Life: Complexity And Adversity

1982 May - Forgiven

I place my novella on the table in front of me. I look up across the table is a friendly face, Wyatt. He smiles at me softly. "How you holdin' up?" He asked me calmly. I replied with a simple smile. "Well that means no." He could still read me like a book. "Lots of things have happened it's okay to be sad." He whispered, he didn't mean to, he was upset too that's why he had quietened down. His eyes dwelled with tears of hatred, hatred for himself. Arthur had passed. Wyatt blamed himself for Arthur's passing. "Come on Wyatt. Let's get some drinks." I smiled and said to him putting the novella named "Gone Hunting" in my inner pocket. He smiled and wiped his eyes. "Sure." We got up and walked to the Wyatt's car. We got inside and 5 minutes later we set off.

The bar. It felt weird being here without the presence of Arthur. Whenever we went to the bar Arthur was almost always there. It some how felt so empty without him. I sat on a stool, wooden and engraved. Arthur's name was etched into every single stool here. It's not surprising he took woodwork. I sigh and lie my head on the bar, I could swear I can see Arthur but I know that he is not there. He won't ever be here again. The female toilet door opens and Arabella walks through the archway that she had created with a push. Lining around her nostril was a white powder, I sigh louder than a buck's mating call or a lion's roar while looking at a engraving on the bar. "How you two holding up since Arthur's-" She paused. "accident." She said promptly. Sure, she was skeptical. Maybe that was because she was high. We were all on edge. "Got any heroin?" To my surprise it was Wyatt asking. She simply shook her head. I guess this shows that even the strongest of people can turn to drugs in hard times. She pulled a bottle of a white gooey substance out of her bag. "What is it?" Wyatt asked, I knew what it was. "Glue, PVA?" I state then I ask. She grinned like an asylum prisoner. "It's better than PVA, it is Thixofix." She said proudly. I was puzzled with Wyatt now. She held the bottle out to Wyatt, "Take off the cap take in a few whiffs of it and boom! Hallucination central!" She smiled and chuckled saying this. Wyatt took it. He slowly unscrewed it, slowly lifting the "delicate holy potion" up to his nose.

"I need to go" I stand and say walking to the door glancing over to see them with the glue. Truth is I am an idiot. I courted Gwen after the second incident in the woods, like the first time it failed. I wish that I had just told Annalise how I felt. "See ya!" Arabella said as I closed the bar door behind me. I walked down the street, West Avenue. There was a flower shop on the corner of the street, I liked to visit and look at the flowers. I walked to the front door and pulled the handle down walking inside. The bell above the door chimed and rang aloud alerting the owner. She looked at me. "You're the fella who always admires the flowers outside, aren't ya?" She asked. I had no idea she saw me. "Yes, that's me." I smiled as I said this. She returned a smile. "Are you going to buy some flowers or just smell them?" She chuckled as she said this. "Buy, any roses?" I ask, the woman perks up. "So there's a girl is there?" She asked smiling vibrantly. "Yes." I smiled and looking for her roses. "Black; Red; Purple; White; That's the colours." She smiled. "What's this girl like?" She asked. "She's perfect, angelic, smart, fun, caring. Like I said perfect." I said thinking of the colour. "Well Red is out of the question. You only give that to "basic" girls." She looked at me smug. "Basic?" I asked. "Oh shoot hot mamma. It's a term I learnt from a young English fella, said all the Brit's say it." She elaborated. I laughed at this. "I see, because she's special." I assumed. "Exactly pumpkin." She said turning around. "Where did you acquire back roses from? I could swear they only grow in Turkey." I say showing my "vast" knowledge of flowers. She smiles and signals me. "I got seeds from Turkey when I lived there, now I grow them in perfect conditions here." She smiled proud of her work. "They're beautiful." I remark viewing the entourage of black roses. "How many?" The woman asks. "A nosegay." I reply. "Jargon? You do know your flowers and words for them." She picks 3 and bundles them whilst saying this. "I guess so." She hands me the flowers, "How much?" I question. "Free of charge." She smiles. "Just stop gawking at flowers like they're a pretty girl." She smiles with these kind yet mocking words. "Thank you." I say making my way to the door. "Adieu dear." She said as I stepped through the door. I slowly walked down the street, the paved floor was blacker than tar yet lighter than the dark abyss.