The Falling Man

Chapter 11

Ethel POV

It's the next day after my terrible meeting with that rat fuck cunt. Luckily, Frances found it once again hysterical that I was mistaken for a whore and told me not to worry. She understood that I didn't mean to mess it up and for that I'm thankful. I talked to my sister and Alfie is on the case. I imagine the man I had a meeting with will get a gun to his face very soon and we will have his signature in no time. The pub will be closed for the next few days until we get our liscense back so with all this free time Frances decided to set me up on a date.

At first I told her no. Actually multiple times I told her no. You see Frances has been going out with a man and apparently this man also has a friend that hasn't had much luck in dating. So their brilliant minds combined and decided to set us up on a date. After much convincing I gave up and said I would go. So now I am headed off to a pub not that far from where I live to meet this mystery man. I don't even know what he looks like. Apparently he was told a description of me so hopefully I find him easily. It's quite nerve wracking going on a date in general let alone when you have no idea who the person even is. I curse Frances in my mind as I walk into the restaurant.

The bar is quite small I notice as I walk in. I scan the tables and see a tall brunette man stand up and wave me over. Oh my god he looks like a rodent. No Ethel stop I think to myself. I need to push away from these negative thoughts maybe he's nice I try to tell myself as I walk over to the table. It's even worse up close Jesus Christ. His face is like an upside down triangle, nose just like a blob on his face, mouth so small but teeth somehow so big. We exchange hellos and nice to meet yous as I sit down. We order some beers and take some shots of whisky, I take alot of shots as I feel I will need it to get through this date, and we get to talking.

"My sister makes glass sculptures." He says to me, I can feel the disgusted look on my face but I can't help it. He continues, "She has done for a long time." I can't help but stare at his tiny mouth. He keeps talking and keeps talking and keeps talking. "I have never been in a fight. Well I've been in a fight, I went to war. Which I guess counts as a fight. But I have never been punched in the face." I am looking at this man very confused as he has been rambling on about various topics for the past 20 minutes and I can barely even get a one syllable word in. We weren't even talking about fighting. He continues, "You know what I mean? I've been punched in the arm. And someone once threw beer in my face." My eyes drift back down to his tiny ugly mouth and his gigantic teeth. He rambles on for another 20 minutes. "So a color I have been loving for suits recently is brown, mainly. But I would never say no to a maroon. I wouldn't, you know, scold someone for wearing a blue suit." Tiny mouth. Big teeth. Huge blobby nose. Sparce hair. Won't shut the fuck up for even 1 second! What is even talking about at this point. Blue and brown suits? He continues, "Blue is just not for me." I nod at him same confused/disgusted look on my face. "So.." he says slamming his hands on the table, "I am going to go piss." He says with a disgusting chuckle. "You alright? Okay." He says okay before even waiting for my answer to the first question he has asked me in the entirety of this date. I send him a polite smile as he gets up from the table.

I roll my eyes and take a breath as he walks away to the bathroom. He left his wallet I notice on the table with a couple notes sticking out. I don't know what comes over me, the alcohol, but I quickly snatch one out of his wallet; fuck it times are tough and I deserve it after listening to this man talk to himself basically for the past half an hour. Out of nowhere, I hear his annoying booming voice, and it freightens me. I thought he was going to piss. "Same again? While I'm up?" I shove the money into my lap. "Or perhaps, a little ginny-gin?" Ginny-gin? Revolting. I'm looking up at him like a kid that's just been caught out. I don't think he noticed though. "Or!! Or, another shot of whisky?" I notice him glance at his wallet which was slightly closer to me now on the table. "Oh, yeah or we could just go back to mine." I say smiling up at him. I said this in a panic trying to distract him from the fact I just stole his money. After saying it I realize what I said and that I definitely don't want that to happen. I am starting to realize my mouth speaks a lot of the time before my brain can tell it not too. Great this will probably be the third man in a week to think I'm a whore. "Wow. Uh.. Thank you." He responds looking at me confused. "Uh, I have actually got work early in the morning tommorow." Oh thank god I think to myself and then I think wait. Does this ugly fuck have the audacity to reject me? He continues, "but, uh.. another drink here." "Or we could just go back to yours?" This is the drunkness in me talking now as I feel I cannot be rejected by this rodent man. Do I plan to sleep with him? No. I want him to accept and then as we're walking to his, I will run away in the night. Again, I'm drunk. Before the war I was known to be a mischievous drunk, apparently this still rings true.