Murphy's Law

Marcquavious Murphy pulled into the parking lot at 3AM. He got out, looking up at the neon sign that read; "Damian's Bar". He hadn't been here in a very long time.. He locked the car, hesitating before heading for the door. The cold winter breeze brushed his face, as snow fell through the night. He entered the bar, surprised to see that it had changed quite a bit. The tables had been moved around, and a stage had been added to the building. On the stage a band was cleaning up their supplies, and the bar was rather empty. It made sense, since it was way later than any sane person would be at a bar. He walked up to the counter, where the bar-tender was cleaning glasses with his back turned to the counter. Marc knocked on the counter to get his attention. The man turned, and when he saw him his eyes widened and filled with surprise. "Hey Damia-" his greeting was cut off by a tight hug. Damian was a big guy, with curly blond hair and bright blue eyes. Marc felt crushed in his arms. "Ah! Can't....breath!" Damian let go, grinning. "I've missed you brother!" He exclaimed. "What are you here for?" Marc sighed. "Mama insisted I visit for Christmas"He said with a shrug. "That's great!" His brother grabbed him in another tight hug. Marc was glad to see him again, but he knew that being suffocated would get old real quick.

Marc stayed in a hotel that night, and slept till 12pm. He jolted awake from a rather horrifying dream about a snake being in his bed. He got up, looking around his bed frantically. Once he realized it was just a dream he felt extremely embarrassed. He dug through his bag till he found what he was looking for. He shook two pills into his hand and dry swallowed them. He sat down on the side of the bed for a moment, then with a sigh got ready for the day. He hated this place. He took a warm shower, got dressed and scoured the hotel kitchen for lunch. After seeing nothing he would enjoy eating he decided to eat out for the day. He chose Burger King, since it was the least likely place he would meet someone he knew. He didn't want ANYONE knowing he was here. He only planned to stay for Christmas, then fly back to Chicago where he belonged. He was devastated to see that the drive-thru was closed for the weekend. He contemplated going somewhere else for a moment. Going inside was a risk, but gas was expensive and he didn't want to waste any. With a sigh he parked and got out. Hopefully the universe wouldn't be against him today, although it probably was. It seemed like everything bad that could happen to him always did. His mom called it Murphy's law. He called it bad luck. He walked in and got in line to order, keeping his head down. He scrolled on his phone absentmindedly, trying to not draw attention to himself. When he got to the front he looked up and froze in his tracks. Standing behind the register was the girl he'd told himself he'd never see again. Emma Rigby.

They'd been close in high school. He had fallen for her the first day they met. She'd fallen about halfway through. They had been so sure they'd get married someday. They had been through hell and back together, and they had made many moments together, and mistakes. Then one day, they got caught committing a crime. It wasn't even the worst they'd ever done. He had always been a bit of a kleptomaniac, and they had made it a sport to see how much they could shoplift without being caught. One day, he'd stolen a gun from a store. Instead of admitting he'd done it he'd denied it to the cops, and when they found the gun, she said that she'd done it. She was off to jail, and he escaped to finish college and leave this place. Now she was back, and he knew she'd hate him. He hesitated, then stepped forward, keeping his face low. "Can I get a #1?" he said, his voice slightly muffled. "What?" She replied, confused. He repeated himself, but it was too quiet. She put her hands on her hips. "I'm gonna need you to speak up butter-cup." He sighed and lifted his face to look at her. "Can I get a #1 please?" She typed it onto the thing, but her eyes were locked on his. She recognized him.

He sat at his table waiting for his order, tapping his foot impatiently. He was stressed. He wanted to avoid this. She came over with his food and set it down. "Mind if I sit with you? Its my lunch break." He hesitated, then nodded. He looked at his food for a moment, then looked at her. "Emma.. I... I'm sorry..." He said, feeling as though the words were forced out of his body. She shrugged. "Its alright. I should actually be thanking you." He blinked at her, confused. "What..??" She smiled, a bitter sweet smile that had once been his anchor in life. "Because of you I had a daughter" She said. His heart nearly stopped. "...I got you pregnant?" He stared at her wide eyed. She nodded. "I was found not guilty, and when I got home I realized it. My brother helped me raise her" His heart was beating so fast, he couldn't believe this. "I'm a father??" He gasped. She nodded. "You can meet her sometime if you want," He nodded. She was quiet for a bit, watching him eat his burger. "Do you ever think about me?"She asked. He nodded. "I've always felt so guilty..." He murmured. "I missed you, despite what happened.. and I don't regret anything" She said. He looked at her surprised, and tilted his head at her. "The whole experience taught me a lesson." She continued. He hesitated before replying. "What was it..?" She locked eyes with him. "It taught me that something good always comes from something bad."