Riley sat alone in the booth with a pitcher and two half glasses of beer. How did he get to this point in his life? Did he not do everything asked of him? He wanted to scream and throw things across the room, but he controlled himself. Part of him pouted at his cowardice at not giving the world his middle finger. Instead, he sat staring at a scratch on the table.
Perhaps this lack of attention is how he failed to notice the new arrival in the booth. Riley looked up and saw the same lanky man he’d spoken with the other night. Before Riley asked why, the other man thought it appropriate to sit uninvited. He said, “It appears tonight is not how you expected.”
This forced Riley to pull his beer closer for added comfort. “You could say that. But I don’t know that I’m ready to drop my life sto
