The Absence Of Presence

Chapter 1

"You seem like the type of person who needs to believe in life after death." John was in one of his moods that usually ended in someone getting angry with him. "I do believe in life after death, because it's the only thing I believe in that I know I'll be right about in the end. Either I'll be right or I'll be dead forever and there'll be no one around to tell me I was wrong. Just think, when you die I'll be the one first one waiting for you in the afterlife, ready to tell you that you've been wrong all your life and I've been right."

Bennet was feeling a little bolder than usual. John had been paying for drinks the whole afternoon and he'd been making good use of the opportunity. John was always the one who ended up paying for drinks, mostly because it was the only way he could get people to put up with him, but also because he was the one with the money. John was never modest about his money, what he didn't like people to know was where it came from. "I didn't say I didn't believe in life after death. I said you're the type of person who needs to believe in an afterlife. The only thing that people like you have to look forward to is the remote possibility that your next life might be a little better than this one. It really pisses me off to see someone waste their life away and then go around saying that they might have better luck with the next one. If you're going to live your life, live it like believing that you won't get a second chance. Face it Bennet, you're life doesn't amount to very much and living in the belief that you'll get another change to do it right is not doing you any good."

John loved a good argument with Bennet. He knew that when he walked into a bar most people looked at and only saw the opportunity for a free drink. And he didn't mind too much buying them a drink, he loved the feeling of having someone owe his something, to them it was a free drink, to him it put him a step above them on the ladder. But with Bennet it was different, Bennet was probably the only person who could challenge him in the conversion they were having. Whatever he might be saying to annoy him, John had more respect for Bennet than he let on. "You two are going to end up outside punching one another in the face if you don't stop this." Elaine really hated John when he got like this. The only reason she was still here was because of Bennet, she enjoyed his company, she looked up to him.

  To be continued...