To Drink And Smoke With An Angel

[06.02.01] » by Dearn

Bob Gray had had himself a bad day....first he’d lost his firm one of the biggest paying clients they’d ever dealt with because of his inability to grasp the traditions and customs of a traditional Japanese meal, and therefore embarrasing himself and his guests...

Then he’d learnt his apartment was to be repossessed...his girlfriend had issued a restraining order so he couldnt even see his children in his time of hardship.

So, he thought to himself, tonight was as good as any to fall off the wagon after nearly a year of being tee-total.

Tonight he was going to get smashed in a bar somewhere.

Tonight he would forget all his troubles.

Tomorrow...he hoped he wouldnt wake up.

The rain was hitting hard upon the city that night, one of the worst storms of recent years the radio told him, and he stupidly decided to walk his way to the bar.

Shielding himself from the rain, with his coat, he caught sight of a figure standing across the way, looking over the George Washington bridge and towards the waters below. The lone man made a gesture, as if surveying his wristwatch. He then sighed and continued to stare.

Soaking wet and freezing cold, Bob stepped into Reds Bar. He took off his coat and smiled at the pretty girl at the bar serving drinks.

“Quite a night, huh?”

The girl smiled and simply replied, “whats your order?”

Bob sighed and fumbled around in his inner pocket for some change.

“Ill have a bud please....be right with ya, just lemme...”

He was interrupted mid sentence by a gruff, aged voice and the clump of a large wad of cash hitting the counter in front of him.

“Please...let me cover that missy.”

Shocked Bob looked up to see who his mysterious benefactor was...

“um...thanks......”

The man pulled his hood away and lit up a cigarette. Underneath the material was a mass of unkempt hair. A solid face, layered in stubble and a calm expression.

The man turned to face him and nodded a greeting.

“Bad day huh? Yeah me too....guess my troubles are only just beginning though....” Came the gruff voice, before taking a puff on the cigarette.

“Smoke?”

Bob shook his head and waved his hands.

“No..thankyou. I dont smoke.”

The long haired man gave a look of amusement before replying. “smart man....”

Bob extended his hand to the stranger.

“The names Bob...Bob Gray, nice to meet ya...”

The man smiled and took out his cigarette, but Bob noticed he didnt meet his hand with his own... “Call me....David.”

Bob shrugged and turned his attention back to his drink.

David turned and eyed up the pretty girl behind the bar, who appeared a little uneasy about being under his surveillance.

Bob noticed his eyes on the girl too. “Heh, I guess she knows you have your eyes on her...”

David grinned, his face creased a little. “Guess I wouldnt make a very good secret agent...”

Bob smiled, and David went on...

“So...whats a young guy like you doing in a dump like this? You cant tell me you dont have a nice young thing waiting at home for you...”

Bob frowned...

“Ive had a crappy day...screwed up at work, a working week away from losing my home...and my ex took out a court order to keep my kids away from me...”

David straightened his face.

“I see...”

Bob sighed and tured to the man in the dark brown coat.

“So...’David’...whatre you doin’ here? I mean...hell...everyone in here is gotta be runnin’ away from sumthin’...am I right?”

David looked down into his drink.

“well...yeah...youre probably right”

Interested in the newcomer, Bob decided he’d probe a little further...afterall....hed just slammed down a huge wad of cash...if he could get into his good books..well...goodbye money problems...

“So...uhhh...what do you do? Y’know, for a living?”

David looked up and paused before answering. “I....sell things....insurance. Yeah. Im an insurance salesman...”

David appeared to breath a sigh of relief....

Bob said nothing and turned to his drink again, which was now pretty much empty. “Another drink for my friend here please...”

David stopped when he realised he was being ignored. “hmph”

The young girl went round into the back and made her way to Red. “Theres this guy out there....he’s givin’ me the creeps Red..”

Red stood up and walked over to her, putting his arms on her shoulders in a reassuring way. “Is he givin’ ya problems Joey?”

She looked away before answering. “Well...no...he just scares me is all...think you could cover me for the next shift? Please Red....”

“Sure, sure...anything for you Jo...”

She smiled thankfully. “So fella’s...whatll it be?”

Bob looked up. “Youre Red right?”

Red smiled. “At yer service!”

David looked him down, without emotion. “You can tell the girl she’s okay you know...I dont bite...”

Red ignored him and repeated the question.

“More of the same for me and my friend here.”

Bob felt uncomfortable about the coldness in Davids voice...

Suddenly there was a beeping sound eminating from what appeared to be Davids watch. “Looks like my time here is up”, he said, taking up his smokes from the bar, “see ya around Bob”

David threw a large wad of cash down.....even more than before, and slapped Bob reassuringly on the shoulder. Bob nodded a goodbye and turned to the empty seat. Then he noticed it...David dropped his wallet!

He picked it up and took a look inside. It was pretty much empty, all for a few scrappy banknotes and an ID card...which was nearly completely full of bullet holes, leaving only the words ‘David’, ‘Code’, and ‘Snake’....

He decided hed repay the strangers favour by returning his lost property and ran out, garbbing his coat on the way out.

By this time the rain was even worse, and the lightning jutted out of the sky in great forks and flashes.

Bob strained his eyes and saw David on the over side of the bridge, already a fair distance away.

Dodging the oncoming busy traffic, Bob, weaved his way to the other side.

“David!!”

He yelled... “DAAAAAAVIIIIIIID!!!”

The hooded figure threw away his cigarette and broke into a run.

Bob approached David and went to yell out again....when something odd happened...

David...disappeared! In a strange shimmering light effect, David vanished into thin air.

Suddenly he was there again...then not again...then he was...light he was fading in and out of vision...

Bob followed the erratic image and suddenly stopped in horror...as David..or whoever he was....jumped off the edge of the george washington bridge!

Bob ran to the edge and looked down.

David was nowhere to be seen....

Bob turned and slumped to the rainsoaked ground clutching the wallet of the apparition....

He looked to the sky...for what..he didnt know...maybe an answer...anything that could help him make sense of what had just occurred......

He looked at the ID card....

“Are you....were you...an...angel?”

He started chuckling to himself....

And as he laughed upon the george washington bridge in the rain, a boat passed underneath and a helicopter flew overhead....