A
Stain Forgotten
by
Ryan Adam DeCaire, Bala, Canada, Age 17
The first and only
scene is situated inside a local bar in an unknown town and country.
A man casually
strolls through the front entrance of the bar, he stomps off the
excess snow that has accumulated on his boots and proceeds towards
a stool. As he approaches, he removes his jacket, positions it over
a stool, and takes a seat.
Bartender Can I get you a drink there?
Man Ya…just
give me a rye on the rocks.
Bartender Sure
thing ol’buddy. So where have you been all day? Haven’t
seen you around.
Bartender slides the man his glass
Every day you’re usually here… say about two hours ago
or so. Something new in your life?
Man Ah…
no, just kept sleeping for a little while longer I guess. Same old,
same old, you know how it is with me. How’s your life doing?
How’s the wife and kids?
Bartender Oh,
we’re still doing well, the wife is doin good at work, my
son made the hockey team, and my daughter… well you know how
teenagers are, she knows it all…
The two men partake in a short laugh
Man That sounds
all right… aren’t you just a happy camper. Pour me another.
Bartender Alright.
I’ll be back in a minute, just gotta grab some more liquor.
Exit Bartender
As bartender departs, the man retrieves his wallet from his back
pocket. He opens it, and stares into it with a stagnant glance.
Man Look at
me sitting here with such a sluggish posture. I rest here wondering
why He chose me to be in such a position. I sit here on this drowsy
day with a drowsy state of mind that I cannot seem to proceed through.
These thoughts of mine do not pass on, and I have no others to hear
me speak my bewildered words of sorrow. These thoughts will forever
contaminate my being until a spark manages to uplift my soul. For
many mourning years I have waited for this spark to emerge, and
all I have witnessed is the excess amount of dust that has accumulated
on their pictures. I once had many dreams that I was determined
to surmount, but now they are all washed away and I am left with
only one. One that I will never approach, and one that I will never
conquer. One that I will never see, and one that I will never feel.
In reality I am a lost soul, I have no meaning, and I have no place
in this remarkable world. Each day, from then until now, has been
a constant torture, a constant grief, and a constant nothing. And
for what reason? It is not this world that is to blame; it is I
who is guilty. This soul, this mind, this heart, these hands, and
this flesh are the righteous products that have guided me into this
nightmare. I pray, pray every sorrowful day and night for a miracle
to transpire, but the knowledge invested in me has shown me that
miracles will only be granted to those who are worthy. And I, a
man hidden by his own shadow, am distant from worthiness.
Enter Bartender
Bartender returns from retrieving a bottle of bar rye
Bartender Here
you go ol’buddy, it took me a while to find, sorry for taking
so long.
Bartender pours another drink for the man
Man Aw, that’s
fine, I was in a deep thought anyway, didn’t even realize
you were gone for that long.
A middle aged woman approaches the bar and orders a drink
Bartender What
can I get you darling?
Woman Dry vodka
martini, straight up, no olive.
Bartender Coming
right up. So where are you from my lady? I haven’t seen you
around these parts before.
Woman Oh, I’m
just driving through, I’m going to visit my brother in the
city, but for tonight I’m staying in the motel.
Bartender Seems
like an adventure, here’s your drink, see you later.
Woman See you
around.
The woman departs from the bar and proceeds to sit down at a secluded
table alone
Bartender Maybe
what you need is a new lady in your life. You know… to spice
things up a little. That one seemed like a pretty pleasant woman,
she’s got her eyes on you right now, and she’s half
decent looking. Why don’t you go for her?
Man I wouldn’t
care if the entire world had its eyes on me, it wouldn’t take
away the unspeakable memories that I have trembling in my mind.
And I don’t want another person to forget about me anyway.
Bartender Frequently
we have spoken to each other about some pretty significant issues.
You have told me how damaged your life is, but why not, for one
minute don’t you figure out how to resolve and cure the damaged
things in your life? There must be some way. Make yourself present
once again in the lives that you care for so much.
The man slouches with a static stare and begins to think
Man …………………
You know what? You may be right. Look at me, I’ve just been
trying to forget about all my tragic memories, however they’re
just escalating and getting worse.
The man steps out from his stool, stands high on his feet, and begins
to speak with a loud voice
I can do something about my life, I can make it great again, and
I can make it worth living! My life may be rotten, but I can nurse
it back to health. Yes, it will take me a long time to fix the wrongful
things that I’ve done, but I have nothing left to lose.
Bartender Exactly!
I bet that they would be thrilled to see you. How great would that
be?
The man stands still on his feet and his body begins to tighten.
He slowly sits back down as he begins to think again
Man …………………
I’m getting too far ahead of myself here. I do this all the
time. I just assume that the future is going to turn out exactly
as I predict it will. If I were to try and make my life worth living
again, I would most likely fail and therefore be wasting my time.
I just need to forget about it. Besides, if I were to show up on
the doorstep they would just slam the door in my face and continue
to believe that I never existed. They would be partly right because
I did exist years ago, but now my existence is lost and it will
never find it’s way back. It is not possible for me to fix
my tainted life, and the best thing for me to do is to continue
with my attempt to forget.
Bartender You’re
wrong man, seriously.
The man gazes up at the bartender with an angry eye
Man Drop the subject! I’m not interested in talking about
it with you anymore. The best you can do for me is to pour me another
rye, do your job, and keep your opinions to yourself. Just give
me another drink…
The bartender pours the man another drink and proceeds with his
job
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