Laurie (bxb)

1. Laurie, the thinker

Laurie was thinking.

To the naive, it seemed harmless. All he was doing was sitting at the local café at a window seat, sipping a hot chocolate and staring up into the grey skies outside. A particularly innocent person might venture to suggest that it was not only doing no harm, but perhaps even helping him to contemplate his life and improve.

Nessie knew better.

Nessie knew Laurie inside and out. From her vantage point manning the coffee machine she could almost see the stupid cogs in his stupid brain whirring around and wreaking havoc. He'd always had this philosophical, contemplative side and she knew from the years of being around him that he was better off without it.

She poured another cup of coffee, did the pointless coffee art that gave it an air of professionalism, and scowled in Laurie's direction. He had his chin propped on one hand, a slight smile on his lips, and the late afternoon light struggling through the clouds was glowing on his pale skin. If only he wouldn't think so much, he'd be a perfect human being. Sliding the coffee over to the counter employee, Nessie slipped out from behind the machine and strolled over to the table.

"You finished your coffee yet?"

Laurie's head swung up, and she could see his eyes come back into focus. Glancing down at his half-finished hot chocolate, he silently shook his head and turned back to the clouds. God, why was he so annoying? Swallowing a sharp retort, she plastered on a sweet smile and tried again.

"Can I get you anything else?"

Again his head swung back to face her, no emotion apparent on his face except quiet contemplation. He shook his head again, accompanied by a quiet no, thank you and a polite smile.

A smile? That's all she got? Good lord, he was infuriating when he was thinking. Nessie nodded, smile still on face, and turned away. The smile dropped. Those hypothetical innocent bystanders had no right to call his thinking harmless. What'd they know, anyway?

Nessie whittled away her shift with coffee art and grumpy thoughts, while Laurie watched the clouds and thought for hours. And while the customers got a cup of coffee brewed in anger and frustration, Laurie continued unperturbed.

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Harsh rain was lashing the windows by the time Laurie came out of his reverie. The street lights were on, and the distant clouds had closed in on the town. A quick glance at his watch told him he had been there for hours. His empty hot chocolate mug sat, sad and lonely, on the little round table. Was that how he looked - sad and lonely?

People always asked him that. "Aww Laurie, why are you sad? You look so lonely, Laurie. What's up?" And when his response was 'I'm not sad, just thinking', they'd give him that look and make that sigh and walk away tutting, as if they knew some secret about him that he had yet to discover.

Picking up the accused mug and depositing it on the tray marked Dirty Mugs, Laurie stretched and yawned. The weather was miserable to the untrained eye, but to Laurie it looked like perfect weather for a walk. Double checking there was no thunder or lightning, he pushed open the café door and waltzed into the rain.

Glorious rain! Raindrops splattered haphazardly across his simple blue button up, bleeding ink-like patterns across his chest.

He didn't make five metres before Nessie came barrelling out the door towards him, shouting something incomprehensible. Suppressing a sigh, he pretending she was talking to someone else and strode on. Another two metres later, she grabbed his arm and pulled him to a halt.

"What are you doin', you idiot?" She was shouting in his ear. He pushed her away slightly and winced.

"Walking?" he retorted, then internally sighed. He shouldn't have said it like that. Now, Nessie was going to yell at him for his tone and nonchalance.

"In the rain!?" There it was. "You're goin' to catch a cold, you idiot! What are you thinking?"

"I thought-"

"No, no, no, I don't want to know! Why are you always like this? Why can't you be normal, and use your common sense? You need to stop this philosophical nonsense and use your brain for it's intended use!" Nessie breathed out angrily.

"I wanted-" but she wasn't finished.

"Why are you always thinking of yourself? What about me? How would I feel if you got a cold? What if you slip and fall and get hurt? How would I feel then? Stop being so selfish, and think of other people for a second!" She was visible fuming, but she powered on. "And your family. When you get home, provided you don't injure yourself, what will they think? You'll be soaked, with a cold!" He was already soaked. "Come on, use your common sense!"

So he did what seemed best - because he'd never voice it, he gave her a look he sure well hoped said shut up and leave me alone, and then turned and strode off. She was still yelling her lungs to pieces when he turned the corner and broke out into a jog. The rain thumped down, matching his heartbeat. Thump, thump, thump. His pulse slowed and the breath he didn't know he was holding slowly seeped out. The majority of his conversations ended like that, with someone screaming at him, and then him running away.

Maybe that's why he had no friends - he just ran away.

Laurie turned his face up to the night sky and let the rain soak his face. It was the splattering kind of rain, today. Or was it tonight? When did day become night anyway? Was it a certain time, or was it when the sun set? A certain time was fixed, but the seasons varied the timing of sunrise and sunset. The rain was making the path a little slippery. Maybe it's to do with everyone's personal routine - when you stop doing day stuff and start doing night stuff, whatever that may be, maybe that's when it changes over. Laurie realised he was thinking, and tried to focus on the weather. Thinking always made people hate him.

It seemed that people hated him a lot. If I spent enough time thinking so that every single person in the world became infuriated by me, and then thought some more, would people stop hating me again? Or would they just keep getting angrier? Do I have a quota and then all is good? Probably not. Laurie rerealised he was thinking and promptly attempted to stop with a sigh.

Even though it was thinking, Laurie couldn't help but notice that the stars looked beautiful tonight through the downpour.

Contrary to Nessie's prediction, he didn't injure himself or catch a cold on the walk home. He wouldn't tell Nessie that she was wrong, but that didn't mean he couldn't celebrate the small victories in his mind.