Three Friends

Here are three friends: Todd, Daniel, and Matt.

These friends have not spoken or seen each other in over five years.

Todd sits at a table by the window in a famous coffee shop typing on a laptop, audible enough for everyone to realize he is someone probably important. He waits for his coffee to be made patiently.

Daniel is in his red Toyota Corrola, smoking a cigarette. His music is loud enough for everyone to know he doesn't like rap music. Daniel just bought a new set of speakers for his car. They sit next to him, new in the box. He waits at the stop light impatiently.

Matt is balls deep in some girl, humping away his morning, screaming loud enough for everyone to know he is having sex right now. He waits neither patiently or impatiently for the girl to give him the signal that she is done, so he can go to work.

Todd finishes his sentence, sends it forward in email. His coffee is made and his name is called. He gets it, sits back down and drinks.

Daniel finishes his cigarette, flicks it out the window. The light turns green and he goes. He skips track five on his CD and lights another cigarette.

Matt finishes sex with the girl, tells her to leave. She leaves and he makes some coffee. While the coffee is being boiled, he lights a joint.

Todd has to go to the bathroom. He looks around. There are some innocent looking people in here, an old couple, some college students on their laptops. He feels comfortable leaving his laptop at his table for a minute or two unattended. His bladder makes an attempt at communication. He closes his laptop, takes a sip of his coffee, stands, and walks patiently to the bathroom.

Daniel has to go to the bathroom. He pulls into the parking lot of a Starbucks. There are some black people standing outside, smoking. He goes inside the coffee shop, hurries to the bathroom, finds that it is locked, and curses impatiently. He waits and looks around. A computer sits unattended. He looks around:  there are some innocent looking people in here, an old couple, some college students on their laptops. He feels comfortable enough stealing the computer. His brain makes an attempt at communication. He looks around, no one is looking, grabs the computer, and walks impatiently out of the coffee shop.

Matt has to go to the bathroom. He opens the bathroom window and then lifts up the toilet lid. There are voices of people talking outside, dogs barking. He pees. He notices that there is an Altoids can sitting next to the sink; he has never seen it before. He opens it and finds its contents to be purpled marijuana: obviously it belongs to the girl who he just had sex with. He feels comfortable enough taking some of her weed for another joint. His hands make an attempt at communication. He rolls another joint semi-patiently and walks to the balcony to smoke it.

Todd leaves the bathroom. He sees that his computer is gone. He panics, looks at the faces in the coffee shop to see if this is a joke being played on him. It is not a joke. He goes up to the cashier, asks if she saw anyone come in here and take his laptop. She says she did, and points to a red Toyota Corrola leaving the parking lot. Todd leaves the coffee shop, impatiently.

Daniel leaves the coffee shop parking lot. He turns onto Cloverleaf Street and waits impatiently at a stop light, looks at the car next to him and sees a girl looking at him and laughing, and wonders if a joke is being played on him. Its not a joke. He looks at the laptop he just stole on the passengers seat next to his new speakers. He lights a cigarette impatiently.

Matt leaves the balcony. He goes inside and pours himself some coffee. He drinks and then looks at the clock, notices that he is late for work. He panics, goes to the bathroom to shower. He finds that his water has been turned off, and wonders if a joke is being played on him. Its not a joke. He dresses without showering, locks his apartment, and goes to his car. He pulls out onto the street impatiently.

Todd watches the red Toyota Corrola turn left onto Cloverleaf Street. He starts his own engine, a black Volkswagen Jetta and follows the car who supposedly stole his laptop. He is stopped abruptly by a red light. He curses and screams. There are no cars around, and he runs the red light. He speeds up and sees a red car turn right off the street near a giant yellow M.

Daniel watches a girl with a nice a*s walk by on the sidewalk. His light turns green and he goes.  He remembers he still has to take a s**t, so he  pulls into a McDonald's. He parks, doesn't lock his car in the hurry, and goes in to s**t.

Matt watches some a*****e in a red Toyota cut him off on Cloverleaf Street. He brakes, switches lanes and passes the a*****e as he turns into a McDonald's. The intersection in front of him  turns yellow, and he speeds up and makes it just as it turns red. He remembers he hasn't eaten anything. He turns around and goes to the Mcdonald's.

Todd parks his Volkswagen Jetta next to the red Toyota Corrola. He gets out impatiently and slams the door. He walks around to the passenger side of the Toyota, looks in discreetly as possible, and sees his laptop on the seat. He looks around, there is nobody around, and he tugs on the door handle. It opens to his surprise and he takes back what is his. He sees a box of new radio speakers and he takes those as well.

Daniel wipes his a*s. He leaves the stall patiently and closes the door and washes his hands. He walks out of the bathroom, looks discreetly at a nice pair of tits, and then sees some a*****e shut the passenger door of his Toyota Corrola. He runs to the exit and tugs on the door handle. It is locked to his surprise, and he screams impatiently. He watches a black Volkswagen Jetta pull out of the parking lot. He notices the door says push instead of pull. He leaves and gets in his Toyota Corolla, finds that someone stole his radio speakers, and follows the Volkswagen Jetta.

Matt decides to take a quick piss before he orders his food, but the bathroom door is locked. He orders an Egg McMuffin and orange juice and waits. He sees some moron try to pull open a door that says push and laughs as discreetly to himself and looks away. His food is ready. He eats it in his car, and leaves when finished. 

Todd drives to work. He is happy that he got is computer back. He feels like a man.

Daniel follows the black Volkswagen Jetta. He is unhappy that someone stole his new speakers and the computer that he just stole. He feels like a pawn of karma.

Matt speeds to work. He is neither happy nor unhappy. He feels sick from the McDonald's, but high enough to ignore it.

Todd stops at a traffic light. He looks in the rearview mirror and sees the red Toyota Corrola a few cars behind him. He feels nervous, but ignores it.

Daniel stops at a traffic light. He is a few cars behind the black Volkswagen Jetta. He feels nervous, but ignores it.

Matt stops at a traffic light. He is at the end of the long line of cars. He feels nervous about work, but he ignores it.

Todd pushes on the gas pedal when the light turns green. He turns left onto 2nd even though he could have turned right on Richmond. It all ends up in the same place.

Daniel curses to himself because the light is green and the person in front of him is obviously on their phone and idling at a green light. He honks his horn impatiently. The lanes on both sides of him are moving. He honks his horn again. After ten seconds his lane starts to creep forward. He can't find the black Volkswagen Jetta. He curses to himself again. He turns right onto Richmond, thinking the Jetta turned here. He turns up the volume on the radio.

Matt switches lanes because this one is not moving even though the light is green. He passes the long line of cars not moving and turns right on Richmond. He turns the volume down on the radio and pulls into his work.

Todd curses himself, even though he is happy right now because he got his computer back and he normally doesn't curse, but there is a roadblock on 2nd and he has to turn around. 

Daniel curses to himself because he is unhappy and because he usually curses to himself. He cruises through Richmond looking for the black Volkswagen Jetta. He decides to give up on the pursuit, and slams on the gas pedal, driving thirty mph over the speed limit.

Matt curses to himself because he realizes that it is Saturday, and he doesn't have to work today. He pulls out of his work parking lot without stopping or looking.

Todd turns onto Richmond. He slows because he sees the speed limit sign is only 25 mph. His work is a mile away.

Daniel slams on the brakes because someone pulls out right in front of him. 

Matt is hit by a red Toyota Corrola.

Todd comes up to the scene of a terrible car accident. He drives by it slowly, noticing a red Toyota Corrola, but dismisses the coincidence. He thinks about stopping, but he is almost late for work.  He gets to work and finds that his office building is on fire.

Daniels phone dials Todd's phone number upon the impact. Daniel is dead, so he doesn't know that this happens.

Matt is alive to his own surprise. He lights a joint.

Todd's phone rings. It's his old friend Daniel, who he hasn't seen in a very long time. He answers it but no one is there.

Matt gets out of the car and finds that he doesn't have a scratch on him. 

Todd hangs up and then calls the police and tells them his office building is on fire. They tell him that they are already aware of the situation, and that the fire department is on its way. Todd tells them also about the car accident on Richmond.

Matt finds that the person in the red car is dead. He starts to cry.

Todd drives back down Richmond towards his home. He sees a person crying on the curb with his head buried in his arms. Todd drives home with his new speakers.

Todd passes the fire trucks and the ambulances on Cloverleaf.

Matt hears the sirens. He panics and runs away from the scene of the accident, not wanting to be liable for killing the other driver.

Todd goes inside his home. He sits down on the couch.

Matt hops over a chain-linked fence, and as he swings his leg over the top of the fence his phone dials Daniels phone number. Neither of them know this, because Daniel is dead and Matt is panicking. 

Todd turns on the news. Nothing exciting.

Daniel's phone rings. 

Matt turns onto Cloverleaf and walks home, stoned.

Author's Note

I feel sorry for them. I didn't want to write it this way, but this is just how it happened.

Reviews

[Justin Robben]

Really enjoyed this one. The "simple" approach to the writing keeps us focused. And in trying to guess how the stories will all intertwine. Very interesting angle...Inspiring, even.

Bravo!

[Chadvonswan]

Thanks a lot Justin, I really appreciate the read man

[Lea Walker]

I absolutely love this story, it was interesting to know how each person will influence the others life. The characters are so different from each other and are realistic which helps make it really interesting and they keep your full attention until the very end.

[Chadvonswan]

Really appreciate the enthusiastic review! Thanks for reading !

[C. Rose]

"Its not a joke"
"laughs as discreetly to himself"

I enjoyed trying to anticipate how their stories would intersect and seeing all the parallels.

Thanks for sharing.

[Chadvonswan]

Thank you for reading!!

[Charles Kadib]

I really can't make up my mind whether to like it or hate it. Its an interesting story because of the connection between the characters. The narrating is something else but come to think of it how else can you simplify a story like this. I guess we should keep looking most time it just seemed like best friend was spinning a yarn to my best friend

[Woody]

I find this wonderfully baffling/disturbing/funny. I like the way you wrote the story, Chad. twists and turns. I can imagine this really happening. why not? don't they say stranger things happen at sea? or something like that.
I'd love to try what you were smoking when you wrote this :)

[Chadvonswan]

Hahahah thanks for reading, Woody, and (have you ever smoked ink?)

[Woody]

can't say I have. is this a joke?

[Chadvonswan]

Hhahaha of course its a joke :D

[ZackOfBridge]

The dramatic irony here is awesome. Also, it was really a contrast in structure and content from your more recent works, and the minimalist style worked here. Liked it max, and I liked the ending too.

[Chadvonswan]

Thanks bud. I got tired of trying to write poetic prose like I'm on acid, so I wrote this as my thanksgiving story (: haha

[Laura Lynn]

That is sad. Yeah these characters are really tangled up in each other, and it's nice how they're not even the same person. They are just characters walking around, like you the author are clearly in control of them, but it is sad the result. I don't know how you make the one guy die like that. At least the other character didn't have to be in the building because it was Saturday. Never be in an office building on a Saturday, it sounds dangerous. I guess, patience is neither a virtue nor a vice in this, though it is something to reflect on here, the nature of it and what it is that is something

[Chadvonswan]

Yeah I dont really like how this story ended. But as I was writing it I felt like it was writing itself, so I just let it go where it went. Thanks for reading, Laura. !!!

[Alan B.]

Interesting three-person perspective here. Great how you showed the different realities for each one at the end. Well done.

[Chadvonswan]

Thanks man. I appreciate the review. Honestly I don't know where this story came from haha