Reflections

Life can be crazy sometimes. Wars, bloodshed and stuff like that. We all understand the reality of our surroundings or so we think. We remain indifferent  and neutral, until the war and the bloodshed is outside our doorstep and that's the harsh reality of the world. I'm not judging, I am one of these people after all. You can't really care for every single person that is dying out there. Imagine someone that would genuinely care about everyone. He or she would commit suicide in a matter of seconds. Too much sadness can make someone go crazy. We all need a balance of happy and sad in our lives. When we don't have happiness we can just create it so we don't get depressed. Another thing that can shock you into reality is a huge coincidence. This is the story of my coincidence.

I met a girl 2 weeks ago while I was bartending. She was a  member of staff as well and the big guys transfered her to my bad so she could help me out. I didn't need help moslty because the place was dead. I've  never been so bored at a bartending shift in my short but vivid carrer. We started talking about different topics. University, studies, long term plans and other stuff like that. At some point work disscusion came in and she told me that if I wanted more money I should go at the X place and apply. They usually have lots of shifts in Manchester Arena she told me. ''You get your own bar, meet celebrities and no one bothers you'', she said. That's pretty cool I thought.

So, after some days I actually applied. I got a shift in Manchester Arena for the 22nd of May. I wanted to go but on the other hand I was quite tired. I was working to pay my rent and the last 2 weeks were crazy. I canceled the shift because I was feeling weak and said that I will start working in a day or two again. I decided to go out for something to eat and drink with a friend of mine. I've never been out in Manchester to enjoy the night life, like never ever. I've been in Manchester for 2 years and I have been out once for a quick drink which  I did not enjoy that much. The bad thing with alcohol is that it ends at somepoint. Well, after the whole wine and dine thing I came back to sleep. My current sleeping schedule is waking up at 5 in the morning and sleeping by 10 at night. I'm like fucking cinderella. If midnight comes I just feel drowzy as hell. My phone died in between so I couldn't see any news or notifications. I went to bed after a very cool night and woke up today to see that a suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured 59 more in a terrorist attack at Manchester Arena. I was supposed to be fucking working yesterday and something like this happens. I would probably be dead right now. I was shocked to be honest. I still cannot comprehend what the hell happened and why someone would target an event that attracts young children and teenagers. I forgot to mention that the attack took place at Ariana Grande's event. Like who the fuck actually targets an Ariana Grande gig? Who in his right mind wakes up in the morning and says: ''Let's suicide bomb the Ariana event and kill some children and teens today. Yeah, that would be cool". From another point of view, someone in his right mind would not fasten a fucking suicide vest on him and die for some fucked up reason such as god or something similar.

Many questions of philosophical nature arise here. I'm not racist mostly because I don't really care about people. I don't care who someone else fucks, what's their color and ethnicity. I believe that everyone has the right to live as he/she likes. Yet, I wonder how these families should look through their fear and grief and not be racist. Some families lost their kids yesterday and the society will ask of them not to be afraid. Not to be afraid of muslims or I don't know who else wants to kill people out there. Obviously here comes the answer to the question above. People like that do not represent muslim people as Islam is actually a religion that promotes peace and I agree 100%. How do you know who is gonna kill you out there and who is actually promoting peace? Would you actually blame a parent who lost his 12 or 15 year old child for racism? What would you do if you were at the families shoes? Fight through the fear and grief and the fact that you just tried to make your kid happy by sending it there? Imagine the guilt and the crying. A cruel reality check that basically says that no one is safe in this world.

From another point of view, tragedies like this are a catalyst to get people to unite and stand strong in times like this one. Why do we need bad things to happen in order to stand united? I always wondered about that. When shitty things happen, that's when people are like a big team. Cooperating and volunteering for a cause bigger than themselves.

Well, people will be people and the world can be happy and cruel at the same time. A moment of silence for the families and teens and for a parallel universe Nick who chose to go to Manchester Arena for work.

Absent Soul Part III

His mind was set. His eyes fixed on the murder board. Boxes in every corner of the room and files lying down on the floor covering the memories of his past. Jake stood up and approached the board to examine it. There was no certain suspect, hell, he didn’t even know if any of the people on the board were suspects but he had to try, try for the sake of his lost love. Deciding to take justice on his own hands was a risky move. One wrong step and he could lose everything. His resources, his job and more importantly his chance to find the killer. Night was coming fast. His time to play his part was here. He took his gun and badge, wore his torn leather jacket and departed for the underground club nearby. Heavy rain was lashing down on the rooftops. The wind made the tree branches dance like crazy, howling with anger. The ominous black sky was full of threatening black clouds. Lightning and thunder raged with fury to put the finishing touch.

Jake was soaked to the skin. With tightly closed fist he walked inside the bar and the music suddenly stopped. Everyone knew him. Being the best cop in New York came with certain benefits or disadvantages depending on the point of view.  The big bad wolf was in town and along with him came trouble. The silence in the room made his blood as cold as the wind that was coming through the bar’s broken and rusty windows. A thug made a move and raised his glass to drink his rum.

‘’You can’t drink away the silence’’! Jake shouted. ‘’I want answers’’.

But no one replied. He started walking faster and faster and his fists started to open, becoming something like claws. He grabbed the thug who was drinking and slammed his face on the bar table. His head turned to the others and with a furious stare he ordered everyone not to move.

‘’Give me something and I promise I won’t make your life miserable. Deny my request and you will know hell.’’

‘’I’m Duke’’. The thug told Jake, frightened. His pupils dilated as fear sunk in, crawling in his skin.

Jake’s eyes were fixed on Duke’s granting him no escape.

‘’Look man, I’m not a troublemaker anymore and all I want is a drink’’. He said and his hands started fidgeting.

‘’I know your name you scum”. Jake replied. ‘’Duke Richmond, B&E, pickpocket and overall wannabe professional thief. You should still have some contacts, I-want-them”. Jake’s hand grabbed Duke’s head harder and started putting pressure on his forehead.

‘’You-You should talk to Dom. He is at the back. Please stop hurting me”!

Jake- with a sudden move threw Duke on the floor and proceeded to knock on the red door at the back of the bar. Two seconds passed without anyone answering and Jake pulled out his gun destroying the old lock on the door. He kicked the door open and there was Dom, trying to fill his pockets with money before escaping. ‘’Greed is one hell of a sin Dom’’. Jake said with a tone of irony in his voice. ‘’I want information and if it’s satisfactory I am willing to turn a blind eye in this filthy business of yours. So? How about that?”

‘’What would you like to know, Detective’’? Dom replied sarcastically.

‘You know exactly what I want”. Jake said full of frustration. ‘’Who the fuck killed her”?

‘’The hell I know dude’’! Dom shouted in desperation. ‘’It’s a cold case, nobody ever solved it, get the hell over it’’.

A snap followed by a scream could be heard from the small room in the back of the bar. Jake snapped Dom’s pinky. His eyes blank, lifeless like a soulless human.

‘’It would be a shame if I was forced to break more bones. Give me something Dom’’. Jake said with a twisted grin on his face.

‘’Α warehouse. I-I--’’

‘’Spit it the fuck OUT’’! Jake shouted.

‘’I heard that someone took her there, the warehouse at the bay’’.

Jake sighed and left, leaving Dominic on the floor, scared like a child with his back on the wall. Τhe bell hanging on the door rang loudly when Jake opened it to get out. A violent sound of the door closing followed and music filled the bar again. Like nothing happened.

The streets were wet from the rain. A smell of rotten soil filled the air. The rats making their appearance as well in search of food in dark alleys and bins.

 Jake put the keys in the ignition and turned it violently. The car howled like a hound ready to hunt foxes. He stepped on the gas and made his way to the abandoned warehouse. The tires were screeching, trying to hold the car on the wet road. The huge headlights pierced the fog like it was nothing.  Abandoned buildings and stores could be seen on either sides of the road. Weeds growing on the concrete pavements amidst the gray. After a thirty minute drive, a crimson building could be seen in the distance.

‘’That’s it. That’s the warehouse’’ Jake said to himself.

‘’Let’s go, let’s go faster’’! A voice shouted but Jake didn’t even flinch.

He approached the crimson building slowly with his headlights off. The engine roared for a while before being turned off. He got out and pulled his gun out. Underneath the gun was a small flashlight, giving a glimmering light to guide the way. The building was surrounded by opaque windows, which was quite peculiar for a warehouse. At the front of the building, stood a wooden door full of fungus. It definitely seemed abandoned for a long time. He opened the door slowly while checking all his blind spots, just in case. Overthinking is what made him a decorated detective. Trying to predict all the possible outcomes was part of the job. Strategic thinking and control of situations was his specialty. The inside of the building was more suspicious than the outside. The so called opaque windows were two way mirrors. You could see from the inside but no one from the outside could see inside. A warehouse is supposed to have one use and one use only and that is storage. Why would anyone need two way windows for their bags?

A further investigation of the inside would confirm his suspicions. Red stains were visibly on the dust. Could be blood or just ketchup. “Ιf this building is abandoned I shouldn’t be able to see the red stains. These are new.”  Jake stated curiously.  He continued his search through the narrow halls of the warehouse. At the end of the hall was a larger room in a cubic shape. He followed the hallway and arrived in the room where he saw a chair. A single chair in the middle of the room. Behind the chair, there was a crimson stained wall. Small splashes of red liquid stuck on the wall to create a rather morbid painting of death. He got close to the wall. A rustic, dusty smell could be felt. He sat on the chair and turned his head behind him. The stains were as someone was shot in the head or so it seemed.

Absent Soul Part II

People are people and they're allowed to make mistake but it's God's mistake when he made us to have the mind and strength to make mistakes. Good, evil, life and death. All become distorted when the shadows deepen. The facts become blurred. Guilt and innocence become intertwined. The glass stops being crystal clear. Jake started walking to the front door. Small, heavy steps telling a story of torture and loneliness. He walked in the garden and his bare feet touched the still watery soil. The coffee was letting off some steam and the newly lit cigarette was complimenting the steam with a smoke of its own. The sun was shining yet it was foggy outside. He could not see anything but himself. Life was reminding him that he was alone for good. Time is a good thing to have but too much time can drive you crazy and he had too much lately. The trees were dying one by one. Losing their leaves. Different branches, different paths with different memories all with different resolutions. So many choices, many things to see and he just stood there. He stood under the tree watching it growing and blooming. Wondering what choices he should make. Which choice is better, what endgame would better fit his character. He stood under the tree for so long, not being able to decide which branch he should take, afraid that if he took a certain path, he would lose all the other branches. Until the leaves fell and the tree died, leaving him all alone with no choice at all. There he stood, under the tree with smoke surrounding his face, questioning himself where and when. When did everything go wrong? Where would he be if his indecisiveness never existed in the first place? Unaligned and alone, he watched the tree dying in silence. His emotions suppressed. His eyes fixed on the black coffee he was drinking. Maybe it was the fact that he just realised his fate or maybe that he could not comprehend the consequences of his actions. He stared at his coffee blankly while watching his whole life falling apart little by little. He gripped his coffee cup tight in his hands full of anger and desperation. He turned, opened the front door and walked to the photograph filled room. On the wall there was a massive panel filled with strings and suspects, a ''murder board'' if you'd like and in the middle of it all, a photograph of the one he loved. The one he could not protect. The one he should have protected. His greatest choice and biggest mistake had a face and it was a beautiful one.

A pretty dress, blonde curls all over her shoulders and blue eyes to kill for. She was an avalanche in his already rocky life. A true flower which bloomed under dangerous situations and hardships yet died suddenly one rainy night. Margaret was the name of that flower. Day and night. Jacob and Margaret. Two people so different yet so same. So close yet so far. A great marriage and a night out gone wrong. A decorated detective obsessed with a case that was never solved. The case of his wife’s murder. The balance in his life was lost. The ship sunk and there was no going back. She was the one who could calm his nightmares at night. The captain of his ship.

‘’Tell me more about your wife’’. A calm voice stated.

‘’I-I just- I don’t want to..’’ Jacob said and his voice became high- pitched for a moment.

He sighed and continued talking. “We met at the police station. It was a busy day and I was drowning in paperwork. She walked in and time stopped. The bad lit station and the smell of piss and drugs disappeared. It was just me and her in a time loop. A time loop I wish it never stopped”.

The voice whispered, “Please continue”.

She came to file a domestic abuse report. She was badly beaten up yet she was overflowing with love” Jake said while resting his head on his hands. “I can’t do this anymore’’ she told me sobbing.

I tried to make her feel better. I brought her coffee from that old broken vending machine we had. The coffee was bad but that was all we had. She was grateful for that cup even though I could see her struggling. She started saying how all this was her fault and not her lover’s. Every word was making me more angry with a man I never knew. Her fragile porcelain-like body was badly bruised and I just couldn’t stand it. For some reason- something inside me was telling me to protect her. Protect her with my life. I arrested her stupid boyfriend and put him behind bars. With a record like his he served a long, long time in jail. I gave her my card so she could call me if anything happened. After four days she called me again. I was terrified. My mind went to dark places. I picked up the phone and  to my relief she was calling me to buy me some coffee in order to thank me. Obviously, I accepted the invitation without a second thought. We met in a small coffee shop but she was not there. I tried to ask the staff if anyone saw her and there she was, kneeling on the floor to re-stock the drinks. She was the owner of the coffee shop.

‘’Hey you!” She said.

I replied with a small nod.

‘’What can I get you?’’

“An americano” I replied

‘’One americano coming up!” She yelled with a smile on her face.

After the coffee was in my hands we started talking. I always was a more strong and silent type but oh boy that day we talked. We talked about everything. My past, her past, random things and she loved to tell jokes to cheer my grumpy face up. I was the only customer that day. It didn’t take a detective to see that her business was dying.

‘’What are you going to do if this place closes down’’? I asked with a serious face.

She stopped and her smile faded for a moment.

‘’I guess I will be homeless.’’ She stated, smiling even harder than before.

It wasn’t a fake smile. After working with criminals all day you can see through the fake kindness of people. Her smile was genuine. She was not afraid. For a control freak like me, this absence of proper planning in life was terrifying. They say that if something scares you, maybe you should do it. A bullshit rule for kids who want to do crazy things without thinking the consequences. An excuse in order to put yourself in danger- at least that’s what I thought it was until her smile blinded me. Maybe I should ask her out, I thought to myself. I should, I can do it.

My flow of thoughts were interrupted by her asking me out. I was surprised. I never thought I deserved any love whatsoever. As you get older and older and you find yourself sleeping and waking up alone every day-- you start wondering if something is wrong with you. In the end you actually believe it.

‘’Yes-Yes of course” I said, smiling like a kid with a bag full of candy.

She giggled while stroking her hair nervously. The funny thing with knowing how to read body language is that it is both a curse and a blessing. I didn’t want to mess things up before they even begin so I just pretended I did not see how nervous and shy she was.

I never stood a chance against her charms. I had feelings already but as always I hid them from her until I know it was mutual.

The next day was my day off. We went on a picnic at the nearby park. That morning was beautiful. Cherry blossoms falling slowly from the branches, sunny and pleasant. A warm air streaming through her blonde curls, messing them up just fine. The bright sun rays illuminating her blue eyes at the point they had a crystal blue color. Blue..Such a cold color yet her eyes were so warm when she looked at me. Her lips had a cotton candy shade of pink. She liked to lick her lips and twist her finger together. She kept pushing her blonde hair around the sides of her oval face as if she was wanting to hide behind it. Two thick eyebrows were shaped in a perfect arch that followed the slight curve of her eyes. She was eating a sandwich, staring at me and I couldn’t say a word. I was godsmacked and dazzled by her beauty.  Her every move was graceful and classy. My black and white world had colors after all this time. Trouble never seemed so fine and I was all about trouble. My days consisted by sleeping under cherry trees on beautiful days, drowning in the blue of her eyes and getting addicted to love. Love I never had. I felt quite lucky to be honest with you. Yet, as Murphy’s law states: ‘’When things are going good you probably mislooked something”. But how--How could I have known.

‘’That’s enough’’. The voice ordered.
Jake stood up and left slowly. His feet were tired by the chains of guilt. His heart--Heavy by the loss he never accepted. His walking patterns were unsteady. Like a kid who never got used to walk alone, without anyone holding his hand.

A Slice Of Curiosity

Funny how people can be so complex sometimes. I always thought of relationships as something really simple but life keeps proving me wrong. I don't know if it is because of arrogance or jealousy or whatever but I realised that relationships are quite complicated indeed. Trust, communication and honesty. Three things I always wanted from my relationships. I got fucking none. That's cool though. I am sure I have my fair share of mistakes. I'm not perfect and I know that. I'm actually far from perfect yet I can do these 3 things I mentioned above without any difficulty. From a sociological approach you need some things in order to have a perfect relationship. Some of them are the proximity between the 2 people, trust and communication. That's what I like to call a ''paper relationship''. It works perfectly on paper but when you apply it on real life scenarios it just falls apart. Why is that? Because people are complex..As fuck. I'm a simple guy to be honest. I may talk to
o much and disagree quite a lot with everyone but that's what makes a conversation alive. It's alright to disagree as long as you respect the opinions of everyone. However not everyone is simple. A great example is something I read a month ago. It was a simple message that made me laugh if I dare to say.

It was from someone who left me (which is perfectly fine). What was not fine is the fact that she had the guts to tell me that she still wanted me in her life. For some casual conversation now and then as friends. I had mixed feelings while reading the message. Some anger, some sadness but in the end all I could do was laugh. I don't really know if I was laughing at her proposition or if I was laughing out of desperation because of my loneliness. My old self would really ask just one question. "Why would she sent that message? What is the thought process behind it. Does she miss me, is she sad about her choice or did she just send that out of pity for me''?

 The good thing is that I am not like that anymore. I couldn't care less why she sent that and even though I found it funny and laughed I found her proposition quite interesting. Not because I wanted to know if she cared about me but I was genuinely  curious about the psychological aspects that can lead a person who left you to say these things. Of course the one who breaks up with you is hurt too, there is no denying that. People who are free have problems but for people in jail is always worse. At that specific time that I was in fucking jail. A metaphorical jail of course. How can someone not understand that words like that hurt? Not me thank god. I'm so used to the whole let's be friends phrase that I am completely immune excluding the occasional laugh. You see, when your fucking dog dies you fucking bury it. You bury it, cry like a little bitch because dogs are love and try to move on with your life. You don't keep the corpse of the dog at your house and continue to act like it's not dead. That's the same with relatioships. When you break up the relationship dies. Even if you don't want to see it or understand it, it dies. So why the hell would I be friends with someone that I cared about in a non friendly way and why that person thought that it would be a good idea to make a suggestion like that? Stupidity maybe, that was my first conclusion but of course that's quite harsh. On the other hard truth is harsh too. Yet, this is the subjective point of view of someone hurt and alone. On a more objective view I think that it's mostly positive. When you care about someone you want them in your life. You want to know if they are doing good. That's basically unconditional love. Maybe it's the fact that when people break up and someone moves on with their lives the other one feels jealousy. They have this feeling of possession over you and that's where this jealousy stems from. Possession is not a bad thing of course. We all want to protect someone, have someone in our lives and share with them our deepest fears and secrets. Who wouldn't want to be a 2 man army anyway? To have a true ''soulmate''.

From another point of view being friends with someone could mean that they never loved or cared about you and that is why they are so eager to be friends. Also, lets be clear. ''Friends'' in this scenario means: Hi there, would you like to say hi once every fucking year and have a 10 minute chit chat about how good our lives are? Why would someone not be sad after  a breakup. Sad enough to not disrespect that relationship that just died with such a proposition? Take some time and ask yourself. You just broke up with the love of your life. Do you or do you not suggest to be friends after 3 months? No. You fucking don't. 3 months is not enough time to grieve properly and by grieve I mean taking some alone time to think about and let the sadness go away. That is of course if you actually loved the person next to you.

Even though theories are quite fun, I don't think I found out why I received that message that day. However I understood that people and relationships in general are complex. Human beings are conquered by emotions and you cannot control them all sometimes. The mistakes we make sometimes cannot be fixed. Maybe in order to move on from someone and forget, you have to meet someone equally or even more exciting than the person that left you. But that's just a cheap excuse for people that never truly tried for their relationship so I can't relate with that. Maybe these theories are right and I'm spot on and maybe not. Yet I stand by my very first opinion. I still believe that relationships are quite simple. All you need is to be strong and have an equally strong person next to you. Someone who can love your insecurities and imperfections. Love after all, love is never perfect. We make love perfect with our actions.