Redemption of a Soul

Chapter 3

Eli walked down to the Broken Pines after his therapy session; he is now on his third shot of house whiskey. Suddenly, a body sits one stool away from him. The voice that emanates from beside Eli is a prominently thick british accent, "I'll take a pint of Guinness, please." One glance at the guy and Eli already senses that he is new here or he simply doesnt belong. This characters thick, black rimmed glasses and suspenders are a dead giveaway to his status. Clearly, he is nothing but some hipster asshole who loves to flaunt around talking about his unique photography portfolio.

Eli avoids any interaction with the person who has taken it upon themselves to sit so closely to him. After some time the outsider notices that Eli is constantly shaking his leg and looking over his shoulder while also fidgeting with his shot glass. The stranger next to him clears his throat obnoxiously and says, "How long have you been using?" With a questioning look on his face Eli asks, "Excuse me? You know what Im talking about." "What's your drug of choice?", the guy asks sternly. Eli is stunned by this mans accusations of him being a drug addict even though his assumptions are one hundred percent accurate. "Exactly how the fuck would that be any of your business?" Eli says defensively. "Users know users" the stranger says nonchalantly. Eli hops off of his stool and gives a blatant middle finger to the guy one seat from him and walks out of the bars back exit into the alleyway.

A dumpster is seen out the corner of Elis eye and he heads straight for it. He slowly pulls a small plastic baggie from his jeans pocket; it is half full of a white powdery substance. The dumpster lid is at the perfect height for Eli to lay out a thick line of cocaine, so he does just that. He thought the cover of night and the dark alley would conceal him but just as Eli bends over to snort the powder he feels a heavy hand lay on his shoulder. The stranger from inside the bar speaks yet again, "I cant let you do that, sir." Eli automatically pushes his elbow into the idiots rib cage and faces him. Now they stand toe to toe. "Bro, You need to back the fuck up. Now", Eli is hastily losing his patience. "Sir, Give it up and walk away or Ill have to arrest you." the stranger says with as much authority as Eli. Eli is about to reply with a sarcastic remark when he sees the badge on the guys belt reflect the light of the nearby street lamp.

"Fuck" is the simple statement made by Eli. Thoughts of jail run through Elis head and he thinks about running, but he doesnt. If this cop wanted to arrest him he surely would have by now, right? Eli shakes his head and raises his hands to show his surrender. The cop nods and says," Good choice, mate. My name is Detective William Thomas and you are?" The detective shoves his hand toward Eli for him to shake; Eli does not return the gesture.

"Im Eli." he says cooly. "Well...Eli, its nice to meet you. I know it was off putting for me to ask such a blatant question earlier in the bar, but I know exactly how you felt. I was in a bad place for a very long time myself. I finally found my way out with help of course. Im not really the type to let someone suffer. I hate that I have to be a dick about everything too, but that is what my job entails." Detective William explains. Eli was not interested in this man's life story he just wanted to leave, and get as far away from this cop as possible.

After as moment of awkward silence detective Thomas asks, Enough of my sob story."Can I buy you another shot? Might as well since I confiscated your drugs...," He swiftly walks to the dumpster and throws the lid back letting the powder float into the air. Elis anger nearly boils over as he watches the last bit of his coke disappear with the wind. He had promised himself hours ago after he left Dr. Turner's office that the cocaine in his pocket would be the last drugs he ever ingested and now he doesnt even have the chance for closure. Eli stalks into the bar fuming; hes going to take every last drink he can get right now.

Another four shots in and half an hour later Eli and William are nearly drunk. Obviously, Williams tolerance level is no match for Elis. The confrontation in the alley earlier has already been forgotten by them both as they sit on their stools. Eli questions the detective next to him, "So...Detective...W-Why is it that you're here getting drunk in the first place? I know you didnt come h-here just for me." Between the hiccups and the slurred speech Williams reply is almost incoherent, "Well, today wa-was my f-first day at Pinevale Police apartment. I mean department. I went to the conference room for the briefing and some-somehow I ended up n-next to the most stunning girl in this wretchedly small town. I made a s-stupid comment to her about how she s-should take notes, and and you want to know what she said? She t-told me I should probably take the dick out of my throat! Can you believe that shit? Bloody hell was she pretty though."William leans back and nearly slips off the stool but Eli reaches out to steady him.