The New Day: Part I

By Richard Davidson

"The day will come," he said, looking out at the sea, "when people will stop running in circles, like a dog chasing his tail, and figure out what's really important."
He looked at me long and hard, squinting those ancient, weathered eyes. His gaze went right through me, sending a shiver down my spine before continuing on its way, lost in the ocean breeze.
I immediately thought of Beth, and a more complicated time in my life. She was so in love with the ambitious, hardworking success story that I was, and the fear of losing that love kept me going, driven beyond madness to claim that sweet prize that was her love. My God, the things I had given up for that woman!

Old Dave was looking right at me. "Better watch out for those whitecaps up ahead, this is an old boat."
Old boat? Had Dave lost his mind? Those whitecaps didn't look like a match for this sturdy tub, but he was acting kind of funny lately, so I decided to batten the hatches, and get ready for a rough ride. A rough ride...
My thoughts turned back to Beth. That one fateful evening, I had knocked on her door for a big night out, and when I saw her in that dress....
"Hoooo-eeeeh!" I said, and whistled, completely bowled over by how sexy this woman looked. Never in my whole life have I meant any flattery more sincerely. How could I be so madly in love with her so soon?
I had always been so nervous around women, but this was the real thing, and much to her surprise, I pulled her towards me and kissed her, kissed her so hard and so good, that she gracefully lifted one leg, pointing her toes at the sky, and melted into my arms like I had never even dared to dream.

We made wild love, until the dawn, when I made her a fine breakfast of bacon and eggs, and pancakes, pouring maple syrup on her firm, ample...
Suddenly a wave hit me in the face, bringing me back to the cold, wet reality of my current situation. I could see Dave was getting downright cranky, and I quickly checked to make sure the safety was off. We were about to meet up with some rough characters, and I wanted to be ready for anything. To think that only six months ago I had been one of the most successful field reps on the entire West Coast! And now, here I am stuck on a creaky boat with an even creakier old man, ready to face off with the Cordinos. I lit a cigarette, half soaked with the salt water.

"I see something over there!" Old Dave's crackly voice disturbed me intently. We were near the shore, and I saw the shape of another boat, a mere shadow in the foggy harbor.
"What's that music?" Dave grumbled.
It sounded like Soft Cell, and I wasn't sure where it was coming from, but it was slightly unnerving. Combined with the lapping of the waves and the frogs, it was a surreal soundtrack, and I was about to tell Dave not to get so close to shore, when
CRACK!
a sound rang out in the night, and I felt a searing pain in my forehead, and the whole world went into a headlong spin, round and round and round she goes... and the icy water rushed up to meet me, to take me away to another world, and then, strangely there was Beth again, floating in front of me, asking me what kind of wallpaper I'd like in the living room? And another Beth, explaining her theories on raising children, then a third screaming "Why don't we go out more?" then a fourth then a fifth a sixthaseventhaneighththththt

(to be continued, after a brief therapy session)

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