Shary's Writing Prompt Contest #2 - If only I knew (A Short Story)

Ned woke up the sound of cries from the under him. He was a deep sleeper and had slept for complete ten hours. He jumped down from the bunk bed only to see Dan huddled in his blanket, crying.

He sat on the bed beside Dan and asked what was wrong. Dan was a very emotional person. Perhaps, he had lost something valuable to him.

“If only I knew that would happen to me, man, if only I knew….” Dan muttered to himself. He then turned to Ned and tried to wipe his tears. “Why do good things not happen to good people, Ned? Why?” Dan asked amidst sobs. Ned watched his friend not knowing how to react.

“What happened man? Talk to me. Stop crying like a baby.” Ned admonished.

“Let me cry like a baby. Why shouldn’t I cry? You want to know what happened? Fine, I’ll tell you.” Dan announced as he swiped the tears off his cheek. His friend braced himself. He was eager to know what had happened.

“You know the club that opened across the street last night?” Dan asked as he began his tale. His friend nodded, eager to hear the tale. “You know I mentioned I was going to stay indoor, well I heard they were giving away free Steemit Beer... You know how much I love Steemit Beer but cannot afford to buy even a bottle. So I went to the club to have a few bottles and maybe bring a beauty home. It was there I met this girl called Shae. She challenged me to a drinking match. You know me, you know how I roll. I didn’t know that there was a certain limit the house was willing to pay for. Man, everyone was entitled to a maximum of 3 bottles. Shae and I consumed ten bottles each. Just as Shae turned to use the bathroom, the bar attendant asked if he should serve new rounds or serve our bill. I thought he was joking so I told him to serve more. Shae returned and we had five more bottles each. That was when she told me I was fun and all and she had to get moving. Mhen, she walked away without losing a step. She wasn’t intoxicated at all. As for me, I was gradually losing it. I was about to go use the restroom when the attendant produced my bill. A bottle was sold at 3 SBD.”

“Three SBD?” Ned shouted.

“Yes, three SBD. And we had consumed 30 bottles with only 6 bottles paid for by the house. Bill was almost eighty SBD. That’s twice my total monthly earnings. So I decided to play a fast one on them. I told the attendant I had to use the ATM. A few metres to the door, I saw Shae with another guy. I was mad.”

“What the…. you should have just walked out man!” Ned interjected.

“Yes, I should have just walked out, but would you? I walked up to her but she behaved as if she didn’t know me and told the guy she was with that I was harassing her. That was when I ran mad. I called her a slut and turned to…”

“A slut? Why? That was too far?”

“Well, I wasn’t thinking straight. Just I as turned to walk away, the guy dragged me back and gave me a punch in the face. I was enraged and threw a punch. Unfortunately, in my inebriated state, I missed my aim and hit an old woman. At the same time, the bar attendant had appeared with two security officers. These guys look like war. The old woman reported what happened and they were furious. They took me outside and massaged every joint and marrow in my body with their kicks and blows. Just then the proprietor of the club appeared.”

“Thank God! Hope he dealt with his boys.” Ned exclaimed, feeling relieved.

“Don’t thank God yet. When he came around, he noticed how I was being manhandled and apologised. He promised to make it up to me. He took me to his office upstairs and allowed me use the bathroom. After I had freshened off, he offered me a meal and a few bottles of Steemit Beer. Turns out this man is a megawhale on Steemit. For my pain, he decided to give me a gift. The best gift of my life.” At this point, Dan began to cry even harder. Ned was perplexed.

“What is it man? Talk to me.” He pleaded.

“He made a dolphin man. He delegated one hundred thousand steempower to me. One hundred thousand! Can you believe it!” he said amidst the increasing tears.

“Well, that's a good thing. Why are crying?”

“Because it was a dream. It was a fucking dream. If only I knew that would happen to me, I would have gone to that club, gotten myself drunk and endured the beating from the security guys. My only chance to become a dolphin and I’ve lost it.

“What? A dream?” Ned asked in disbelief. Dan nodded his head. “My God! So you're crying over a dream! A dream!” Ned exclaimed and walked out of the room as he began to laugh uncontrollable.

This is my entry for the Shary's Writing Prompt Contest by @sharoonyasir.

Thanks for reading

Blessings

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