Well, here we go. The real title is: 'It's My Christmas Pity Party And I'll Cry If I Want To!' (Thanks to Leslie Gore) Big time Johnathan cheatin' but hey, it's a Holiday Story. Want more? Get those Reviews in for encouragement!
Edgar
He couldn't stay in the house so he drove to the wharf to walk. A lone man set against the backdrop of bright Christmas lights and crowds of laughing couples, friends, and families. He appeared to be in deep thought as he walked and smoked. He was, but his thoughts were anything but joyous.
'Well, here you go Edgar my boy, ' He thought.
'Time to untangle some feelings. So he visualized sorting through and separating his feelings like a big knot of tangled line, just like his therapist told him to do. Why? Because if you don't she told him, the twisted knot of your feelings will get so big, only a tall scotch or twenty will get you lose.'
He identified a long section of anger. Fuckin' therapist. She was right but he hated untangling line real or imagined, 'cause to his way of thinking it represented somebody's fuck-up, some negligence, stupidity, or ineptness. In this case his. Next guilt and sadness sprung up out of his mess of line, which the therapist said was progress, because he used to just stew in anger when the underlying emotions were too painful, and he used alcohol or drugs to ease the pain.
So let's examine guilt he mused as he leaned on a rail staring out at the dark water and lights. No wife, no kids, and all his fault. Just because Louise had stayed with him for so long through all his bullshit didn't mean she would stay forever, and she hadn't. Three years ago, she had called it quits, returned to Norway, met and married the kid's pediatrician 'Mister Wonderful' six months ago. Now he saw his kids even less and it was gonna be touch and go if in the end, they would love him more than hate him.
He took a deep breath. Got that section untangled. Now for the really snarled one. He dropped his head and leaned further over the rail. Sadness, so painful he just had to breathe through it before he could touch it. He wanted to keep leaning over until the overwhelming sense of heartrending loss hurled out of his soul. Roughly he jerked himself straight and visualized cutting the line at that snarl, storing away the neatly coiled line, and walking away from the rest of the snarl. . .until his session next week with the therapist.
Dawne
Jeez, she thought what a cliché her life was. . . not only was she 'Sleepless in Seattle', but about as single as you could get. Well, at least the crowds of oh-so-happy couples and families had thinned considerably, and she could sit on her bench overlooking the Sound in some peace uninterrupted by the swirling vista of what was missing in her miserable life.
She was curious about the man who rested against the rail a few feet away smoking and staring. The hood of his sweatshirt was pulled up so she could only get a look at his profile but what she could detect. . .good looking, real good looking. She pulled the flask from her pocket and took another swig of vodka. What the hell, no guts-no glory, she thought, got to her feet, a little unsteady, and casually approached him and spoke.
'Excuse me, sorry, I'm out of cigarettes, could I bum one?'
Edgar turned his head and looked her up and down. About 5'9", slim, nice breasts, long curly black hair, crème beige complexion, big green eyes that looked just a tad woozy, full lips, and a sexy smile. He straighten.
'Sure.' Reached into his sweatshirt pocket and shook one from the pack.
Dawne reach for it. 'Thanks.'
'Need a light?' She nodded.
Boo-yah! She thought, big brown eyes, strong straight nose, lazy smile with just a hint of an over-bite, that always did it for her. Her hands touched his as he lit it the cigarette and she noted his were big, strong, and work-hardened. She stared into his brown eyes as she drew on the cigarette, and immediately went into a spasm of choking and gasping.
'Whoa, easy there!' Edgar was alarmed and slapped her on the back.
Her eyes were welling from the force of her coughing and when she could again breath, she looked up at him, shook her head, laughed ruefully, and threw the cigarette over the rail.
'Are you alright?' He said concerned as her took her arm.
'Oh yeah, I'm just swell.' Her face burning with mortification.
'Remind me never to approach a hot guy again using the excuse of bumming a cigarette when I've never smoked a day in my life.' And returned to her bench.
Edgar watched as she raised a flask and took a long drink, capped it and returned it to her jacket pocket. Uh, oh. He thought, been there, done that. His first inclination was to walk away, but there was something about the rebellious set of her shoulders and her resigned look that beckoned him. He slowly approached and sat down next to her. He didn't say anything for a few minutes. She gave him a side look and raised an eyebrow.
'Hot?' He drawled.
She shook her head, turned and grinned.
'Call me crazy. But, yeah. . .hot. As in 'I bet you're a fisherman hot kinda way.'
Edgar was bemused. 'What gave me away?'
She gave him an appraising head to toe review.
'Hands like my uncles, Norwegian by the looks of you even with the brown eyes' She leaned in and plucked a sliver of a fish scale from his hoodie.
'Sweatshirt straight off a deck.'
'Damn.' He laughed. 'Are you CSI or sumthing?'
She relaxed. 'Nope, just got fishermen on both sides of the family and a fatal weakness for the breed.'
She gave him a hands up. 'What can I say?'
She offered him her flask. 'Wanna a swig?'
Edgar put his hands up. 'Nope. Doesn't agree with me.'
Dawne gave him a long look as she drained the flask and tucked it back in her pocket.
'A.A.?'
'Yep, 10 months clean.' Edgar replied honestly.
'That's cool. Me? I'm a 'normie' Can pick it up and put it down at will. Tonight? This is my 'Fuck me it's Christmas!' pity party.' You?'
Edgar liked her. 'Pretty much the same.'
She held out her hand. 'Dawne Langston.'
Edgar shook her soft hand and replied. 'Edgar. Edgar Hansen. Fisherman, guilty as charged.'
She rose and encouraged. 'Well Edgar Hansen, fisherman guilty as charged, wanna walk and talk?'
Edgar rose and shrugged. 'Might as well Dawne, it's my 'Fuck me it's Christmas!' pity party too.'
One - Three Dog Night
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It's the loneliest number since the number one
No is the saddest experience you'll ever know
Yes, it's the saddest experience you'll ever know
`Cause one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
One is the loneliest number, worse than two
It's just no good anymore since she went away
Now I spend my time just making rhymes of yesterday
One is the loneliest, number one is the loneliest
Number one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
One is the loneliest, one is the loneliest
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
It's just no good anymore since she went away
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do