He knew his drinking had been getting out of hand, and he needed to dial it back more than a few notches, but he needed to get back together with his friend before he did so. Hell, he needed to get completely obliterated with a friend, maybe get some of this shit off his chest. If they were drunk, he could tell Wilson everything, and even if Wilson remembered it the next day, he’d surely pass it off as Gerald’s drunken ramblings.
“There it is,” Gerald said, smiling. He immediately frowned, and wondered why he had said that aloud. With all the shit he’d gone through over the last few days, talking to himself was probably the least crazy bit.
He dialed the numbers into his phone, but paused with his thumb on the send button. What was he supposed to say? How do you initiate a conversation with a friend he hadn’t spoken to in years? Before he could chicken out, he decided to wing it and hit send.
The phone rang three times before a man with slightly slurred speech answered it.
“Wilson?” Gerald said.
“Yeah. Who’s this?”
“Gerald.” The line was silent for a moment, and Gerald assumed he’d hung up. At least he didn’t tell me to fuck off, he thought.
“Gerald, what the fuck man? How you doing?” Wilson’s voice raised in slightly drunken excitement.
“Been better,” Gerald said, smiling. “It’s been awhile.”
“No fuckin’ shit, it’s been awhile. What are you doing?”
“Hoping you’re in the mood to throw back a few.”
“Fuck yeah, man. You still local?”
“Yeah, but it sounds like maybe I should head your way. Like maybe you already threw back a few.” He immediately regretted offering this. Now he’d have to ride the damn bike.
“Got laid off from work a few weeks ago, so why the hell not, right? You remember how to get here?”
“Yeah,” Gerald said, smiling again. “I remember.”
Chapter 14
Gerald knocked on the door, a case of Budweiser in his left hand. Even though Wilson hadn’t sounded angry at him, he thought he’d be better off not showing up empty handed. The door opened and Gerald saw Wilson, hair shorter and slightly heavier than the last time he’d seen him, step around it. Wilson stared at him a minute before grinning and grabbing him in one of those drunken straight guy hugs.
“Good to fuckin’ see you, man.” Wilson pulled him in the door, pushing it shut behind him. “Damn good to see you.”
“I know. You, too.”
“What’s this?” Wilson said, pointing and taking the case of beer. “Peace offering?”
And there it was.
“Well, uh . . .” Gerald began, no idea how to address their ignored friendship. Wilson grinned again and laughed.
“I’m just fucking with you. Here,” he said, tearing open the case and pulling out a can for each of them, “Mi casa es blah blah blah. Grab a seat and let’s get drinking.”
Gerald smiled and did just that, knowing it was exactly what he needed.
Two hours and a few beers later, Wilson sat back and ran his hands through his hair. “Holy shit, man. You’re not making this shit up, are you?”
Gerald shook his head. “Wish I was. I’ve been flipping out. I wouldn’t trade seeing her again for anything, but . . . I don’t even know if that really happened. Don’t even know if any of it really happened.”
“What about the guy getting hit by the truck? That would’ve been on the news or something. Shit like that doesn’t happen without everybody hearing about it.”
“I don’t know if that happened here, or if somehow he followed me to the other reality.” Gerald still felt stupid referring to another reality.
“What about the truck? Didn’t you say you’d seen it here?” Wilson seemed to be taking everything in stride much more easily than Gerald had expected.
“At first I thought
“There it is,” Gerald said, smiling. He immediately frowned, and wondered why he had said that aloud. With all the shit he’d gone through over the last few days, talking to himself was probably the least crazy bit.
He dialed the numbers into his phone, but paused with his thumb on the send button. What was he supposed to say? How do you initiate a conversation with a friend he hadn’t spoken to in years? Before he could chicken out, he decided to wing it and hit send.
The phone rang three times before a man with slightly slurred speech answered it.
“Wilson?” Gerald said.
“Yeah. Who’s this?”
“Gerald.” The line was silent for a moment, and Gerald assumed he’d hung up. At least he didn’t tell me to fuck off, he thought.
“Gerald, what the fuck man? How you doing?” Wilson’s voice raised in slightly drunken excitement.
“Been better,” Gerald said, smiling. “It’s been awhile.”
“No fuckin’ shit, it’s been awhile. What are you doing?”
“Hoping you’re in the mood to throw back a few.”
“Fuck yeah, man. You still local?”
“Yeah, but it sounds like maybe I should head your way. Like maybe you already threw back a few.” He immediately regretted offering this. Now he’d have to ride the damn bike.
“Got laid off from work a few weeks ago, so why the hell not, right? You remember how to get here?”
“Yeah,” Gerald said, smiling again. “I remember.”
Chapter 14
Gerald knocked on the door, a case of Budweiser in his left hand. Even though Wilson hadn’t sounded angry at him, he thought he’d be better off not showing up empty handed. The door opened and Gerald saw Wilson, hair shorter and slightly heavier than the last time he’d seen him, step around it. Wilson stared at him a minute before grinning and grabbing him in one of those drunken straight guy hugs.
“Good to fuckin’ see you, man.” Wilson pulled him in the door, pushing it shut behind him. “Damn good to see you.”
“I know. You, too.”
“What’s this?” Wilson said, pointing and taking the case of beer. “Peace offering?”
And there it was.
“Well, uh . . .” Gerald began, no idea how to address their ignored friendship. Wilson grinned again and laughed.
“I’m just fucking with you. Here,” he said, tearing open the case and pulling out a can for each of them, “Mi casa es blah blah blah. Grab a seat and let’s get drinking.”
Gerald smiled and did just that, knowing it was exactly what he needed.
Two hours and a few beers later, Wilson sat back and ran his hands through his hair. “Holy shit, man. You’re not making this shit up, are you?”
Gerald shook his head. “Wish I was. I’ve been flipping out. I wouldn’t trade seeing her again for anything, but . . . I don’t even know if that really happened. Don’t even know if any of it really happened.”
“What about the guy getting hit by the truck? That would’ve been on the news or something. Shit like that doesn’t happen without everybody hearing about it.”
“I don’t know if that happened here, or if somehow he followed me to the other reality.” Gerald still felt stupid referring to another reality.
“What about the truck? Didn’t you say you’d seen it here?” Wilson seemed to be taking everything in stride much more easily than Gerald had expected.
“At first I thought
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