Forums → Art, Music, and Writing → A conversation between Harry and Lee | Fictional Story
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11/15/2015
Sir Legendary
Would a smart man win against a wise man in chess? - Part 1
"Two cups of coffee please."
"How would you like them?"
"What kind of aura do I give out?"
"Right away, Harry!"
The waitress walked away.
Harry entered his regular coffee shop. He was on a tall stool and occupied the table that faced the large window, he always sat there, and everybody knew it. The regulars wouldn't sit there because they knew Harry and Lee always sat there. If a another customer sat there, he or she would be asked to sit somewhere else by the waitress. The staff knew them pretty well, including the musicians who performed here.
On that seat, harry could see the cars passing by behind the parked cars next to the sidewalk on a sunny afternoon. There was a guitarist on the stage, singing old blues music by Elvis, the kind that made Harry think about how the world was treating you. He took his phone out from his front-left pocket, his keys from his back-left pocket, his wallet from his back-right pocket, and put them on the table. His front left pocket always contained a box of cigarettes and his favorite lighter which he acquired from Lee when they were young.
Lee walked in. The entrance was exactly on the left of where Harry was sitting.
"Am I late or am I early?"
Lee noticed the coffee was either not yet served, or had already been taken away.
Harry half-smiled.
"I guess I'm early because your things are on the table and not the box. Also you don't smell like a chimney burning tobacco yet." Lee smiled as he shot his remarks at Harry.
Lee took off his coat and placed it on the chair on Harry's left, then sat down on that very same chair. As he did so, the coffee arrived.
"Black as your heart, Harry."
"You wouldn't know." He scoffed at the waitress as she giggled walking away.
"That Sarah, she knows." Lee said, as he took a sip from his coffee. Unlike harry's, his was more like milk than it was coffee. About only ten percent of his drink was actual coffee. The rest of that percentage was ninety percent milk and ten percent sugar.
The pair sat there for ten minutes without talking, taking sips from time to time. It was always like this. At about seven and a half sips in silence, Lee would ask;
"How's the wife?"
"She's at home, of course she misses the kids, but she's alright." Lee smiled at the question, but didn't turn to Harry.
"How's your wife?" Lee asked, as he looked outside the window at the love of Harry's life.
"She needs a tune up. I think I'll let Mike fix her up later. She ain't runnin' like she used to."
"How do you know if you're wife is cheating on you?" Harry cracked a joke.
"I don't know, how?"
"When the seating adjustment has changed."
"That's dark." Lee quickly commenting.
"So is my coffee." Harry pulled out a silent laugh as he quickly replied.
"Hey who knows, maybe your wife is riding Mike too." Harry then replied even faster.
"You have a sick sense of humor, Harry, you know that?!" Lee shouted back at him, but it was normal.
"When are we going to die, Lee?"
"I'll probably die ten years after you do."
"I'm not kicking the cigs, I won't. You of all people should know that."
"You'll be kicking the bucket soon if you don't."
Harry pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He Inhaled, and then exhaled.
"How often do you think about death, Lee?"
"I don't."
"Do you think the only reason hell isn't mentioned in the bible is because we are already in hell?" Harry asked, while puffing a few more rounds.
"Aren't we supposed to be on fire?" Lee commented.
"They used fire to kill people slowly during the war. Did you ever stop to think that we've been set on fire from the moment we were born, and just like God, we can't see that fire because it resides in the world where our souls exist?"
"Shouldn't we be burning eternally then?" Lee asked.
"In death do our souls die?" Harry shot a look at Lee.
"I guess not?"
Harry took a huge puff then said; "Then I guess even when we do die, our souls still burns for the sins we have committed in this physical world."
"But that's just based on what I was told."
"That's one way of looking at it, I guess."
"Have you ever wondered what it felt like to die if you didn't believe in God."
"Or a God." Harry replied.
"I think what you believe in doesn't matter, but what you've done for the world does." Lee smiled slowly and looked at Harry.
"There's a difference between religion and a way of life."
"And what do you think that is?" Lee spoke while taking his last sip.
"In religion, you do good things for the after life. In a way of life, you do good things for the world you live in right now." Harry said while he too took his last sip.
"Anyways, I only know as much as you. I couldn't be certain I was right."
- 8 Replies
The title of this part was very impressive...but you really stopped it at the best part I liked it a lot, I was excited, I could nearly hear them talk seriously. But that question was really interesting, the most interesting one. i would have loved see it on the table sooner XD.
Also, points for relevance if you consider what happened in Paris yesterday
Anyway, great work, I hope we can expect the other parts soon. A bit on edge here...
Really great, looking forward to the next installment. Slightly surreal and unconfortable, and well written.
@Doombreed I think we all feel for those guys, evil never rests these days.
To those who lost their loved ones on the night of November the 13th, 2015
Part 2
Harry looked down at his empty cup of coffee. Realizing that his conversation with Lee would last longer than usual, he raised his hand in the air calling for Sarah.
She approached with the bill, but before she could arrive at the table, Harry spoke.
"One more round of coffee, please. It's on Lee this time. We'll both have what Lee was drinking earlier." (A coffee mix that was almost milk, white like a page of a book.)
"What?!" Lee spoke in shock and slight annoyance.
"Right away!" Sarah smiled back at Harry.
Harry looked at Lee with an emotionless face.
Lee looked back in slight disbelief.
Harry looked away.
"I'm sorry." Harry said, as he turned away.
Lee was silent. Harry had never said sorry, for anything.
"More than forty years of friendship, and you've never said sorry. Are you okay?" Lee said, slowly.
"How do you know when to forgive someone, Lee? Is it when they've said sorry?" Harry asked.
"When they are sincere about their apology."
"How about if they don't apologize?"
"Then they can go to hell."
"Wouldn't you as well, because you didn't find the space in your heart to forgive them? Doesn't it go against your beliefs as a Christian. Will you be angry forever? ..." Harry spoke seriously.
Lee was silent.
"... Forgiveness is not give and take. It's a gift, and at the very same time, your rejection for the hatred the enemy is trying to brew in your very heart. You deny your enemy what they want, turn the table around and make them the victim of their own anger and misdoing."
"But Harry..." Lee's eyes did not stray from Harry who was looking into his empty cup.
Harry proceeded to squash his cigarette into Lee's cup, but Lee was silent.
"I've just stained your cup with a cigarette butt, just like a sin stains the heart..." Harry spoke.
Sarah came by to pour the new coffee into their cups, but she didn't notice the cigarette butt in Lee's cup and proceeded to pour into his cup. Harry then signaled Sarah not to pour into his cup and to leave the pitcher of coffee on the table.
"... The coffee is brown, stained with filth, because you did not remove the source of the filth."
Harry poured the dirty coffee from Lee's cup into his own. Then poured more coffee from the pitcher into Lee's cup.
"No matter how much new coffee I pour into your cup with the dead cigarette, it won't get any less dirty."
Harry proceeded to pour all the coffee from Lee's cup into his own again, but this time removing the cigarette butt too. He then poured coffee from the pitcher into Lee's now cigarette-free cup.
"Now when I pour the coffee into your cup, it stays white and does not filth. I have removed the source of the filth. If you cannot forgive, the grudge you hold will keep dirtying your heart, no matter what else enters your heart. Forgive the sins upon you, so that nothing else accepted into your heart is stained..."
"...If you were to seek revenge, and put your own cigarette butt into my cup, and I chose not to remove it because I could not forgive you, you and I would die from the filth that mixes with what once was pure. As Ghandi said; 'an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind'."
A long pause ensued after Harry spoke.
To end his point Harry spoke once more. "You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger."
Lee repeated, smiling down at the cup of coffee. "I will not be punished for my anger, I will be punished by my anger."
"I forgive you, Harry."
This is just amazing, seriously...Your story-writing skills get all the better. One of the best short stories I've read. Great job! XD
Part 3
End of conversation
Lee walked into the coffee shop. He sat down where he and Harry would usually sit down.
A new waitress walked up to Lee. Before she could ask anything from him he spoke.
"Where's Sarah?" He said with a frown. He already knew the answer to his question, but Sarah was his favorite waitress. She knew the way Lee liked his milked down coffee.
"Sarah left. I'm Jenny, can I take your order?" She said with very impatiently.
"I'll have a..." Lee had already forgotten what kind of coffee he ordered, because it was always served to him as soon as he entered.
"Just give me the lightest coffee you guys have."
As the waitress walked away Lee looked over to the entrance, a wooden door with a big glass frame in the center of it so you could see everything beyond the door. No sign of Harry.
Lee checked his phone, he barely knew how to use it. It was a gift from his wife ages ago. Only now did he begin to use it, mainly because his old phone kicked the bucket. He wasn't used to the way his new phone didn't have any buttons. Instead it was like a shiny and smooth brick with images on it.
Lee waited, and waited. In between his wait Jenny came back with his coffee. He took a sip and almost choked on how bitter it was. The reality was that it wasn't bitter at all. Lee was just too soft take coffee, the reason why he liked it ninety percent milk.
"Horrible."
He looked around, the band wasn't playing yet, the waitress had walked towards the counter, the room barely had any people in it, and finally his eyes reached the empty seat next to him. Still no sign of Harry. He was never this late. It was always a routine to meet up in the morning, one that had never been broken. Not even if one of them was late for work. Lee knew it was probably Harry's old age that was stopping him from coming today.
After a few more minutes, the cafe turned cold. It was colder than usual.
"Miss, can you turn down the cooling?" Lee spoke from the other side of the room. Jenny gave him a thumbs up and slowly paced her way to the air-conditioning unit. Lee was already impatient, partly because Harry wasn't there yet.
A ring came from the entrance and there he was. Harry walked up to the seat and sat down next to Lee. He didn't say anything until Lee spoke.
"Why the hell are you so late today?" Lee frowned at him.
Harry shrugged, then smirked, then looked at Lee in a serious manner.
"What's wrong? You worried me, you old fart." Lee was getting impatient.
Harry emptied his pockets like he usually does, except this time only a box of cigarettes and his old lighter came out.
The room was even colder than it was minutes ago.
"Miss, have you turned down the cooling yet? I'm freezing!" Lee shouted across the room.
"It's already down all the way." Said Jenny.
"Would you calm your tits, I just got here and I'm not ready for your gibberish yet. Besides I've got gibberish for you too." Harry said, looking away from Lee as he lit his cigarette.
"Why the empty pockets today?" Asked Lee.
"Doesn't matter. What matters is I'm leaving town today."
"Have you even packed?!"
"I've packed enough."
"What the hell are you leaving town for, Harry?!"
"Permanent vacation. I thought about it, and I think it's time for me to get out of here." Harry spoke, then he gave Lee a look.
"What are you talking about?"
Harry puffed.
"I'm talking about going away, you nut."
"And where the hell are you going?"
"Just away. I'm leaving first thing after my... Where's Sarah?" Harry said confused and late on the news.
"She's not here anymore." Lee said softly.
"Lee, there comes a time when people have to move on. You understand?"
"It's just Sarah, we can always just get the new lady to get used to us."
"Lee, this is that time when you have to let go of certain things and move on. Just like Sarah, I'm going away. This will be our last conversation for awhile. I need you to listen to me, okay?"
Lee felt emotional, but wasn’t showing it. He’d never been away from Harry for a long time. The only time he was away from him for a long time, which wasn’t even a month, was when he had a business trip to Europe.
“Look Lee, you be a good boy. I’m always looking out for ya. This could be some sorta test. One that’s going to last for awhile. I’m telling you this because I’m not coming back. I’ve packed and I’ve packed for the long run.”
It was odd to Lee how Harry was saying that.
“Look Lee, you’ve been my best friend. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. Like your coffee, things have to change. You just have to find a way to make your coffee sweet again."
Lee was quiet, he was at a loss for words.
“...Look, I just couldn’t leave without saying good bye. So here it is. You know I’m not good at this sort of thing.”
Harry got up.
“Thank you for letting me know.” Lee just said, angry at Harry.
“You’re going to be angry at me? Right before I leave?”
“I don’t understand you Harry. If this is one of your wise jokes, it’s not funny. I don't have time for this, I'm late for work now!” Lee shouted. He was impatient awhile ago, now he was cold and frustrated.
“Lee, I’m going away for reasons you won’t understand now, okay? You’ll understand soon enough. I'm trying to say that...”
“Look Harry, I've got no time for this right now.”
"... in someone’s life when there are two stories to write about that someone. The story that that someone knows, and the story that others have seen.”
Harry’s voice began to crack. Lee was younger than Harry, a lot younger, so he didn’t understand what was really going on.
“You’re my only other story, Lee.” Harry’s voice was so obviously cracking that he had to try and clear his throat.
“I’m going now Harry, like I said, I’m late for work.” Lee spoke, but couldn’t look Harry directly, he was too angry at Harry for leaving.
Harry watched as Lee walked away. Lee turned his back on Harry.
—
A couple of minutes had passed since Lee left the shop. The wind was cold, and the sun wasn't shining. It started to drizzle. The sky had never been this grey in Lee's life.
His phone started to ring and he was having a hard time picking it up because of how incomplete his knowledge was on using the phone. He missed the call. It was from Harry. He let it be and continued walking to work.
A few minutes after his wife began calling. This one he couldn’t ignore, otherwise he would get a scolding later on.
"Hey honey, I'm on the way to work, I have to go! I'll call you later!"
"Lee, dong hang up just yet."
Lee stopped walking.
"Baby what's wrong?"
"Harry passed away last night darling."
Lee froze.
"What are you talking about? I just spoke to him."
"Honey, he was at the hospital last night because he had a heart attack!"
Lee was quiet. His eyes widened. He hung up the phone started running back to cafe.
When Lee got back it was quiet, and Harry wasn't anywhere to be found.
"Miss... Uh, Jenny! Have you seen Harry?!" Lee shouted, this time from the entrance to the counter.
"Uh..." She was confused.
"The guy I was talking to earlier!"
"Sir, you fell asleep on the counter and kept shouting at me to turn down the cooling."
Lee was shocked at what he heard. He couldn't accept what she was saying.
Lee started calling Harry's phone but it didn't even ring. "This is Harry, leave a message." That was all he heard.
Now Lee realized what Harry was trying to say. It was too late.
Lee sat down on his seat again, and was paralyzed. The room was warm again. The band was playing a soft tune. The people had finally come into the cafe. But it was still empty.
Lee scrolled through his phone and saw that he had a lot of unopened voice mail. He was still trying to figure out how to use his phone.
From 5:32 PM yesterday:
"Lee, I'll be a little late for tomorrow's coffee, I'm going to stop by somewhere and get back to you. Just order mine in advanced, thanks. Oh and don't forget how black I want mine."
Authors note
I was really nervous to post this one, mainly because it was so different from the last two parts. Hopefully anyone who reads this enjoys it anyways.
I dedicate this chapter to my friend @Doombreed, who's been a fan of my work since I started writing here in the forums.
Part 4
Nails On a Coffin
Lee walked up to Harry's grave. It was a bright day, and birds were chirping in the distance. There seemed to be no cloud in the sky, how ironic. There wasn't a single drop since Harry passed away.
Lee brought with him a stool, a box of cigarettes, and two coffees. He put the dark coffee on Harry's tombstone, while taking a sip of his favorite very milked down coffee. He then proceeded to light a cigarette, then placed that on the tombstone too.
"Hey Harry, it's been awhile. I hope you enjoy what I brought you." Lee spoke normally.
"I've haven't been to the usual in a few days. There's no point is there? I guess you could say I've got no one to accompany me. Was that you? In my dream I mean. Did you really show up in the form of a dream after right after you passed away?"
The clouds were coming. From a distance you could see them welling up, and almost running towards Lee.
"The last thing you told me was that I was your only other story. I can't begin to... Do I just keep moving on? Do I keep on going? You were also my story, Harry. What the hell do I do now?"
It's true, Harry left lee incomplete, and not ready to let go just yet. Harry was old, but not old enough. To Lee, Harry was a long story, but not finished. Or completely cut off a third of the way from completion. It was as if Harry left lee like how the sunset leaves for the night, almost suddenly. But the beauty of it was that it was present. That it was there.
"I understand that you had to go, but couldn't you have slowed down? Couldn't you have stayed a little longer? I know it wasn't your fault but what's your fault is that you left me unprepared. You left me you old, fat, fart. Who do I turn to now?! Who do I go to?" Lee's eyes started to well up, and a tear slowly fell down his cheek.
Harry had left a note for Lee with Lee's wife. She gave it to him when when Lee was "ready." Harry specifically noted to give it to him when she felt he was ready to hear his last words to Lee. His final word.
Lee held an envelope with letter inside it, unopened.
"Here we go Harry. This better be good or else."
Lee opened the envelope and unfolded the note. What he saw was something no one could ever truly be ready for.
"Dear Lee,
I hope you understand why I hid my sickness away from you. Why I never told you. It was because you always took everything I said like it was a surprise. You were always shocked or dumbfounded. Here's what you gotta know. I'll always be around. Even through death. What you don't understand is that you were like my little brother, and I never wanted to disappoint you or show me weaknesses to you. I hid all of my sickness from you because it would have killed you to know I was going to pass away. It would have made everything different for you to know that I was going to... well die. On a long enough timeline, anything and everything won't matter, so it doesn't matter that I'm gone. So I'm writing this to tell you my final good bye. Don't miss me too much, because in the end, I'll be up here waiting for you... or I'll be in a pitch black sleep forever. But what matters is that we've spent our time together and that you continue on your own story. Keep doing what you do. Don't take it too hard. Like a brother, I'll love you forever."
Lee's eyes were now a waterfall. The sky was now cloudy. It started to drizzle. The light from the cigarette was losing life.
"Like this cigarette, your time here is now over. I'll accept it, and I'll love you now and till the day I die, old friend."
Lee stood up. It started to pour. The rain killed the cigarette. The conversation was now over. Like a cigarette their friendship had burned through, and ended a third from completion. But Lee understood now, that not all cigarettes die at the end, some are killed off before completion. Some right after the flame is lit. What matters is that it was once alive, because on a long enough timeline, anything and everything won't matter.
Lee walked away. It was over.
The End
Hehehe...nice of you xD
Great story as usual. I like what you do with the metaphors in all those chapters, brilliant!
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