If the world were ending, part one, chapter two

If the world were ending

Jon DePaolis

Part One: Chapter Two

“If the world were ending…what would you remember?”

“Alex, we’re going to be late.”

Alex stared into the mirror in his bedroom, trying to adjust his tie. The black knot was pinched near the bottom and it looked more like a ball than a half-Windsor knot.

“I just need a few more seconds,” Alex called out.

His roommate, Chase, was waiting out in the hall of their small apartment. Alex had waited until the last minute to get ready for the dinner, and as always, was running late.

“You seriously can be late to anything,” Chase called out. “You’re worse than my mom.”

Alex rolled his eyes as he untied the knot and started over again.

“Alright, I get it,” he said.

“No, you are the worst at leaving on time,” Chase yelled. “Were you late to the interview too? It wouldn’t surprise me if you were. How in the world you got hired is-“

“Thank you for the lecture, Chase,” Alex said as he finished retying his tie. He took a step back and pulled a black coat over his white shirt and black tie. He did a quick brush of his hair, and sighed.

“Good enough, yeah?”  he said to his reflection. Grinning, he turned away from the mirror, and walked out of his room.

Chase was leaning against the wall.

“Breathtaking,” he remarked.

“You’re hilarious,” Alex replied, moving past him.

“You’re sure you’re ready?” Chase asked sarcastically. “I wouldn’t want to rush you or anything.”

Alex rolled his eyes as he continued on to the door.

The pair hailed a cab and as the car pulled away from their apartment complex, Alex stared out the window, watching as the buildings flew by.

They were en route to his law firm’s annual Christmas charity gala. The event was billed as one of the biggest events of the year for the firm, where politicians, activists and corporate bigwigs got together to drink obscenely under the veiled disguise of charity.

Alex had only been with the firm for a few months and as such, he wasn’t sure how much he’d enjoy hobnobbing with people he hardly knew. Also, he wasn’t entirely sure that he was of the class level that most of the people at the gala would be from. The whole event had given him an unsettling feeling ever since he had woken up that morning.

“Think this place will have those little shrimps?” Chase asked, causing Alex to shake his head as he turned to his friend.

“Nah,” Alex replied. “I think rich people eat snails. That or fish eggs.”

“Fantastic,” Chase said, grinning. “You know, pretty soon I don’t think you’ll be able to hang with poor folk like me. You’re going to need to meet some new high-class friends.”

“That’d be something,” Alex said. “I’d have to learn polo or squash.”

“Start going by Alexander and wear thicker ties,” Chase continued.

Alex frowned and faked a shiver.

“Now that would be truly awful,” he said.

The two laughed as the cab continued on. When it eventually reached its destination, Alex paid the driver with badly folded and creased bills and they got out of the car. Before them, the giant ballroom was lit with hundreds of Christmas icicle lights and garland strewn across the barren branches of the trees lining the sidewalk leading to the glass doors of the center.

Alex couldn’t help but be taken aback by the sight.

“Bad sign,” he said to his friend as they approached the doors. When they entered, a man in a black tuxedo offered to take his coat. Alex politely declined and they continued on into the ballroom.

The room was filled already with nearly a hundred people, some of which Alex had only ever seen before on the nightly news.

“Isn’t that the new council woman from the seventh ward?” Chase asked Alex as they made their way to a table that had name plates instructing where everyone was seated.

“How would you even know that?” Alex asked.

“You’re always watching the news,” Chase replied, grinning. “Sometimes, I pay attention.”

Alex smirked.

“Liar,” he said.

“I said sometimes.”

Alex picked up his name card that read: Alex Starr and guest.

“Hey, that’s me,” Chase joked.

As the pair made their way across the room to their table, Alex was stopped by a shorter, balding man.

“Mr. Starr, pleasure to see you made it,” the man said.

“Good evening, Mr. Jacobson,” Alex replied, feeling his stomach tighten. “We caught some traffic. Crazy night out there with all that snow.”

“I can only imagine,” Jacobson replied, obviously not buying what Alex was selling. He turned his attention to Chase and forced a smile. “And you’re friend?”

Chase extended his hand to Jacobson and with every ounce of sincerity, he introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you, I’m guest,” Chase said.

Alex could’ve hit Chase where he stood, but instead, he nervously laughed and interceded.

“Mr. Jacobson, this is my roommate Chase Duncan,” Alex said.

Jacobson shook hands with Chase and forced another smile.

“Pleasure, I’m sure,” Jacobson said. “And you two are close?”

“Grew up together,” Alex replied. “Best friends since grade school, though I sometimes wonder why.”

Alex shot Chase a death glare as Jacobson gave a smug half-hearted laugh and turned to leave.

“You’d do well to start arriving to things in a more punctual manner, Mr. Starr,” Jacobson said, before departing.

“Yes, sir,” Alex replied. Chase broke into laughter and Alex felt an urge to strangle him.

“Really?” Alex asked his friend.

“Man you weren’t kidding about these guys,” Chase replied, ignoring Alex’s glare. “Real stick up the ass type.”

“You are literally the worst,” Alex said.

Chase shrugged and went off to get a beer from the open bar. Alex, himself, was forced to endure nearly an hour of mindless conversations with people he hardly knew. Several politicians made meaningless small talk with him, and after Alex felt he could hardly take it anymore, he excused himself and went outside of the ballroom to get some air.

As he passed through the double doors and back out onto sidewalk outside, he took a deep intake of cold air.

He ran a hand through his hair, and noticed how he was sweating.

“Perfect,” he muttered. “They probably think I’ve got some sort of problem now.”

Alex closed his eyes and tried to steel his nerves, but when he opened his eyes, all he felt was dizzy. A strong desire to smoke crept up on him, even though he had quit a few months before.

“Screw it,” he muttered. He noticed a corner pharmacy across the street and he decided to go buy a pack of ciggaretes, but as he made his way forward caught up in his own world, he didn’t notice the person who was walking perpendicular to himself and crashed into her.

“Watch it jerk!”

Alex rebounded quickly enough to steady himself and grab ahold of the woman who he nearly ran off the sidewalk.

He nearly turned red with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly.

The woman, unharmed, looked at him and was about to say something he was sure was nasty, but she stopped.

Alex noticed she was very pretty.

“You should watch where you’re going,” she said.

Sarah, whose black curly hair was covered by a knit hat, shook her head.

Alex smiled.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he said. “I guess I wasn’t really-“

“Paying attention, yeah I got that part already,” Sarah finished for him.

Alex laughed and he nodded.

“Kind of a long night,” he said.

Sarah looked him up and down, noticing the suit and the tie and rolled her eyes.

“Oh yeah, must be really terrible getting all dressed up and going to black tie events,” she said.

“Me?” Alex asked. “No, I’m coming from the circus.”

“The circus?”

“Yeah,” Alex replied, becoming serious. “You can’t tell? I’m one hell of a tightrope walker.”

Sarah laughed.

“Alex Starr,” he said, putting his hand out.

Sarah smiled, but only for a moment. She shook her head at him.

“Sarah,” she said.

“No last name? That must be awful,” he said.

“Brower,” she added with hesitation.

“Sarah Brower,” Alex repeated. “Well, it is certainly nice to meet you Sarah Brower.”

Sarah smirked and moved past him. Before she got even five steps away, Alex called out.

“Hey, would you maybe want to get a cup of coffee?” he asked.

“I don’t get coffee with strangers,” she replied, not turning around.

“What if I wasn’t a stranger?” Alex called out.

Sarah stopped and tried to fight a smile. She turned to face Alex, who had remained in the same spot as he was a second before.

“If you weren’t a stranger?” she asked.

“I’m not,” he said.

“You aren’t?”

“No, I’m Alex Starr,” he said. “Don’t you remember? Are you okay?”

Sarah laughed.

“Coffee?” she repeated.

“I’d love some,” Alex replied, grinning.

***

Sarah inched closer to the edge of the window. The orange glow was calling out to her. She wanted to see how it was all going to end.

As she reached the window, she set down her glass on a countertop and paused.

“Do you remember when we first met?” she asked, her eyes still focused on the orange glow.

Alex, who was seated at the table and staring at the red liquid in his half-empty glass, whispered, “Yes.”

“You asked me to get coffee with you,” she said.

Alex remained quiet.

“And I went,” she continued. She turned to face Alex. “Why didn’t you ask me out? You had already asked me to coffee. I went with you. We stayed there all night until Chase came and ripped you a new one. I even agreed to see you again. Why did you never ask for a date? Why didn’t you once ask for a date?”

Alex didn’t have an answer, so he remained quiet.

Sarah shook her head and she turned away.

“I should have told you no,” she said, looking back at the orange glow. “I should’ve never turned around.”

****