Vodka

Isaac lives on the beach, he's in a constant state of drunkness. One day, he finds a letter from his old lover, Dmitri... It was an assignment for my English class. I wrote it with my friends

There was no sun that day. The beach was desert. After all, it was the middle of December in Russia. No one in their right mind would go to the beach. But Isaac wasn’t in his right mind. He hadn’t been for a long time. He lived at the beach, in one of those ecocapsules, made for a ‘’wild lifestyle’’. He didn’t have a wild lifestyle, not anymore. He was drunk half the time. He got drunk to bury his emotions. But that day, the gray sky reflected his mood and he drank more than usual. By 12 o’clock, he’d already emptied half a vodka bottle. To his disappointment, he didn’t feel any numbness, so he tried to take something stronger. But when he got up, he stumbled. Something fell on him. It was a letter. Even if he was a bit dizzy, Isaac could see his name written on it. He opened it with difficulty. He took another sip of vodka and started reading. As soon as he recognized the handwriting, his eyes filled with tears.

‘’ My dearest Isaac,

Do you remember the day I first introduced you to vodka? It was a sunny day, I rare warm day in the beginning of May. You were on the beach, with your canvas and paint. I was in the capsule, watching you through the window. The light of the sun setting, your sandy hair and your delicate features made you look so innocent. I took a blanket and a bottle of vodka and I joined you. You were so caught up in your work that you didn’t expect it when I grabbed your waist and kissed your neck. You dropped your brushes and turned to kiss me passionately. We sat on the blanket and I handed you the bottle.

‘’ What for?’’ you asked.

‘’ Celebrating. It’s been a year since we got here.’’ I said smiling.

‘’ Has it? Time flies really fast. Well then, give me that.’’ you said confidently. You took a sip and you started coughing really hard. I laughed, seeing how you were handling it. You looked at me and said ‘’ How do you Russians do this? This is fire put in a bottle!’’ I laughed and took a chug. We watched the sun set and I rested my head on your lap. You kept running your fingers through my dark hair. ‘’ Dmitri?’’ you said in a dizzy voice.

‘’ Yes? ’’

‘’ What would you do if I died today?’’

‘’ I would die tomorrow’’ I said.

I don’t remember how long we stayed like that, but eventually you got up and went back inside. I looked up in the sky and saw I star. Then it all went down. I didn’t see them coming. I don’t know how many they were or for how long they beat me up. I just remember the pain. It hurt so badly, but I didn’t strike back. I was afraid they were going to touch you my love and I couldn’t let that happen, so I just took it all. At some point they left. Maybe they were satisfied, I don’t know. I just know that the next thing I saw was you, standing over me, yelling my name. I saw fear in your eyes, and I didn’t like it. You didn’t even call an ambulance; you carried me to the car yourself and brought me to the hospital. You called for help. People were looking at you weirdly, but you didn’t seem to notice. All you cared about was to get me to a doctor. But no one seemed to care. They ignored you at the reception and you didn’t get it. You just kept trying. Even in my current state of mind, I knew what was happening. I had lived my whole life in Russia, I recognized that look. They were refusing to treat me because of who I was. They knew who we were and they despised us. But you were still asking for help. A young nurse came and whispered something in your ear. You calmed down a bit and took me back to the parking lot. She soon came after and examined me. I don’t know what she said afterwards, because everything went black. When I woke up, we were back at the capsule and you were taking care of me.

‘’ What happened?’’, I asked

‘’ You were unconscious for three days. The nurse told me what to do to help you heal better.  I took care of it.’’ You said, smiling.

I smiled weakly. Of course you did. You always did. I loved you so much. But I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened. What if they came back for you? What would I do then? I wasn’t strong enough. I may look the part, but Isaac, you are so much stronger than me in many ways, and you’ve always been. I can’t take this life anymore. It’s so hard and painful. I can’t stop feeling that I’m weak, so weak. If I can’t protect you, what can I do? I am not myself anymore. Isaac, my love, you are everything to me. But there is no me left. I love you infinity times infinity, but I need to go, for good. Don’t forget me.

My heart belongs to you,

Dmitri ’’

Isaac’s tears were still running down his cheeks. All his feelings surfaced back at once. He’d been trying to avoid them, but his lover’s letter made them reappear. Anger, love, sadness, confusion, they all came back. He missed Dmitri so much. He couldn’t stop thinking about him. He just wanted to see him again. He wasn’t strong anymore, he didn’t want to be. Every day was a challenge. Maybe Dmitri was at peace, but he wasn’t. Not without him. And he wanted to be. He took the vodka bottle and drank it, bottoms up. ‘’ Infinity times infinity’’, he thought. Then he lay down, and closed his eyes, one last time.

Author's Note

I know the ending is a bit dramatic and over the top, but it was supposed to be a short story, so I didn't know what to do. If you have other , more plausible ideas, please do tell. If you see grammar or spelling mistakes, don't hesitate, and tell me what you think of the story over all