CIAN and ABLE
                                                                              By DAF

                                                                                        Two old men, Cian and Able are 'ending' their days in a 'home' where people go when nobody else wants them in their life and for many other reasons too. Cian and Able worked hard throughout their working life, provided and helped to raise families, as men can only do in their way, paid their taxes and prayed to their God, and now are paying to end their days in 'dollar-comfort' and spend most of their time going over in their minds the memories of a lifetime .. 'what-if-I-had-it-all-over-again' syndrome. The two in more ways than one depend on each other for consolation in the 'what-if' syndrome. The things they talked about were just not talked about to strangers or outside of their friends and their friendship grew deeper in that .. for each was telling forgotten secrets. Able, who was partly deaf in both ears, turned to Cian who was blind in both eyes but also 'blind' to many things in life and did not do a lot of 'heavy thinking' for himself and therefore was quite content to go with the majority for the sake of a 'quiet life'...
''Cian'' .. Able shouted ...
''Shit man .. no need to shout, you can 'see' I am right here beside you'' ...
''Yea .. sorry .. but I just had one of those thoughts that stab you like a knife from behind''...
''This should be good .. o.k. .. let's have it''...
answered Cian under his queasy breath and getting himself ready for some heavy-duty 'insight' that was sure to follow if Able didn't lose that 'thought'. Cian lit another non-filter which reminded him to get another pack regardless of what that young doctor said. Three packs a day and still going but always said throughout his life...
''It won't be the 'smokes' that will kill me but somebody back-stabbing me will do the trick well.''
Able, keeping in mind now to keep his voice down and looking around him quickly because he always had that 'fear' throughout his life that someone was 'listening in' .. the 'Cold War' time does that to a man, said,...
''Cian .. you know we have been best of friends now for the best part of our lives, from our time in that 'Commie-war' .. why, we are just like 'brothers' man .. in fact, you can say we are 'family' .. true or not'' ...
''O.K. .. cut the crap and get to the point''...
said Cian showing his short temper that at times could make Able feel the air around him turn chillier.
''Well, as I said .. it's just a 'thought' now mind you .. but I never really did ask you what you did in your early years for a job before that war.''
Cian .. uneasy with what he had just heard but giving it a long thought and blowing out rings of smoke that looked like 'halos' drifting up to heaven and up to meet that 'bouncer' Peter at the pearly gates took in a deep breath and choking on it decided to answer truthfully, might as well say it now than go to the grave with it, ...
''I was a well-paid mercenary,'' ...
''Well .. I'll be damned'' .. said Able...
''Who would have thought that ... a missionary .. who would have thought that .. a thumping-bible missionary ... well, I be ... never would have thought that ... a missionary.
Cian and Able sat well back into their easy chairs, stretching their legs out and looking back into their memories, each knowing that this is what 'friends' do .. tell stories ...
 ....... big tall stories.
                                                                                                              <<<<>>>>

          
CIAN and ABLE .. my spelling and pun are intended.

 

Popular posts from this blog

The Letter   An Anti-War Story by DAF                  It was a cool autumn Sunday morning with a new freshness in the air that made you feel good to be alive even in a military cemetery where everything was free from human disturbance and had that ambiance of serenity about it. But, if you were in a relaxed mood you could hear birds in the distance singing at their finest as if they were trying to outdo each other for first place in nature's contest for the best bird song to be heard in any resting place. Rows and rows of neat little white headstones in perfect lines that could not be improved on where a country's military history is recorded that if you were to lie flat on your stomach, totally devoid of any distractions and lift your head looking straight ahead, that was the only headstone you saw, the one in front of you, not the one on the right of it and not the one on the left of it and certainly not the one behind it but the one that was slam-bang in front o
Read more
The Frog and The Swan   by DAF               A frog is posing on the edge of a pond in contemplation of his reflection in the water and feeling very sad and discouraged when a swan came up to him and said... ''O.K. Froggy, now I have been watching you for most days now like this, and I have to say you are making me unhappy just looking at you, so .. what's the matter Froggy.''  The frog falls back onto his back, legs and arms akimbo, and looks up to the sky as if the answer 'just' might be there written in the clouds and eventually says... ''Sometimes in my day I feel I am drowning but I try not to let it get me down and in time I come around and jump up and down saying at the top of my voice, today is a good day, but then, I just might get that drowning-feeling all over again.'' The swan, looking at the frog with a smile says...  ''That's a typical feeling when you are getting on in years Froggy .. don't you know
Read more
                The 13th Dog                                                           By DAF                    Jill woke up before Jack .. it was her habit at this stage now of their relationship. She liked to have the coffee simmering for Jack in case he had to leave the house without breakfast. They have been together for almost over twelve years or maybe twelve and a half, nobody was counting. She knew if she was to wake up Jack right now and ask him ...    ''Hey, sleepy head, how long are we together now ...'' Jack would not be able to tell her the exact date.    ''Hopeless, totally hopeless ...'' she would say,     '' ... and more to the point, do you even remember the date of my birthday, I will give you a  little hint .. 12th or the 13th, think now .. carefully, 12th or the 13th of November ...'' She was teasing him and liked to watch the expression on his face change, like the clown looking for the right ex
Read more
         The Toss of a Coin                         by DAF                                                                                        ''I don't need to be pardoned for my past sins. What's in the past is in the past unless you take pleasure in opening up festering wounds that never seem to heal over. Time can heal many wounds but it doesn't make a deal with your memories. This one you cope with yourself in your own way but maybe I need to be pardoned for the sin I have committed. This is my story as it happened. ''                          I know I am getting too old now for the cold weather that's seeping into my bones and leaving me feeling short-tempered, but it was extra cold that night in mid-December. I don't know how many stops I had made during the night but I think it was three, yes it was three, I remember now because each time I stopped I was taking a mental flogging for events in the past and those which were ab
Read more
THREE WISE GUYS [A play I wrote for stage some years back to be acted out by Three Wise Guys.] Written By DAF 'Look, I don't care what you say, but he doesn't know his ass from his elbow'. 'If you say so, but I think he is smarter than he is letting himself on to be'. 'We can talk like this all day and say what we like but it's not going to change anything'. 'So, what we do now'. 'I'm thinking, give me time on it ... but we have to find him'. 'Take all the time you need, in the meantime are you going to eat that sandwich, that is, not to let it go to waste, that is .... if you don't mind like, that is .... please'. 'I'm sick of this playing God game, the God with the big 'G' game, where is He now in all of this mess'? 'I can't answer that, He doesn't tell me what His plans are'. 'That's it, make a joke of it all, a wise guy, that's all we need around here now, another wis
Read more
A FATHER and SON STORY                                                                             By DAF     A native of the rainforest lived all of his life with nature thinking and knowing that it was the giver of all he needed in his lifetime. He respected nature and now knew its ways that were passed from father to son. He was also doing the same for his own son, passing on the skills and the way of survival to live in the rainforest, but he also knew the future was changing and may not be quite the same for his son as it was for him. The son was also going to a school run by missionaries during the week and returning at the weekends to his family. He was not keen on the separation from his family but the distance by the river was too much to travel each day and made it difficult during the monsoons. So they compromised, and schooling came with separation.    O n the weekends, father and son would go out hunting, being the only son and the last born in a family
Read more
                                                    FIFTEEN MINUTES                                                          Written by DAF H e was expecting more traffic for this time of the day but it was relatively quiet. If he was to tell anybody about it they would find it hard to believe him. There was always a traffic jam at this time of the day in this part of the city, so he thought luck was with him. They drove in silence, his mother, a hard woman at the best of times, did not even make any comment on how free-flowing the traffic was and so it was that they drove in silence for the best part of the hour and a half journey. It wasn't exactly a cold day. The winter had been mild for this time of the year and Christmas was not that far off, but his mother was dressed expecting the worst and in spite of the heater on in the car kept her leather gloves on, one hand on top of the other in a tight grip as if she was trying to stop her hand from running away from her body. Her w
Read more