Man at the bar

A Story by harlem_knight

He sits alone at a bar... His olive jacket layed half-hazardly across the steel bar stool he carelessly plops into. It is clear he is a regular. His face worn with indifference, and a bit too unkept to be owned by anyone, not even himself. Besides this, his coarse hair over his top lip glistens with a mixture of coconut oil and apple flavored E&J. Vodka gives him a headache. From across the bar its hard to distinguish between his dark skin and his beard, but a closer examination one would see the aged lines become more and more distinct- bouncing a bit with every facial expression he unconsciously projects. His eyes are a the color of Hazalnut coffe, his mother's favorite. The type of rippened brown that seems to see through the root. Im sure people always compliment his eyes because they are so different from the rest of his skin. That has to be the reason why!

He wreaks of abandonment, however, a mixture of oils and a partially smoked black and mild he put out before walking into the establishment. He keeps it in his bag as if that will hide the stench and sometimes its proven effective. Most times, though, if he moves too quickly, he catches a whiff of himself and quickly looks down in disgust of such a horrid habbit.

Most are repulsed by the scent that haunts this man and he is no exception. It lingers like third cousins at your house during the holdidays; yet they still feel the urge to investigate this mysterious man.

He drinks. On his third round so far and his face remains stoic. As eyes dart he stills for a moment, as if the spell had worn off. He sees life as familiar again. He sees his mother who loved him in such a foriegn way from today smile with warm eyes. He has his mother's eyes. He sees her there staring at him- wondering why he is lost and where is he going. She didnt have to ask because he could read her eyes. And with these eyes still on him, he shakes his head and summons up another round from the bartender with a forced smile.

A toast to painful memories that come with one drink too many!