The Only Real Thing
By Lawrence Chu
A Product of My Imagination

Situation: Richard Hayden, a man in his early 30s, sits at a pub with 
some of his friends, discussing past girlfriends.

Rick:
But of course I miss her.  There wasn't anyone else like her.  And to 
think we coulda been living in a house with 2.2 kids kills me.  But 
hey, I'm here talking to you guys, no offense.  [Nods--the response 
was "none taken"]  Okay then.  Anyway, I'm here talking to you, and 
she's resting in her grave, and there's nothing I can do about that 
now, is there?  [The waiter comes to the table.  He's ordering.]  
Double shot of JD here.  [Turns back.]  Carol?  She's more like a 
live-in caretaker than a girlfriend, always hovering over me, tending 
my wounds, making me comfortable, you know, that kind of stuff.  She 
knows she's always going to be runner-up, but what she doesn't 
realize--yet--is how much I care for her.  I mean, sure, she's cute, 
and I guess you could say she keeps the home fires burning, but it's 
more than that.  You see, after...after what happened to Dana, I'm 
keeping an eye on Carol, making sure I don't lose her.  The thought 
of losing another person just drives me nuts.  [The drinks come.  He 
takes his in one shot.]  You're gonna get me the next one for asking 
that question.  But if you really want to know, fine.  Look it up in 
the papers; they all say the same thing:  "Pembroke Girl Killed in 
Skiing Accident."  They always say that.  Then they'll go on with 
something like "Dana Redfield of Pembroke, CT was out skiing with her 
companion Richard Hayden--" that's right, I was her "companion"-- 
"when Hayden, 26, fell and broke his arm.  Redfield, 24, attempted to 
help by using her coat as a sling..."  Please, just hold on a 
minute... [At this point, he starts struggling to recall the event; 
after all, this was a traumatic time for him.]  "They were found two 
hours later.  Redfield was already in the severe stages 
of...hypothermia... She... she died..."  [He completely breaks down, 
he's reliving the experience all over again.  After a moment, he puts 
himself back together.]  "She died...three hours and thirteen minutes 
after entering the hospital.  [As a homage to the unreality of 
newspapers, he states the following sarcastically.]  Redfield was an 
aspiring professional skier."  [The second round comes.  Once again, 
he takes his in one shot.]  I know how stupid I am to think that I 
was personally responsible for her death, but when it's your 
girlfriend on the line you can decide whether or now you feel 
responsible.  Carol does try to comfort me--she didn't exactly break 
up with her last boyfriend either-- and I to her.  We kinda set up a 
deal: she doesn't take me skiing, and I won't go boating.  You see, 
we've come to realize that the only real thing we have is each other.

chu_bear@hotmail.com