The Tavern
The sky was darker than usual. A dark blue shade dimly lit by the quiet presence of the moon. It hid itself behind the glowing clouds. The air was cold and the wind was strong. With the moon barely lighting up the path, you could see a tavern at the end.
He walked up the path. Making sure never to look behind, he approached the tavern. It was an old myth that was popular in the tavern. If you looked behind, you would never be able to make your way out of the tavern safely. It was a stupid myth, but he blindly believed. As he neared the entrance, the smell of alcohol became exceedingly strong. He continued. The tavern was surrounded by nothing. It lay by itself at the side of an old abandoned car park. It had never been used. No one knew why. The brick building, although rather small was his usual hangout after “work”. A place he would go to get away from the realities of life.
There were two windows that lay on both sides of the brown wooden door. They emitted a glow of yellow light. It looked to be having a good round of customers that night. He opened the door. It creaked. The music playing and the sound of beer mugs and the smell of alcohol all seemed too familiar. He was home. Or so it seemed.
“Adam! My best customer!” the bartender exclaimed. “Why the sad face my friend?”. Adam never knew why he said that. He always had had that face. He dreaded his life. He glanced at the clock that lay at the back of the pub. Eleven Fifty Eight. He glanced around. Nope. No one he knew was here tonight, unless you counted the strange and peculiar man, Sandler. He never talked to him anyway. Hoping onto one of the stools, he ordered the usual, a “scotch on the rocks with a twist”.
Then his phone rang. “Wife” the caller ID flashed. He had just gotten it installed the night before. Now he knew it was his wife calling. He pressed “dismissed”. He never wanted to talk to her. She should have known that by now. “Adam!” Moe called out, sliding the mug across the counter. “Why so sad today?” he asked. Adam never replied. Every time someone asked him that, flashes, traces of the past vividly recalled its way back into his mind. His face got heavy. He tried his best to withhold the tears.
His family was like a shattered glass irreparable. It began on a few months ago. He had just arrived back home from work. The dinner table was set nicely with the table cloth his wife and him had picked the day before. Their five month old daughter sat on the raised chair. She was grinning and laughing. He enjoyed the grins and laughs. It felt so peaceful. They sat down for dinner. He had some news to tell her. That day, he got fired from his job during an argument with the boss. He explained the situation to her.
The next day he went out of the house in search for a job. And then the real problem sufficed. He walked past a betting shop. He really needed the cash. He gave in to the temptation and walked in. It was a crowded place. He had never done this before. He looked around and blindly followed what the others were doing. Feeling foolishly confident and desperate, he threw his wallet into the bet. In a matter of seconds, he lost it all. All the hard work and the sweat he had put in. He felt emptiness in him and didn’t know what to do. He came home that night and made an alibi. He told her he had found a job. To Adam, it was just a temporary excuse until he really found a job. But he never did.
As he took gulps of his drink, all these images flashed in front of him. He felt guilty. He never wanted to return back home. Wait. This was his “home”. Adam spent most of his time here and only returned home to catch some sleep. He was out before the break of day. He finished the last drop of his drink. He placed his head on the counter and closed his eyes. His world spun before him. To him, his family was irreparable and could never be fixed. He had given up.
Then amid all the noise, he heard the door creak open. A scruffy man walked in. He stood tall, he wore a buttoned down jacket. He looked lost. He was crying. The bartender greeted him “What’s the problem my friend?”. The man sat down next to Adam. He ordered a beer. He soon started pouring his stories out to Moe, who patiently lent a listening ear.
Adam quietly eavesdropped on their conversation. The man had just lost his daughter and wife in an accident that morning. He didn’t know what to do now. And then it all made sense to Adam. The man’s family was truly beyond repair. His was not. He had just given up on his family. But his wife hadn’t. He cried. He got up abruptly and left. Outside the tavern, the air was still and the moon was much brighter. It had slowly uncovered itself and the sky was a nice shade of dark blue. He picked up his mobile phone. He dialled home. He had nothing prepared, and after all these months he could not just show up like that. He was wrong. But he had to try. He didn’t want to live his life knowing that it could have been repaired. Someone answered. It was her. For a moment, he never said anything. He was at a loss for words. “I love you and I’m coming home now!” he cried out. Then he started running. His shadow casted by the moon started to fade and fade till it was out of sight.
