Chance Meeting

Based on a dream about my big brother who commited suicide.

 

Anna closed her eyes and when she opened them found herself driving her first car – truck actually – an old red-orange beat up ‘76 Datsun King Cab. A long stretch of highway splayed itself in front of her and desert surrounded her on both sides. Led Zeppelin poured out of the old truck’s speakers, one of which was nearly shot and rattled along to Stairway to Heaven.

“S**t.” Anna groaned as the truck stalled out and started it again. She looked down and said another profanity as she noticed the gas gauge was resting on “E.” When she looked back up again, she saw an old gas station right beside her on the road and she went by it so fast that she had to turn around before pulling into the pumps.

There were no other cars in the station, or on the road. The place seemed strangely abandoned. The pumps were rusted and plastered with all kinds of stickers and signs saying things like “Self-Serve,” “Don’t gas and dash!” and most prominently, “Pre-Pay Inside.”

Anna reached over to the passenger seat for her purse, but didn’t find it there. She looked on the floor as well, but it was nowhere to be found. Sighing, she got out of the truck and reached into her jeans pocket to find a twenty, then walked into the mini mart.

The check-out counter was just as cluttered with things as the pumps were covered. Anna rang a bell in the center of the counter, “Hello… anyone here?”

“Hey.” A familiar voice said from behind Anna.

“Hey…” She turned around and saw her brother’s face wearing an old baseball cap and his old purple and orange sweater. She froze in place and stared a moment, a little confused at where she was and why she was there.

“Anna, I just want to tell you I’m sorry.” David casually turned to look at a Hostess display and picked up a package of chocolate Donettes. “Ya know, what I did was kind of stupid.”

“Yeah,” Anna turned to look at the display with him. She started to feel more comfortable and quit questioning where she was. “Why’d you do it?”

“I dunno, I was drunk? If I could take it back I would. But the point is that you don’t have to die too.” David walked up to the counter and put down a dollar bill. “Make the most of everything you still have, Anna. I love you sis.” He then walked out the door and just disappeared.

Anna stood still and blinked back a tear, opening her eyes to see the glowing numbers on her alarm clock, half of her face mashed in her pillow.

“Oh.” She said, a little louder than she intended, the picture of her brother’s face burned into her head.

“What is it…?” Jake whispered, in bed beside her.

“Oh… it’s nothing.” She repositioned herself to put her arm around her fiancé.

Jake held her as well, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Anna said quietly as she fell back to sleep, not to Jake, but to her brother David.

Author's Note

This is a fairly quick write up of a dream I had.

Reviews

[Forest Green]

Nice story with a bit of a twist. Convincing details and dialogue.

Hope you keep writing...!

Daniel