Befriending a Vampire over a Rare Steak

"So, you say biting is out of the question?" The Count asked matter-of-factly as they walked on a crowded Manhattan sidewalk.

"Absolutely," the Doctor answered.

"What if no one was looking, and a lonely madame really wanted me too?"

"No!"

"How about a suicidal man who was about to jump?"

"Still no!"

"Really? That seems a bit wasteful. He would have died anyway. Why shouldn't I suck his blood?"

"Not even if he begged you. You said you wanted to ditch the "monster" image. There are no exceptions."

"Yeah. Alright. But this is going to be a lot harder than I originally thought. I mean, my favorite midnight snack is a jumper." The Count paused and corrected himself, "I mean, used to be a jumper."

"You'll get over it. Now follow me and try to act normal."

"How do I do that?"

"You know. Less Count-Dracula like."

"You mean I should walk with bad posture like the rest of these schlubs?" The Count eyed the mass of walkers around them.

"It would help. No one walks as straight as you do."

"What's wrong with the way I walk?"

"It's creepy and unnatural." They turned a corner. "Oh, good, we're here; T.J.'s Steakhouse."

The two of them dashed into the steakhouse and waited in line. They made an odd couple. The Doctor, in khaki pants with a blue and white golf shirt, and the Count, in a black suit, tie, and cape. They could not be more opposite. The Doctor looks tan and healthy due to all his vacations in the Caribbean, and the Count looks sickly and ghostly white due to his aversion to the sun.

It was the middle of the night, and the steakhouse was hopping. Waiters and waitresses flew across the floor with plates of sizzling steaks with baked potatoes. The bar in the restaurant's center was full of people boozing it up and flirting. Every table was occupied as well. It is a typical night for the restaurant serving the best steaks in Manhattan. Most men wore suits, and the ladies wore evening gowns or cocktail dresses. The Count fits in more than the Doctor if you overlook the cape.

"I like this place," the Count said.

"Yeah. Well, the wait is going to be an hour." The Doctor hated waiting.

"I lay in a coffin all day. An hour doesn't matter to me?"

"I see your point."

"You look anxious," the Count stared at the Doctor. "Is something bothering you?"

"Is something bothering me? Are you kidding? Oh, I don't know. How about the fact that I'm waiting in line with Dracula."

"Are you having second thoughts about our deal?"

"No. A deal is a deal. Besides, I owe you big time for not sucking my blood."

"You give me too much credit. I already had two pints of blood from your hospital's blood bank, so I couldn't have had another ounce. You might not be here having this conversation if you walked in on me before I had those pints." He laughed in a frighteningly evil way that caused people to move away from him.

"You have got to work on your laugh."

"Sorry. I have tried, but changing my laugh has been hard. I practice in the shower, but I'm unsure what to do since I can't see myself."

"What do you mean? Just use a mirror."

"Really? Did you just go there?" The Count rolled his eyes.

 "What?" After a few moments, comprehension hit the Doctor. "Oh. Right. Mirrors. I forgot. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

The Doctor noticed an old woman trying to eavesdrop on their conversion, so he moved the Count over to a window, away from her prying, and spoke in low tones. "Anyway, you need to find a less evil laugh if you ever hope to get rid of your monster image."

"Do you really believe a monster can change? I've been this way for over eight hundred years."

"Yes. I do. If you really want to."

"I really do, but I also want to suck your blood right now. You have my favorite type: A.B. negative, a rare delight."

The Doctor looked pale as he squirmed a little. "Remember, our deal. I agreed to help you become a civilized human and provide donated blood in exchange for you not sucking my or anyone else's blood."

"I still remember. You have my word. I'm letting you know how I feel, that's all. I don't know why, but I feel comfortable sharing my feelings with you."

A bench on the wall opened up, and they both sat in silence. Ears were everywhere, and neither one of them wanted to be overheard. The Doctor noticed people trying not to stare at the Count. They would look at him and then dart their eyes to the floor or ceiling. The Doctor looked at the Count. If the Count saw their looks, he didn't show it. After half an hour of this, the Doctor's phone dinged.

"Finally, our table is ready."

They were led by a hurried young lady to their table and given menus. "Your waiter will be with you shortly," the lady then hastened back to the waiting throng.

"She is O negative," the Count said.

"That kind of talk is exactly what you must refrain from."

"I'm sorry. I meant to say she is hot."

"Yeah. I'm sure that's what you meant."

The waiter arrived and took their drink order.

"I'll have a Bloody Mary," the Count said.

The Doctor glanced at the Count sideways but didn't say anything. "And I'll have a Pepsi."

The waiter left.

"Bloody Mary? Really? The Doctor said.

"It's like your non-alcoholic beer. You got to give me this."

The Doctor raised his hands; "Alright."

They both studied the menu until the waiter came back with their drinks. "Do you know what you would like to order?" The waiter pulled out a phone-sized tablet.

"Yes. I'll have the thirty-two-ounce T-bone with a baked potato and a Caesar salad. Oh, and I want my steak medium-well, please."

"And for you, sir," the waiter asked the Count.

"I'll have the New York strip," the Count ordered.

"And how would you like that cooked?" The waiter asked.

"Rare. Really rare. If you could just not cook it, that would be great."

The waiter laughed. "Good one." He typed on his tablet, "One very rare steak." He stashed the tablet away and said, "Alright, I'll bring that out as soon as possible."

The Count and Doctor sat quietly. The noise of the crowd and background music grew louder as the awkwardness of the situation settled in. It was weird from the beginning when the Doctor walked in on the Count sucking a bag of blood. The Doctor recalled their strange conversation that included words like, "Why are you drinking blood?" and "I won't drink your blood if you agree to help me." The Count's deal seemed ridiculous, but the Doctor liked his blood where it was, so he agreed. The Count said, "I don't want to be a monster. I don't want people to look at me like you do now. Could you help me be normal, like a real human?" At that moment, the Doctor pitied the Count and knew he would do everything he could to help.

"So, Count. Should I just keep calling you that?" The Doctor asked.

"My victims call me Count Dracula. You know, it's what they hear in the movies. However, my friends call me Stephen. The "Count" is optional."

"Stephen? Really? It's such a normal name."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I go by Dracula. It's more intimidating. Don't you think so? If I went around as Count Stephen, instead of fearing me, people would just laugh. No one would fear a Count Stephen."

"That is a good point, Stephen. Um. Just calling you that makes me feel less fearful of you."

"So, Doctor. Do you have a name?"

"Kyle."

"Kyle. I like that name," 'Count Stephen rolled the name over in his mind like a fine wine.

"Now that we have been introduced, where do we go from here?" Kyle asked.

But the waiter showed up with their food before Count Stephen could answer. "Here is your T-bone," he put a plate in front of Kyle, "and the barley-cooked New York strip is yours. Does it look correct? They both gave an affirmative. "Great. I'll check back with you later. Enjoy your meal."

After the waiter left, Count Stephen answered the question. "It's simple. You teach me how to be normal, and I will stop being a monster, and by "monster," I mean sucking people's blood. We can meet once or twice a week, just like an A.A. meeting."

"You mean an M.A. meeting, Monster's Anonymous," Kyle laughed at his joke.

"That was so sad. And you even laughed at it."

"What? It was a good one."

"We clearly have different tastes when it comes to jokes."

Kyle acted offended, "Anyway, I can do that. Let's start with once a week and add more if needed."

"Sounds good to me. Now, I must stop talking. I take eating very seriously."

*************************

Their first meeting was at Starbucks. There wasn't much of a crowd, and they quickly found a quiet corner and then got right down to business.

"Okay. I've never done this before, so you'll excuse me as I make this up as I go. Now let's see." Kyle pulled out his phone. "Alright. Ah, here it is. Have you bitten anyone since we last met?"

"No," Count Stephen said.

"Did you almost?"

"Yes, but only once."

"What caused you to almost snap?"

"I took a walk around three in the morning on Wednesday and saw a jumper. You know how I hate to see a good jumper go to waste. Well, I thought he was a jumper. Turns out he was just looking over the side of the bridge at a fancy yacht passing under. Before I realized my mistake, I already bared my teeth and did the arm thing, you know, where I raise them in the air, flaring out my cape. It's really cool and scary. After that, he almost jumped, but I stopped him, and we started talking. I apologized and bought him a drink. After a few, we were both laughing at the whole thing."

"Now, Stephen, you know you can't walk around at night with nothing to do. That's a serious trigger for you."

"I know. I know. I won't do it again."

"Also, you really must lose the cape. Did you go to that all-night clothing store I told you about?"

"I meant to but never got around to it."

"If you want to be normal, you must dress normal. Before our meeting next week, I want you to get some new outfits. I don't want to see your count-dracula-suit again. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Now, let's talk about meeting new people."

*******************

They continued to meet each week and grew more comfortable with each other. They met several times over the next few months and made significant progress. Count Stephen stopped seeing people as food and actually made friends at some neighborhood bars. Things were going well until the night when they didn't.

One night, Kyle left early for their meeting when he heard a scream from an alley across the street. He crossed over and took a look. It was littered with trash and very dark. At first glance, he couldn't see anybody, but then he spotted some moment near a side door.

"Hey, you." He picked up an empty beer bottle and cautiously walked. "Show yourself. I'm calling the police right now."

"Don't do that, Kyle."

"What the? Is that you, Stephen?"

"Yes."

He walked closer and recoiled at what he saw. Count Stephen was holding a woman in his arms, and she looked dead. He stared without completely grasping the scene. Kyle recalled all their meetings and conversations for the past few months. He thought of the progress made. And yet Count Stephen was holding a dead woman. 'How could he do this?" The Doctor thought to himself. "How could he betray him like this?" For the first time since they met, he saw a monster.

"What have you done?" Kyle whispered.

"She's not dead. She just fainted. It's common for this to happen when I show my teeth."

"But you are still holding her. You were going to bite her if I hadn't shown up. Weren't you?"

"It's possible. I bite a lot of women."

"But you said you wanted to change."

"I do, Kyle!" Count Stephen broke from his calm Count Dracula demeanor and shouted. "I just can't. A monster can't change. I can't change because I am a monster. Look at me." He bared his teeth, causing Kyle to jump back. "You see, even you see me as a monster, and you're my closest friend."

Kyle recovered and took a step forward. "I admit you startled me. However, I don't see you as a monster. Well, maybe for a second, but as I've got to know you, I see a person struggling to improve. You kept coming to our meetings and did everything I suggested. I respect you for trying, and I believe you can change. So, there is a monster inside you, but there is also a good person. I've seen him. You are good, and you are a monster. The question is, which one will you be right now?"

Count Stephen's face went blank. He looked between the woman and Kyle with indecision and confusion mingled together. His gaze stopped on the woman's neck. He longingly went over her veins with his eyes. She was available, and the smell of her blood was intoxicating. He bent towards her neck slightly, then stopped. He raised his eyes to Kyle and thought of their friendship. He couldn't do this in front of him, but how could he control it? His emotions were tearing him in two. For a moment, it appeared the monster was about to win when he suddenly laid the woman down and began to weep.

"It's so hard," Count Stephen said in between sobs. "The monster inside of me is so strong."

"I know, but I believe the good is stronger," Kyle put his hand on Count Stephen's shoulder. "I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere. This is just a setback."

"A setback?" Count Stephen straightened up and regained his composure. "Really, Kyle, I just about killed a woman, and you call it a setback. I worry about you."

"We are going to get through this, but first, we must get this poor woman home." He reached into her purse and found her I.D. "I'll call an Uber," he picked up the woman. "You stay right here."

Fifteen minutes later, Kyle came back. "She's safe. The poor woman started to wake up and asked who I was. I told her I was a good samaritan and that she had too much to drink. I think everything is going to be okay."

"Thank you, Kyle. I owe you."

"Yes, you do! What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't. I was walking down the alley, minding my own business, when this woman stumbled into my arms. I bared my teeth out of habit. You know what they say about habits…"

"They are hard to break," Kyle said.

"No. They are stubborn, but that works. Anyway, that's when she screamed and then fainted. The next thing I know, a delicious neck is staring at me. I'm happy you showed up when you did. Who knows what would have happened."

"I'm sure you would have done the right thing."

"You have more confidence in me than I have. I'm not sure I would have."

"Well, just have confidence in my confidence that you would have done the right thing."

"I must have really shaken you up. What kind of nonsense advice is that?"

"The hungry kind. Do you want to get a barley-cooked steak? I know a place," Kyle smiled.

"I would love to," Count Stephen began to walk when he paused, unfastened his cape, and let it fall to the payment. They walked out of the alley looking a bit more normal.