The Familiar Stranger

Drowning your sorrows, or at least trying to

                         

     The night was a hothouse, an oven, as he ordered another beer from Wanda, lovely Wanda. He was sitting in Pete's, a favorite tavern of his, doing his best to drink away his guilt and regrets. Sooner or later, forgetfulness would come, maybe with the next round. Drinking helped, or at least that's what he told himself. His twin demons were only a dull ache right now, and he aimed to keep it that way. When Wanda set his new beer down in front of him, he upended the glass, drank until it was gone, smacked his lips, and immediately signaled for another, even though she hadn't had time to get anywhere. She turned at the sound of his voice, gave him a disapproving look, or at lease that's how he imagined it, and nodded okay to him.

 

******

     Several hours later, with his head lolling on his neck like it suddenly weighed a couple of hundred pounds, he heard his name being called by a raspy voice,

 

     "Hello, Mr. Sanders, may I join you?"

 

     Seth squinted up into a most disagreeable face he'd never seen before, but one that looked disturbingly familiar, "Do I know you?"

 

     "Oh, not really, I suppose," the stranger frowned.

 

     "Are you sure? You look vaguely familiar."

 

     "Well, I have an everyman face, you're probably thinking of someone else."

 

     "Yeah, probably." He thought he should recognize the guy, but was still drawing a blank. "Please, sit."    

 

     "Oh, thank you," and the stranger pulled up a chair.

 

     "What are you drinking, friend?" the stranger then asked.

 

     "Oh, I always drink a beer that most people have never heard of, King's Label.  It's a local beer."

 

     "Well, what do you know, it's my favorite too. A fellow King's Labeler, huh?"

 

     Seth looked up sharply at the stranger, what? This is beyond bizarre! Nobody's heard of that brand, unless the guy's local, and I guaranty I've never seen him before.

 

     "Can we please get two King's Labels, huh?" he told the nearby waitress. "I'll get this round," he added to Seth.

 

******

 

     They sat nursing their beers in uncomfortable silence. Seth didn't know what to say, and apparently neither did this strange man. Seth started to wonder why the man had wanted to join him. The man then said suddenly, more to himself than Seth,

 

     "I've found that this is the only thing that cuts the regret and guilt."

 

     Seth couldn't believe it, "What?"

 

     "I said I find drinking this stuff is the only thing that helps, but it's only temporary."

 

     Seth couldn't believe it. "You're kidding, that's why I'm here."

 

     "I know," answered the stranger.

 

     "How could you possible know that?"

 

     "Don't you know? I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet."

 

     Seth felt the world shift beneath his feet. "What do you mean, figured what out?"

 

     "I'm what you'll turn into if you don't let the guilt and regrets go."

 

     "Look, this is getting too weird, I think I'll just be heading home."

 

     "Sure, duck out like you always do, but it won't help, cause I'm the future you, or at least one of the possible versions."

 

     Seth knew then that he was losing it, that his fragile grip on reality was slipping fast. A bolt of fear ran through him, and he replied, "B.S. I don't know what your game is, pal, but I'm not playing. You don't look like or sound like me, because you're not me!"

 

     "You got drunk one night, and tried to drive home. Big mistake. You wrapped you car around a tree, and many plastic surgeries later, as well as damaged vocal chords, I'm the result. But I'm here to warn you it's not too late. You can change your sad course. Let go of the guilt and regrets, and maybe you never got behind that wheel."

 

     The world spun around Seth then with a vengeance, and the stranger reached out and started violently shaking his shoulder.

 

******

 

    "...wake up and go home." Seth groggily looked around him in confusion. The person speaking to him wasn't the stranger, it was Wanda. "What?"

 

     "Look, you passed out about an hour ago and I was letting you sleep it off, but now it's time for me to close up."

 

     Weird, it had all seemed so real! Seth rose and stumbled towards the door. 

 

     "You want me to call you a cab? You shouldn't be driving."

 

     Seth recalled the conversation he'd had with the raspy-voiced stranger, who claimed to be a version of himself, and thought real or not, the guy was right!  "Yeah, that would be great, thanks!"

 

The End

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

Reviews

[Marie]

Something different or you. Not about stupid people but about something and someone that actually makes sense. Not quite a fantasy. A good story.

[Michael Stevens]

Thanks much Marie!