Unknown yet Familiar

    He sits on the side of his truck watching the boys work as he stops for his break. He pulls his Monster Energy can out from behind his bag where he set it out of the sun. The phone in his pocket is buzzing again, it hasn’t stopped all day. He wipes the sweat from his brow and takes a swig from his drink, despite his efforts it was already piss warm. The first message on his phone was from his ex.

    “Hey,I’m sorry. I really miss you. Can we talk?” He ignored it. Why would he want to talk to her? Stupid s**t. His best friend got to know her better than he did.  Those stupid blonde curls and that fake little half smile. Her eyes were dead and empty after that. He didn’t understand what he was doing wrong to have her grow so distant until the day he walked in on her with a friend he would've called his brother in the bathroom at a house party.The worse part is that probably wasn’t even the only time it happened, just the only time she got caught. That was the last time he’d give all his time away to a girl that was just gonna run out on him. The next message was from his sister.

    “Hey bro, long time no talk. Miss seeing you around here, even Mom misses you I think.  I found that hat you thought you lost, the one you got from Bub, it was up in the loft. It’s not the same here without you guys. I’ll send it in the mail. Hope all is well. Love you, Miss you. XOXO” It really had been a long time since he talked to her, or seen her, or any of his family for that matter. But his sister was the only one of them left he actually still cared about., after all she pretty much raised him. His mother  only wanted to please his father who favored his little brother. His father was never really there anyway, but when he was it was only to see his brother. Of course in his father’s eyes, everything was his fault, including the death of his baby brother. After his younger brother died the whole family just went to hell. The next message he opens is from an unknown number. For some reason though, those 10 digits struck something in his mind, It was unknown, but it was familiar.

    “Hi (: ” What a simple text. There’s no way that one word was going to tell him who it was from.

    “Hey” He replies, not quite sure what to say to this stranger. Maybe they’ll tell him now.

    “How have you been?” Okay maybe they won’t.

    “Alright. Who is this?” He asks.

    “You don’t know?”

    “If I did, would I be asking? lol :P”

    “I thought you would’ve saved my number is all.” Okay. So this number is probably just some random girl he met, at some random town he went to. That must be why it’s familiar. Shocker.

    “Well I can now if you tell me your name.”

    “Why should I? I already have once.”  Well then. Definitely a girl.

    “I’m sorry I guess I didn’t save your number for some reason then.”

    “So why would I tell you who I am so you can just forget about me again?”

    “No I’ll save it this time.” Now he’s worried that maybe he didn’t save this girl’s number for a reason. Why was she so irritated with him?

    “That’s what you said last time.”

    “If I knew who you were, I could tell you why I never got around to saving your number.”

Another text comes in. It’s Katrina. He ignores her message, far more intrigued by this clearly upset stranger. Or old friend? Whoever this unknown yet familiar number is. There were still 6 or 7 messages in his inbox, but he didn’t care to check them. Two minutes pass, no reply. Five minutes pass and he gets tired of staring at his phone waiting for that number to pop up. He pulls out the pack of Camels from his backpack and lights one. Inhaling that toxic waste, letting it fill his lungs and make his head spin as he takes another haul off his drink. After his smoke was gone and 10 minutes had passed he couldn’t help himself.

    “Should I know you?” He asks getting anxious. Finally a few more minutes

    “I thought you’d know. Guess I was wrong.”

    “Why’s that?” He met lot’s of people why should this girl feel so special? Sure he probably flirted pretty heavily with her, but he met lots of people, and he always made it pretty clear that he’s not cut out for any one girl in particular. Not anymore.

    “Because I thought you loved me.”

“What? Why? Who is this?!” Now he was truly curious. Did he tell some random girl he loved them in some drunken stupor or something? No, he wouldn’t do that. The last time he told anyone he loved them it was to his brother after he’d been spread out over the river back home. There’s no way he told any girl he loved them. That would just be stupid.

    “Noone important I guess. Have a nice day.”

    “You might be,” or you might not be, “I just don’t know WHO you are!”

    “If you loved me you’d know who I am.” He thinks back on all the girls he’d been with. The ones he really did care about that he had to leave behind, and the ones that cared about him that he didn’t care for so much at all. He thinks about the girl that follows him when he goes, the one he feels obligated to ‘Love’ just because she had been so devoted to him. Katrina. But was that the woman he really loves?  He thinks about that one girl from a few summers back. He would have scooped her up and taken her away forever, wherever she wanted to go. But he couldn’t. She was too young by her daddy’s standards and there was no way he would've let her run off with a Carnie and ruin her life. She was stuck in that small town, just like he thought he was at her age. That stupid little ghost town he never wanted to return to. But he’s sure that girl probably forgot all about him by now. He thinks back to Katrina, maybe this is just her trying to play games with him. It it was she’d be pissed to think he doesn’t actually love her, and she would leave too.

    “Kat?” He asks still unsure of who this stranger is, and if in fact she’s even a stranger at all.

    “If you really loved me you’d know. But now I know you don’t. I won’t bother you. Have a good life handsome.” Handsome? That’s a new one. Kinda sweet actually. Maybe he really did love this girl once upon a time.

    “I’m sorry whoever you are. Maybe I did love you. Maybe I do.” She never replied to that last message, and he never stopped wondering. He’ll never know now.‘Oh well, Back to work’ He thinks. He puts his phone and his smokes into his backpack and walks his empty can to the bin by the front gate. By his trailer he see’s  Kat waiting for him. Her long brown hair waving with the breeze. Her eyes so innocent and full of tenderness and wonder. He met her gaze,and with this her face lit up, and he knew what she was waiting for.

    “Hey kid, last time I checked your break was only 15 minutes. This ain’t no special occasion!” He had actually only been on break for about 13 minutes, but he wasn’t going to waste time arguing with the fat bald man  he had to take orders from. He waited until his back was turned and he ran over to Kat for a quick kiss, before going back to work. If he’s not with the girl he loves, at least he’ll make a good girl that loves him happy.