolf from the door, his wife Shannon in the less expensive varieties of French wine, and the Penney’s men’s wear department in business. “Did I or did I not have fun with her?” asked Benny. “You had fun with her,” admitted Bright. “But,” he added, “you gotta wonder how well it went over with your regular listener. I don’t think we can expect to hear a lot more from that old lady.” “She must like my act or she wouldn’t keep calling.” Bright removed his coffee cup from the danger zone and took a long sip. “Listen, Benny,” he finally said. “The issue is not whether you got the gift. That’s not what I’m trying to say.” “What are you trying to say, Dennis? Speak up, lad. Don’t be shy.” Bright prepared his reply by emitting another sigh. “What I’m trying to tell you is, the numbers are not there. That’s the bottom line. The numbers. Are simply. Not. There.” Benny tilted his head back. He closed his eyes as if in deep thought. He eventually broke the silence. “Maybe if we came up with a new format.” “A new format.” “Impeccable phrasing, Dennis. ‘A new format.’”
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