I couldn't think of an exact title, well either way I ran this through spell and grammar check. I also looked it over myself but I know I'm in desperate need of an editor. Please do tell me how you like it though, any criticism or praise is welcome and I do hope you enjoy reading and capture the characters as well as I did when I wrote them. Enjoy~
The sun drops from the sky as night approaches. I sit at my computer and type, staring at the screen and waiting for a reply. I just started going to this site, about a month ago I got interested in chatting with people online but I hardly trust them. “So how are you?” He finally replied to me, not that I’m even sure of his gender but I can humor them. I type back with my usual reply “I’m doing fine, how about you?”
I wait again; sometimes I wonder what these people are doing that it takes so long to type a few words. They wouldn’t tell me even if I asked… They would just be offended, like asking a question is such a horrible thing. They finally reply “I’m fine, so where might you live ^^” I sit there for a moment looking at the screen; my thoughts go through my head like a hurricane. Their all so destructive but the main one is, “Oh… another one of these…”
He begins typing before I even reply. I wait for him to finish or for it to say that for about a minute or so, some people are so clumsy and hit a button. These stupid machines can’t even understand when somebody makes a mistake anyways. “So you don’t trust me?” I was surprised nobody has ever asked me that question in my years of being online. I type back to him, “No, sorry… it didn’t beep me…” Of course I was lying, but he’s interested me. If he ask again I’ll give him an address in my neighborhood that is nearby so I can examine.
He begins typing back; his reply was faster than usual. “So, where do you live? ^^” I answered nice and simply. “Ardmore, PA 19003 Greenfield Ave 341.” I live at 339 so I can watch who it is and see who it is. I hardly trust this person and I don’t feel like risking getting robbed. “How wonderful is this, I live just 4 minutes away from there, why don’t we get together tomorrow?” I thought for a moment, maybe I can see whether or not to trust this person by first seeing if they told me everything about them self.
“Sure, just knock a couple times at the door and I’ll be out.” They immediately signed out after that, I still had plenty of suspicions. I picked myself up and walked to bed so I could get an early start to the day. I wasn’t sure when they would get here, they might just wait till the man at 341 leaves for work so they can rob their place. I will have to be up early and have the phone ready to call the police on this guy or girl.
I lie down and immediately fall asleep; it doesn’t take long after staring at a flashing screen all day. The sun rises along with me, doesn’t take much to wake me up even if I’ve been up late. I go down stairs and eat as I imagine they wouldn’t show up this early in the morning. After I finish my breakfast I head out to the porch and sit on my hammock waiting for this man or woman to come by his house.
I fell asleep about an hour after I was waiting, but it wasn’t long before I was woken up by the sound of a car pulling up. They stepped out and knocked a few times, after that they were waiting for an answer so they pulled off their hood. It was a woman, just like I thought. Nobody online can be trusted and who knows what she would have done to me if I had let her in to my house. The neighbor opens up his door, an old fellow with a pot belly and sort of a small beard. I wouldn’t know his name as I have never wanted to associate with anybody around here in the first place. He had about the same house I did and from what I know he only ever left the house to go to work.
Though as usual he begins to yell as soon as he realized somebody he doesn’t know stepped on to his property. The woman was talking too quietly for me to hear but I could catch some of the loud words of the old man in my ears “I don’t want anything of yours!” “Get out of here before I call the cops!” “Aw she’s crying now, boo hoo.” Normally I would think that was harsh, but I could hardly care for somebody I can’t even trust. She headed back to her car and I went back online to talk some more. About 5 minutes later she gets online and messages me. “I see how it is… sorry…” I thought I would give her clear reason to why I detest her so much. “You lied. You were a woman… So what did you plan to do if I did answer the door and let you in?” She replied to me with a short and simple message. “If you can’t trust me… bring a gun, bring whatever… just come down to my bakery on Barrett Avenue…” She signed off just like last time.
I thought to myself about going, there are many outcomes to this in my head. None of them included happily ever after. I waited through the day thinking over this problem, it could be a revenge scheme or it could be an ambush. I had to get it right or just not go at all. If I brought a gun and it was an ambush that could save my life, if it’s a revenge plot then she could call the cops and I would go to jail because I looked suspicious. Not like they would check anything about it and I could jump in surprise and shoot at them. I decided to go before it got to late, I gathered up my stuff and left my gun back in my bedroom.
I’m not a big enough idiot to not go armed at all so I grabbed my knife and tucked it in my hidden coat pocket just in case. I hopped in the car and checked the time; it was just about four in the afternoon. I got in my car; the only bakery that’s on Barret is about 3 minutes away so I idled and thought to myself. I went over the different situations and backed out of the driveway. Approaching the bakery I unzipped my hidden pocket so I could draw my knife fast. I got out of the car and walked around, looking at the door the sign said closed. “Heh… she lied about owning the place to… I’m not surprised…”
I began to walk away when my eye caught something back at the bakery. There was a woman sitting at the table with her head down as though she had fallen asleep. Stepping up to the door I push and it opens simply, either she has broken in to continue these lies or she has some truth to her. I walked up to the table and looked in to her face, she was actually asleep. “Must have closed early to wait for me…” I saw something in her face, not as though there was something wrong about it. But somewhat of an innocent look to her, afraid and honest.
I move her brown hair out of her eye’s way maybe she was somebody that I would actually make friends with. She wakes up and hers blue eyes slowly catch my image from what it looked like. As soon as she knew there was a man in her bakery she didn’t know she hopped up and alertly said almost reflexively “Sorry the shop is closed today! If you come back tomorrow I’ll be glad to help you with whatever you need!” I backed up a bit and told her my name, she would know because the name I give out is the name I use in chat rooms. She grabbed a rag and cleaned off the table she was sitting at, as if she was trying to be presentable but fell asleep.
“What are you doing?” She gave a shocked expression and replied quickly, “I have to clean so the place looks nice when you get here! Oh no, you’re here! I have to put this stuff away and get ready.” She runs back through hitting in to a stand and shifting around the store, I couldn’t help laughing at how frantic she acted. Once she ran back out I stopped her and pushed her slightly back. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to go through so much. Come sit down and let’s talk…” I sit down and watch her approach the desk, it must be comfortable living here, she’s wearing a light blue frilly skirt and a while sweater.
In my opinion dressing like that is about as comfortable as you can get inside of your own business. “So what was all that about yesterday…” I looked in to her eyes; it looks like she was extremely hurt compared to a moment ago. I still didn't feel sorry about what happened as she lied to me in the first place. There’s no reason to break that trust and that’s why I could care less what happens. I don’t ask people to accept me when I lie after all. “Why did you tell me you were a guy and not a girl?” She stared at me for a moment as that could have stirred some painful thoughts up. “Because… I get more respect as a guy than a girl… I thought maybe if I met you I could explain but when I opened the door…” Tears began to form in her eyes and she was having problems forming any of her words. Taking a deep breath she begins to yell, “And besides would you have believed me any more if I said I was a girl!”
I thought for a moment and she stopped me as soon as I opened my mouth, “You still would have given me the wrong directions, and you still would have seen me! So what, you push your problems on to other people? So what if I was a fake, maybe a robber… then what? What if you weren't watching and he just walked in and stole everything from that man…” I sat there and stated heartlessly “Better him then me…” She rushed out of the door and got in to her car rushing out of the driveway. This is what that horrible machine has brought me to. This is what has always happened to me, everybody I talk to… I speak to like some kind of machine programmed to only care about what needs to be done. “I’m sick of this…” I stared at the table and clenched my fist, “I’m sick of this…” I lifted my arms and screamed at the top of my lungs slamming the table. “I’m sick of all of this!” Pushing over my chair I run out of the door and in to my car to chase after her, I could still see her car so she wasn’t to far gone.
“Maybe… Maybe if I catch her I can correct myself… what have I done…” Slamming the gas I hit reverse and turn as fast as I can. “I can fix what that… What I have made myself…” I slam it in to drive and hit the gas straight out in to traffic, I hear a loud crash. Was it I… What had just happened? I closed my eyes with the comforting sound of a crackling fire. I wake up inside my house, with my wife and kids; impossible they left me so long ago. “Hunny, won’t you get off that computer and come spend Christmas with us?” I look at my kids in the living room and my wife walking in with a couple plates filled with turkey, potatoes and pie. “I am off of the computer…” I stand up and walk slowly over to her.
“I’m finally off of that computer…” I grab her and fall to the ground, “Why are you constantly on this thing?” She walks right past me and looks at the computer screen. “Talking with people again? Why don’t you talk to your family?” There’s a knock at the door and I walk over to see my grandmother walk through. “But… you died a month after last Christmas…” She hugged my wife and walked over to me shaking me and asking to give her at least a greeting. “Come on… don’t ruin this Christmas…” “But I’m right here… Don’t walk away…” I stand up to approach the chair, who could catch their eye more then me… after all I was so loved by them before all of this… I turn towards the man in the chair, he was repulsive and I almost puked from the smell. He had stains all over his white shirt and his blue jeans. His hair was grayish and he had light stubble of a beard. “Why aren’t you spending time with them…?” He ignored me and grabbed a drink from the other side of the table.
He disgusted me… What kind of pig could this be, maybe I’ve talked to him before was my first thought. I looked at the screen and checked for a name, Darius… but… “That’s my screen name…” At that moment falling to my knees from pain, tears dropping to the ground. “None of this is real… stop this… stop all of this! If you want me to suffer kill me slowly just… don’t show me last Christmas.” I’ve finally figured it out, I crashed and my mind is reliving all those painful memories. “Stop me…” I whispered to myself and kept throwing punches at this horrible person in the chair, I hated him… I hated myself, I lost them and I was given so many chances. “Stop this now!”
They all left me after my grandmother died anyways. None of them wanted to put up with me, I don’t blame them. “Come back, I’ve only just met you… I’m sorry for storming out…” What’s that voice? Am I waking up, why can’t I just die already…? A white light approaches my eyes and I see a doctor standing over me. “Why did you bring me here… I didn’t want to wake up; I realize what I did…” She looked at me with such detest, “You hate me…” The doctor checked my heart beat and wrote some stuff down. “Of course I do, you said something so heartless and then you put yourself in this situation forcing me to drive you here and help you myself.”
I was still crying from that awful dream I had, “Why did you even bother? You only met me online…” She stared at me like I was some kind of moron after saying that. “Really, how long have you let people around you warp your brain? The only people who let somebody die by themselves are heartless low life’s who do nothing but judge each other for their bad traits.” I opened my mouth and she cut me off again. “We never did get to talk and I’m going to sit here by your hospital bed until we do or till you get better.” I lie back and lay my head down, “What did you want to know?” She looked at me seriously as though she saw from the very beginning. “What is your real name?” There was one thing that was missing through my entire subconscious, last December my grandmother said my real name… but since then… “I… I don’t know anymore…”
She looked at me like I was some kind of nut for saying that, “What do you mean you don’t know, you couldn’t have possibly forgotten your own name.” I’ve actually forgotten my own name and I will probably never remember. I felt this as payback for so many lies I’ve sent through my mouth since my first moment being online. “Everybody lies, I’m no exception…” She looked at me again with those same eyes of detest, “Well I told you my real name, its Jennifer and I sure hope you won’t forget that!” I laughed, “I don’t even know if I’ll ever go home… and I’m supposed to remember a name already?” “Well then you’re lucky, the doctor has already said that you have minimal damage and you’ll be going home tomorrow! So now you can’t forget my name.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, she was actually insistent on this. By her words it sounded like… “I’ll also be dropping by your house and making sure you spend some time with somebody so you won’t be so lonely. We need to get you off that computer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get back on it and have some fun… but let’s keep it a little lower then forget your name long. Our first job is to find your birth certificate…” I thought for a moment then I closed my eyes remembering that day.
“If you don’t care about anything but that stupid computer I’m going to throw all of this paper work in the fire… Okay then… I’m taking the kids with me…” I opened my eyes and my face was soaked. “She… tried so hard to get me off of that computer… to give me a second chance… She burned it all… I don’t even have my driver’s license…” Looking back at her to see a smile “Say my name…” Is this some kind of joke? I just said that I’ve lost everything and she asked me such a trivial question. “Come on, have you forgotten it already?” She was actually serious! “Jennifer?” She grabbed my hand and told me in a serious tone. “There’s your first piece of knowledge, now what’s your name?” I looked at her again with that same face; I can’t take such things seriously at all.
“Come on now, what in the world are you talking about…” She put a finger on her chin and waited for a moment. “Travis?” I looked at her with some kind of concern or another. “Well at least I’m trying!” She scans me over and mumbles to herself. “Jefferson…” She looked over at me and waved her finger around. “Yeah… but that’s a good last name for you, let’s think of a first name to match!” So she’s giving me a last name to… “How about, Davis…” She set down my hand as the doctor approaches and asked her kindly to leave. Just as she exited the door he put his hand on his face like something horrible has happened.
“You’re… going to die…” My expression grew from happy to horrified, I was told I would life and now I’m being given a death sentence. “But you said…” The doctor paced back and forth grabbing a hold on some papers “I know what I said, you were find until I checked your heart beat… It was sort of irregular so I checked the x-ray charts…” I put my hands over my chest as my heart began to beat rapidly, “I called her out of this room because I knew that giving you this news would shorten your life from an hour to mere minutes. I’ll call her back in before you’re gone…” Tears rolled so rapidly down my eyes as I imagined that comforting home days from now. “I… I was finally free… How am I going to die when I am finally free!!!?” I yelled at the doctor as if it was his entire fault.
“I’m not sure… how it happened… but you have a large knife lodged in your heart, it could have been in the car at the time or flung through the window or…” “In my pocket…” I cut him off after realizing what I have done to myself, I created this life and I was the end of it to. “Well yes, but you would have to have it in this pocket here, “He unzipped the coat and put his hand in, finding blood stains all through and a small hole that goes through to the other side. “Well… either way, I’m going her back in. Say your good byes and have a happy last few minutes on this earth…” He walks out and calls for her, exiting the room as soon as she enters she runs back to the chair and picks up my hand again.
“Good news! My daughter was perfectly alright with you coming to stay with us so I have no problem letting you stay at our house now!” I started to cry again, who wouldn’t after realizing what they could have and it being all thrown away in one moment. All the pain she would feel all the pain I feel now. My minutes are almost gone… I’m going to tell her how much I care and tell he goodbye. “Don’t talk… for just a moment…” I shushed her and with what little strength I had I picked my hand up and put it over her lips.
“I only wish I never brought you in to this, I’m so sorry… I wish we could have started a loving family…” She knew what was happening after I said that, grabbing my arm she starts to cry. “If only I didn’t act that way, I wouldn’t have brought such pain to you… I wish I had longer… I could tell you everything… Goodbye… My last minute…” I grabbed my chest feeling my heart die slowly and everything in my body beginning to shut down. “I… actually… lo… ved… y… you…” Everything grew dark with that last dying breath. My whole entire life flashed in front of my eyes, all that happiness, joy, sorrow, hard times and good times… Then this last year… But as they came to a close one last thing came to mind… what could have been? I see Jennifer and me running out with her sweet little daughter, through a grassy field… My final punishment… Well somebody like me gets what I deserve, reaching out my last words as my body collapsed “For… get… me…”
