The Guest

It wasn't easy to convince myself that what I was about to do was normal. Yet, I figured out how to rationalize it. There was no way that this was the same person I had met a decade ago, but there was no denying my curiosity. He has been in and out of my dreams to this very day. 

I tried to stay far enough behind that he wouldn't see me, but close enough that I could watch his body language. He turned and went into a coffee shop. I stood in line as close as I could to see his face. When he turned his head I knew it was him. Holy shit. I stepped out of line and went outside to wait for him. In the years that had passed I had re-lived that day over and over again.

We had met at a mutual friend's wedding. Perhaps we had been sat together on purpose but it didn’t seem probable given that he was such an asshole. The other 6 guests at the table knew the bride from college. They were having a great time reminiscing. I was very much the outsider at the table. He had been on my left at this table of eight. He was incredibly unlikable. 

He complained about the DJ, proudly stating that he did not listen to what “most people” liked. I guess he considered himself special. The servers could not be fast enough to clear his still full plate. His eye rolling was embarrassing. I hoped and prayed they did not think I was with him. They didn’t seem to notice. Then he targeted the bridesmaid. Apparently, the bride should have noticed that bridesmaid number two was too pear shaped for the fitted dress. He himself was over dressed in a tux. There was no way I was going to make it through cake and first dances. Not with this jerk next to me. I decided I would leave early, making up an excuse about a headache and a long drive. I had driven two hours to be at this wedding. I think my colleague, the bride, felt obliged to invite me and I felt obliged to attend. I didn’t think I could invite a guest so I went alone. Big mistake.

My hotel was only a few blocks from the venue and as it was a beautiful warm night, I walked. The streets were pretty empty even though it was fairly early. I guess these smallish towns closed down early even on Saturdays. My room was on the fourth floor so I took the elevator. When I got to my room, I kicked off my shoes and was looking for the remote when there was a knock on my door. I don't know why I opened it. What the actual fuck. 

It was the asshole from the wedding! Had he followed me? I quickly said I was tired and that I had a long drive home the next day. He did not argue with me. He looked like I should be grateful that he found me. I closed that door as quickly as I had opened it and locked every lock on the door. He was just that type of guy. The kind that thought his intensity was foreplay. 

The next morning, I ducked out of the hotel and ate breakfast a few miles out of town. I kept imagining I saw him. I ordered my favorite. Scrambled eggs, a biscuit and hash browns. As I poured ketchup on my hash browns, I was grateful no one was around to see how uncouth I actually was. I noticed a text from my friend, now a wife.

-"Thank you so much for coming! Sorry I wasn't able to come to your table before you left."

-"You should not be texting me the day after your wedding! But thank you for inviting me, it was beautiful . Hey, were you trying to match me up with that guy?"

-"What guy?"

-"The guy was at my table."

--"I have no idea. Maybe my "husband" did? Anyway, thanks again.You were the only person from work that showed up. It means a lot to me."

—-------

I decided I would approach him when he left the coffee shop. I waited for a good twenty minutes. What was I going to say? Why did you come to my room? Had you followed me? I checked my phone. The line wasn’t that long. I gave up and went inside. He was nowhere to be seen. Shit. Not again. I got back in my car. 

It took me about two more hours to get home. The traffic was heavy since it was a holiday weekend. I was so happy to be home and so irritated that I had given up my weekend. My boss always asked me about current events so that night I turned on the news. I never knew what to do about all of that information. Was I supposed to do something with it? I tried to pay attention for enough time to be able to say something relevant to my boss but as I went to change the channel, I froze. They were showing a picture of a man in a tux. 

My jaw dropped. The case of a man missing since his wedding day more than ten years ago was solved today when his body was discovered. It was assumed that he had left his fiance at the altar as he never showed up to the ceremony. They found his body when the then fiance confessed to the police. She was no longer able to hide her guilt. She had not had the courage to cancel the wedding. An argument led to an accident that led to a dead fiance. So, she stood at the altar. Knowing he would never arrive. Feigning tears and regret, she had gone back to her hometown and eventually married her high school sweetheart. 

Well, to be fair.he was an asshole. Why had I been the one to see him? Oh my God. I see dead people. Is that really a thing? For the love of God. Had I always seen dead people? How would I know who was dead? Was I dead? 

There was a knock at my door.