Musings And Questions/Short Stories For The Mentally Tired

Lost, Then Found Again. - 2020

It wasn't the first time he had woken up in a dumpster. It probably wouldn't be the last time either. Groaning and shifting himself to reach the edge of the dumpster, he could smell rotten food and old alcohol. So he was near a restaurant or bar. Not the worst place to be. Hauling himself out of the dumpster startled a few homeless people sitting next to the dumpster. One of them called out "Hey man, you alright?" He shook his head to try and clear it, and responded "Not really, but I'll live." They gave him a few rueful chuckles and left him alone. Patting himself down, he found he had lost his keys, wallet, shoes, socks, and jacket. So it was one of those nights. He sighed and began walking to the nearest road he could hear. Might as well figure out where he had been dumped.

---

Hours later he managed to find his way back to his apartment. He had to break in again, but it wasn't that hard anymore. It was just two rooms split into three. A bedroom with a bathroom, and the kitchen/living room. He was greeted with the familiar sight of broken lights, a torn up couch, and a cat that had broken into his apartment. He and the cat had an agreement. They would stay out of each other's way, and neither would try to kill the other. He used to have a girlfriend, but that was years ago. Since then he had fallen for almost every conwoman he had come across. The latest one had him drugged and dumped, but it wasn't the first time that had happened. Going into the bedroom, he saw the same crappy mattress and lamp, and decided that he wasn't all that tired right now. Grabbing one of his last two pairs of socks, he headed back out into the night. Maybe he could swipe some smokes from the convenience store.

---

He was sitting in the park with his haul, a six pack of beer and two cartons of cigarettes, when someone sat beside him. Before they said anything he held out a beer to them. "I know it's not cold or anything, but it's better than nothing." He felt the person hesitantly take the beer from him. "Wanna smoke?" This was the first time he heard the other person speak. It was a woman. "No, I don't think I'll do that tonight." He shrugged. "Suit yourself. Feel free to have another beer if you want." With that they sat in silence. Him staring at the stars, ignoring most of the world around him, her trying not to feel uncomfortable with this stranger giving her free beer. They sat in the park for three hours. The beers were all gone, and he had managed to smoke a third of one of his packs. Finally, he turned and looked at the woman who hade been keeping him company. She was pretty, too pretty to be hanging around a park at night with a stranger. She had just over shoulder length red hair, soft blue eyes, a small nose, and a mouth meant for smiling. It wasn't smiling at that moment. Just, flat. No emotions being displayed. For her part, she wasn't sure what to make of the man she had been sitting next to. He had somewhat short black hair, and dark brown eyes. A large nose, almost like a hawk. And a grim mouth. They spent a while just looking at each other. Then, silently, they stood up and walked away together.

---

Back at the man's apartment, they still didn't say a word. They each prepared for bed in front of each other, and then lay on the mattress. Within moments, they were both asleep, and huddled together. The next morning, they awoke, and still without saying a word, they dressed for the day, and the man handed the woman a key. They both left for the day, and went to their respective jobs. Late that night, they both went back to the park. It had been twenty-four hours since they had said a word to each other, and now they met up in the park. "Nice night, huh?" The man asked. "Yeah, it is. You ever wonder what it would be like to float in space?" The woman asked in return. The man was silent for a minute. He eventually responded, "Yeah. I've always wondered what space would be like." They sat in silence for some more time, and then walked back to the man's apartment.

---

Years passed in this way. After one year, the woman moved in with the man. After five, the man proposed. They both knew that it wasn't a storybook meeting, or anything like that. But they were happy, and content with each other. They eventually moved to a nicer apartment, and had a kid together. As they grew old, they remained together and loved each other even more for it.

(Author's Note - Hey. So, this weird story was spawned from by head through a brief inspiration of the song Let Her Go by Passenger. It's not a song I typically listen to, or even in the genres I tend to listen to. But I heard it, and patterned part of my life onto the lyrics, and this story was the result. I don't know what anyone would think of this, and doubt anyone will read it, but if you do, thank you. And yes, I did intentionally keep things vague. I wanted this to be a story that could happen almost anywhere, with anyone. Thanks for reading.