365

011 - Eristic [drama]

"You're a snake!" Lucas screamed. "You're always twisting my words, turning everything and everyone against me!"

Jeremy recoiled in pain, instantly making Lucas regret his outburst.

"Honey, where is this coming from? A snake?"

Tears, likely those of a crocodile (which would mirror his cold-hearted, surgical approach to everything) rimmed Jeremy's eyes and demolished Lucas' resolve.

Lucas had suddenly become astutely aware that they were sitting together at a table in one of the finest restaurants in Toronto. Their dinner guests, Rob and Casey, sat awkwardly across from them. Despite Casey's pep-talk, he was just as caught off guard by the situation as Rob.

A waiter, who had been approaching the table, gestured that he would come back, although Lucas was quite sure the same gesture could just as easily be interpreted as get-that-bitch-in-line.

Lucas swallowed hard, knowing Rob and Casey were waiting for his reply while Jeremy was busy preparing his takedown of anything that was about to come out of his mouth.

"I... I-I... don't know," he finally managed. He did know, but somehow Jeremy had the effect of disarming him completely, even of his words. He has hoped that, with an audience, he might be able to call him out.

Jeremy reached across the table for Lucas' hand, closing his own over it. It was warm and comforting, at first, but deeper down it was cold, like food from a microwave.

"Lucas... you're going through a lot right now... I get that. But I'm here for you," he said, staring into Lucas' eyes. "We all are," and now stop embarrassing me.

"Thank you Jeremy... I'm sorry," Lucas said, capitulating. He eased his hand out from under Jeremy's and then stood up. "I'm just going to pop off to the washroom and freshen up."

"OK dear," Jeremy said with a reassuring, but ultimately hollow smile.

Lucas barely made it to the washroom, bursting into to tears as the door closed behind him. Another man who was drying his hands hurried left and Casey passed him in the doorway.

"Lucas, oh. I'm sorry that went so poorly," he said, hugging him.

Lucas buried his face into Casey's shoulder. "I don't know how he keeps doing this to me," he cried.

Casey broke off the hug holding him at arms length, "Lucas, he is a lawyer. Specifically, he represents some of the scummiest sleezebags this city can produce. If you looked up eristic in the dictionary his picture would be right there!"

Taking a deep breath, Lucas nodded. "You're right. I can't let him derail me."

Casey smiled and turned to leave. "You've got this!"

And just like that Lucas was alone. He faced himself in the mirror, a young-ish man with short, tightly cropped black hair, designer stubble, flashy clothes and a diamond stud earring. When he had met Jeremy he was a singer with long hair who could barely make ends meet, but he was happy. The man he saw in the mirror was a sad husk molded in Jeremy's image with its spirit long gone.

But that was not true, and Lucas knew it. If it was true, Lucas would not care, would not feel a void in his life, would not feel hollow. And he certainly would not have exploded at Jeremy the way that he did if the old Lucas was gone.

"I need your strength now," he whispered to himself.

Lucas closed his eyes, psyched himself up, then marched back into the restaurant. One way or another he was ending this tonight.