Regrets

Two men and a bar. With the world about to end.

            A man sits at a bar on his fifth shot of tequila watching the television. A female reporter is talking about the energy spikes on the sun and how they’re becoming more unstable. The man looks down at the shot glass in front of him and takes his sixth shot. The bartender walks over and looks at the empty glass before glancing at the man before him.

“I normally cut people off after four, but f**k it seems like everything’s about to go to s**t anyway.” He gets the bottle of tequila out and another shot glass filling both glasses up before picking one up and holding it out to the man at the counter. “To the end of the world.” Says the bartender. The man picks up his glass and clinks it to the bartenders and they both proceed to drain the glasses.

The man leans back nearly falling out of his chair. He takes a deep breath in and then slowly lets it out and lays his head down on the bar.

The bartender looks at him wondering if he should see if he’s ok. Deciding to just let the man be he turns and starts to walk to the other end of the bar. He gets about half way before he hears some mumbling coming from the man resting on the counter.

“What was that son?” The barkeeper asks the man. For the first few seconds it’s silent and the barkeeper begins to wonder if it was just a drunken mumble or he was just hearing things but then the man lifts up his head and with tears streaming down his face he looks at the bartender and asks “When did it all go so wrong?” The man chokes out before burying his face into his arms and proceeding to sob.

The barkeeper is stunned. He was not prepared for this and god knows he’s not good with people. He walks back over to the man and tries to give him comfort in the only form he could ever find in his life. He pours two more shots of tequila and nudges the man on the counter until he looks up at the full glass of tequila. Watery eyed he looks up at the barkeeper and smiles before clinking his glass with the barkeepers and emptying his seventh glass.

“I’m sorry.” The man says. “I know you probably have your own s**t to worry about and here I am a complete drunk stranger trying to get my problems out. While I still have time.” The man sniffles and wipes the tears from his cheeks.

The bartender is silent.

The man looks up at him before continuing. “It sucks that it takes the world coming to an end to finally realize just how much you fucked up in life.” With no response from the barkeeper still the man simply continues determined to vent even if the man in front of him just wants him to shut up. “I keep thinking about my parents. I mean I wasn’t a good kid man. I guess they weren’t good parents either and that’s why I haven’t talked to them in about twenty years but I should have. I should have called them. Told them I’m sorry I was such a little s**t and that I forgive them for all the bull s**t they put me through. That I miss both of them and the only thing I want in the world right now is for one of them to hold me and even though it’s a lie. Even though humanity itself is about to be wiped off the face of the universe like a bug on a windshield. I want one of them to hold me and say that everything is going to be ok. I want to feel like I’m not alone. Like all the s**t in my life didn’t lead me to a bar during the end of the world having a mental breakdown in front of someone who doesn’t even know my name.

The man clenches the glass in his fists as he tries to stop his body from shaking so much. Trying to gain some control of his emotional state. The bartender takes the glass from the man’s shaking hands and pours more tequila into it before filling up his own and holding it out to the man. After they’ve both finished their shots the bartender looks at the man and says “My name is Kent.”

The man at the counter smiles at Kent. “Nice to meet you Kent. My names Drew. Thanks for assisting me with trying to drink myself to death.” The bartender laughs and looks at Drew before saying. “I’ve almost done that before.”

Drew looks up at the Kent inquisitively.

“When I was in my thirty’s I was in a really s****y place. Wife and kids left me I did nothing but drink and get high to numb the pain of losing them. So if there is anything I regret it’s the fact I never told my wife and kids how sorry I am that I let a bottle control my life for so long before finally sobering up and realizing that I’m completely alone.”

Drew looks down and reaches for the bottle of tequila pouring himself and Kent another shot before reaching it into the air. “To regrets” he says with a smile. Kent laughs before picking up his glass and clinking it to the glass in Drew’s hand. A silence falls amongst the two men.

A few moments later there is a flash of light from outside and they both rush over to the window to see what was going on. The only way to describe it is like a sheet of light was slowly engulfing everything in the horizon. They glance at the TV and can see that the suns finally kicked off and that all around the world solar flares are impacting the earth bringing about the extinction of mankind.

 A feeling of dread fills Drew and he falls to the floor hyperventilating at his oncoming death. All of his regrets and negative thoughts are flooding into his brain making him even more anxious and frightened. He slams his head against the wall and cries out at how helpless and afraid he is. He drops his head into his hands and continues to break down.

He feels something cold on his arm and he looks up to see Kent pressing another shot of tequila into his now open hands. Kent raises his glass and with tears streaming down his face smiles at Drew. Drew manages to raise his glass and return the smile before finishing off the last drink he will ever have. The two men look at each other than at the oncoming wave of sunlight. Drew reaches out his hand and Kent takes it into his own.

With fresh tears in his eyes Drew looks at the man who is going to go out of this world together with and says. “Thank you so much for making me feel like I’m not alone in the end.” Kent simply smiles at Drew and pulls him into a hug. The two cling to each other as the wave sweeps over them and within seconds Drew and Kent are no more.

 

 

Reviews

[tlhisler]

That's powerful and nicely done not too weepy just enough. I spotted a couple of things but it didn't take away from the story.
I'm not an expect but try using the word said more than asks or anything else, people are so use to seeing the word SAID that it's nearly invisible to them.
Over all a great story

[Isaiah Dunn]

Thanks for the tip! I will definitely add that into my writing.