WAKE TO NOTHIN (standard:Flash, 483 words)
Author: Danny Zil	Added: Mar 05 2014	Views/Reads: 7627/3	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Life can get dark and stay that way.

WAKE TO NOTHIN 

Just driftin thru dog days in that trailer park. Don't seem to come
awake for long. When I do it's tv an movies. Read some. Stare out at 
the hills. Used to lie there sometimes, just smokin an starin out the 
window, breeze ripplin the curtains. Darkness in my head. Finished. 

Got a Vet's pension from Nam an my Marine's pension. Scrapes me by.
Don't need big supplies. Smokes an beer an park rent. Own the trailer. 

Don't mix all that often. Family long since gone or buried. Meant to be
gettin married a while back but she left me half way thru my tour. 

Only real friends I ever had were left in Nam. In bits. Think I left the
best part of me out there as well cos nothin much came back. 

An there wasn't much to come back to. Hardly any work round here an I
ain't got no trade ‘cept killin. An I'm done with that. 

Do some work now an again for the guy that owns the park on his Harley.
Take it for a spin sometimes up into the hills. Like it when it rains. 
Pull up under a tree. Sit an have a smoke. Look out at the rain. Can 
still see Charlie flittin thru the trees. They were never endin. Like 
ants. Didn't matter how many you killed, was always hundreds more. All 
that death. For what? All seems kinda pointless now. 

Sometimes head down to Sam's Waterin Hole on friday nites. Just to break
up time. Sit at the same spot. Have a few beers an watch the action. 
Pool games. Slots. Dancin. The odd brawl. Some folks would say ‘Hi' an 
I'd nod back. 

She walked over one nite. Kinda pretty. Carryin two beers. Sat down next
to me. 

“These are mine,” she said, layin the beers on the table. 

I shrugged. 

She laughed an slid one over. “Seen you here a few times,” she said. 

“Most friday nites,” I told her. 

“You're always sittin on your own.” 

“Don't bother me none.” 

“Wanna come over an join us?” 

“Maybe next time.” 

We chatted some more then she went back to her friends. Kept glancin
over. Knew it would happen. She tagged after me when I was leavin. 

Outside we stopped an lit smokes. 

“Where you headed?” she asked. 

“Canyon Creek Trailer Park.” 

“Who's waitin there?” 

“Nobody.” 

She smiled. “Be back?” 

“Next friday,” I replied an strolled off into the nite. 

Only I wouldn't. I had got used to it. The big empty. Knew it could
never be filled. Had stopped tryin. 

Swept by the tide to this point an turnin to look back on the best days.
Read that somewhere once. Stayed with me. Kinda summed me up. 

One hour walk back in the rain an the dark. Six beers waitin at the
trailer. Drift off. Then wake to nothin. 


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