Davis
with smoke and I got down on my hands and knees and started crawling for the door, hacking and coughing and spewing up blood. But you guys just kept talking. I never did find the door; it wasn’t where it was supposed to be. You guys just kept talking and talking and I was crawling around on my hands and knees trying to scream but all I could do was watch you all get smothered in the smoke.” “I’m sorry man. Really sorry,” Sam said as he stood up, heading for the door. You know where Rory’s is, come over if you feel like it. If not, have a good life. Sorry I couldn’t help make it any better.” With that he slammed the door. I felt the rush of air sweep over my body and then equalize, leaving this unbearable emptiness in the room. I sat for a while, not looking at or thinking of anything in particular, and got up when I figured I’d go look at nothing and think about nothing somewhere else. I chugged the Vicks, that bottle of fivedollar freedom, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Elise called me a little bit later, wondering what I’d said to Sam to make him so upset. I told her I didn’t know. She asked me if I was coming to Rory’s, said they were all having a great time over there and really wanted to see me. I told her no and hung up. I unplugged my phone and threw away the cord. After puking up the majority of the Vicks, there was another knock at the door. I didn’t answer but I stumbled over and looked through the peephole. It was Jackie, Elise, and Micah. I hadn’t seen Jackie or Micah in a month or so at least; they were old buddies from back in high school. I saw that Jackie had flowers in her hands. Quickly, I wrote a note on a scrap of paper I found on the coffee table.
Can’t come to the door right now. Leave the flowers here and I’ll get them later. Also tell everyone to stop calling. –Alan
I slipped it under the door and watched them pick it up, confused, watched them turn it over to the back and back to the front several times, watched them re-read it and re-read it. Finally, I just got so frustrated, I opened the door, ready to shout at them to leave. Elise had the note in hand and held it up in a sort of shrug as if to say “what the hell?” I shrugged right back and slammed the door in their faces. No one else came to the door that night. 24