Just as Tatum rose for a step-back three, the dreaded spinning circle appeared. The screen went black. Marcus frantically refreshed the page. He jumped back to the main VIPBox directory, dodging ads for "Hot Singles in Your Area" with the reflexes of an elite athlete. He clicked "Video 5" again.
It wasn't cable, and it wasn't perfect, but for a Tuesday night in a dark apartment, Video 5 had delivered the magic. Just as Tatum rose for a step-back three,
Marcus hovered his mouse over the "Video 5" link like a bomb technician deciding which wire to cut. He knew the drill. Click once: a pop-up for a VPN. Click twice: a flashing ad for a casino. Click three times, right on the tiny "x" that was practically a single pixel wide, and— victory. He jumped back to the main VIPBox directory,