It's Been a Long day Without you my Friend.

Written in response to: End your story with someone saying: “What a day.”... view prompt

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American Middle School

I have black cars. Many black cars. And a black piano. I like the piano more than I like the cars. Some cars give me anxiety. Many would choose the cars to the piano. But not me. Not after all we've been through. It was my dad's once. But now, now it's mine. My large apartment looks out onto the beautiful city. I like seeing the lights when I eat. A lot of people would rather eat out with people. I like to be alone in my apartment looking out onto the beautiful city. Sometimes I have my friends over. But not often. I'm really into music. A lot of people don't know that. But I do. I'm really into that. People think I'm cool because I'm an agent.

I don't trust those people. Now, I'm not saying I don't like to drive my cars. I'm not saying I like to be with my friends. But when I'm at my house, I like to be alone. I like work too. It's all black on the inside. We look like spies if you don't know what we actually do. FBI agents. My favorite car to just drive is a green sleek one. I have a really great friend. We trade trinkets back and forth. He's my brother from another mother. Not my homie. I hate the word homie. We got to clubs together. He really likes singing. So do I. I sing only with my dad's piano. Not many people know about this piano. My mom. Just her and me. My cleaner.

All of us are such good friends. We have barbecues together. Some of us bring our growing families. A few of us are married and even fewer of us have children. Well, babies. But still, children. You have to be fit to do the kind of work we do. One day, we got into a fight with this one guy. He became an at-large suspect. We knew that he was definitely committed a crime. I knew. I just needed proof, evidence. If I ever was to figure it all out, I was going to have to follow him like a hawk. Become his closest friend. Get the best, the most amount of evidence. The only way to get this criminal behind bars for doing this.

It became hard. Because he always thought that I couldn't be trusted. In all fairness, I probably did act kind of funny around him. Because I knew in advance the truth about him. He became close to all the other FBI agents as well because I thought he would feel much better if he knew all my other friends knew him as well. But one day, we brought him to one of our dinner banquets. It was the last thing we needed for evidence. But then, that was it. We cornered him and showed him all of our proof. He looked petrified. He tried to run, but we had people holding him by the shoulders by the time he got cornered.

And then, he was put behind bars. I went home that night upset. I wondered why. That night I had a dream where he came to me. He asked for some help. He said he had messed up. I did. I saw him with all the other agents. The babies grew up playing with him. All my friends nodded at me like I had made the right decision. I let him borrow my car. I pulled into a parking lot and he smiled at me. Like he was genuinely happy. I felt myself smiling back. We went racing. And he looked over at me from behind the wheel. I knew it that moment he knew where he was going. What he was going to do. Why he smiled and I smiled.

There was a fork in the road. And he went one way and I went the other. And in the landscape of mountains and roads, I was crying because he was no longer right by my side. I wake up, and I start crying. Life had led us to this bend in the road. Where I went one way and he went the other. I get out of bed and go to jail. I pay his fee. I am very rich. All these promotions in the FBI had made me able to pay for all these things. I take him out for a burger and then guided him out. And he smiled at me the way he had in my dream. I knew then and there I made a good decision. No matter what people might say.

We're quiet and then he says to me, "It's been a long day without you, my friend. I'll tell you all about it when we get to the restaurant. I know what I did was messed up. But I'm going to get better. I promise. For you and the group. From now on, you're going to help me. Ok? We're going to get through this. I know. I'm sorry man. I just need you. It's been a long day without you. Friends forever." He's crying. I nod and I hug him when we get to a red light. We keep going and he dries his eyes. I know right then and there he means it. It doesn't matter. Maybe it would have been better to keep it under the rug. But this is just a part of us now. And it always will be.

And then once we get into the restaurant I took him to, sitting in that booth. We look out at the city at the same time. It looks as beautiful as it first was. We order steak and we talk about sports. Like we're best bodies now and forever. I tell him about the piano. I couldn't believe I did. But it felt good to tell him. And when we get back in the car we say at the same time, "What a day."

March 18, 2022 16:51

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