The Rift Shift

The Rift Shift

Fred

A short, rather thin man in his early thirties walks into a clothing store, and nearly collides with a row of hanging shirts when he sees someone a few rows down, someone who quickly disappears from view. He begins to talk to himself without speaking the words.

“Well, Fred, there’s that bastard John Ford. I haven’t seen him for years, not since we both graduated from high school. I heard that he moved to another side of the city, and none of the high school guys that I still keep in touch with have seen him since. Who would guess that he would reappear like this? Man, I really hated him that last year of school for what he did to me. I thought about keying his car when I spotted it in the parking lot, but he was much bigger and stronger than I was, so I chickened out. He would have known that it was me.”

John

           A tall, rather muscular man in his early thirties turns around quickly, but fails to see the person he had spotted just a few seconds earlier. He begins to talk to himself, without sound.

           “I think that was Fred. Haven’t seen him in ages, not since graduation night. Boy did he ever have a hate on for me that night. We had been such good friends. But he thought that I stole his girlfriend Becky from him. He never knew that she was the one who came onto me, and initiated the relationship. He probably would not have believed me if I had told him that. Oh well. That’s all in the past now. Nothing can be done about it so many years later.”

Fred

           Fred moves quickly out of the clothing store, not wishing to encounter his enemy from his late teenage years. The voice of his mind is enough for him to have to deal with, he did not want that compounded by meeting up with the girlfriend thief. His words to himself are“I really loved Becky. I thought that she was the only girl for me. Every girl or woman I have met up with after her just could not measure up.”

           Fred gets into his car and drives home, where he lives alone, except for his female parrot, Becky, who could be good company sometimes, but not always. He turns on the television, but it cannot distract him, not matter how often he uses the remote. The memory pictures keep flashing on the internal screen of his mind. The one that stands out the most is of Becky putting her arms around John, holding him tight as they wait to receive their high school diplomas. He wishes that there is some kind of mental fire that can burn away such painful sights like so much old, dry wood.

John

John arrives home to his lovely, charming wife, and their two boys, each of which have their moments, good and bad, like Fred’s parrot. He says to his wife, “Do you think that we can get your mother to babysit for us tonight? I saw someone from my past today, and he left a very bad taste in my mouth that I would very much like to beer away. What do you say?”

She nods her head and calls her mother, who says ‘yes’ right away as she welcomes a chance to spend time with her grandsons, whom she likes to spoil. Shortly after she arrives, John and his wife head to their local bar.

Fred

           Fred decides that he can’t stay home all night. He knows that it will drive him quite crazy as pictures he doesn’t want to see will just keep dancing in his head. He figures it is time for a long walk. That had often worked for him in the past when he wanted to leave behind bad thoughts. 

           He walks and walks, turning his head away from the faces of those coming the opposite way on the sidewalk. The miles disappear behind him, but not the pictures in his mind. As he approaches the Beer Factory, one of his favourite pubs, he decides that a little hoppy liquid might just wash the pictures away. It’s a Friday night, so the place is packed, so he makes his way to the back, where he can sit in relative darkness.

           There he sees him – John Ford. He feels cursed, but decides it must be fate offering him up a challenge. He should at least say hello to the person who once was his best friend. The negative past can be overlooked in the short time it takes just to greet an old friend. He spots a woman’s purse in front of an empty chair that is pulled out away from the table. It would be Becky’s. It would have to perform a quick greet, and take off to the bar to sit turned away from the two of them.

John

           John spots Fred just a few paces away and headed towards him. An ‘oh, no, not him again’ speaks loudly in his mind. Then he thinks, ‘we used to be such friends. I have kept in contact with absolutely no one from those days. The least I owe him is a friendly greeting, maybe even a shared beer or two.’

           He stands up and sticks out a large, rather muscular hand in greeting. He sees Fred hesitate, then tentatively reach out to have his hand grasped. Never being one who was any good with words, he simply says “Fred. Hi. Long time no see”. He receives the simple reply of “Yes. It has been” followed by a less than masculine handshake. 

           John doesn’t stop there. He gestures to an empty seat, the one without the purse in front of it, and says, “Fred, sit. Let’s share a beer or two between old friends.”

Fred

           “Poohsticks” Fred internally speaks, almost saying the word out loud. He and John used to say that word often to each other when they were kids, taking the word from a game of racing sticks in a river in "Winnie the Pooh". The response, of course, was typically, “It certainly does.” He then mentally pictures Becky coming out of the ladies washroom not far away, not changed much except for being John’s wife. He shakes his head like there is a mosquito in his ear. No, I have to be a man about this. Maybe this way I will finally get closure.

           He sits down, looks at John’s empty glass and says, “What are you having?” John says the name of the brand they both drank, illegally, as teenagers, adding, “My wife will have the same. She has great taste in beer….and, of course, in men.” “That’s it,’ thought Fred, ‘Twist the knife.’

He gets up to go to the bar, thinking maybe that he should just walk out of the place. But a waitress touches him on the shoulder, saying, “I’ll take your order. I know what this man and my sister are having.”

           Fred wonders, “Did I know that Becky had a sister? I can’t remember. I rarely went to her place. Those were her rules.”

Conclusion

           John says loudly, “And speaking of her sister, here she is.” Fred is slow to turn his head, but he knows there is no delaying now. He looks at her. She looks at him. It isn’t Becky. It is someone who looks almost identical to the waitress. His curiosity overpowers his courtesy. “What happened to Becky?” 

“She dumped me a couple of weeks after graduation. She picked up with some rich dude and moved away, probably married him.”

“And speaking of relationships. Donna’s sister is single and available. Give her a big tip and one of your trademark smiles.”

           Fred was stunned, but he had a big smile on his face when the waitress returned with the drinks. She returned the favour.