Devon was making his way down Bellington St. It was Friday 5PM, the streets were unsurprisingly packed. For those young, and free of obligations, it was the place to be. Not to mention it was beautiful out. The sun was warming the hearts of everyone in the area.

Devon on the other hand, was far from thrilled about being here, at this time, surrounded by all these hopeful people. He was brought here by unforeseen circumstances. He might have just left the area immediately, but he was already here, far from home, tired, hurt (he thought his nose might be broken), and for god sake’s he could use a drink.

Devin was about 5 and a half feet tall, with awkward forward leaning posture, and messy shoulder length dark hair.

He decided he would seek out an establishment that would meet his needs. He had countless places to choose from. But he preferred somewhere not too busy. He wanted to drain his sorrows, not have them interrupted by positivity.

He would walk down the sidewalk, look through a pub window, see it packed with people, and continue walking.

It was a struggle but eventually, hey this place looks pretty quiet. Not going to find anything better than this. The sign on the door said “The Green Flamingo”.

He went through the big glass door to find no hostess. Okay great. I will sit wherever I like. Devin looked to the left to a row of empty booth’s, and took the one in the far corner.

He was sitting there a couple of minutes. Okay. Service? Can I get some service please…..

Devin looked around. He could see the waitress on the other side of the room. She was just standing there, with her eye’s glued to her phone, without a care in the world.

Regardless, Devin appreciated how cool the air was, he was sweating his ass of outside. Even without a drink he instantly felt more relaxed, and the sting on his face was eased. And the place just looked nice. It had freshly painted black walls, and modern looking furniture like it had recently been renovated. Then why is it so dead in here? It was just Devin, an older couple across the room, and a young couple sitting at the bar. How could this place be so dead?

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Devin heard suddenly. Someone was ringing a bell obnoxiously. Devin looked over at the bar. The bartender stopped ringing, and was now giving the phone occupied waitress the death stare. He pointed towards Devin while still glaring at the waitress, clearly pointing out Devin was sitting there un-served while she was staring at her phone. She took the less than suddle hint and starting walking towards Devin.

“Hi. Welcome to the Green Flamingo. What can I get you?” The waitress said. Rather carelessly for an employee who had just been openly reprimanded for carelessness.

“What kind of beer do you have?” Devin asked.

The waitress leaned down and pointed to the section of the menu that listed the available beers.

“Okay. I will get the Kodac please.” Devin said.

The waitress nodded her head and walked away.

What’s her problem? You would think someone who was just ridiculed openly like that would make an over correction and be overly polite. Perhaps she was genuinely embarrassed by her mishap, and her aloofness was just her natural reaction? Or she just doesn’t care. Who knows. Devin didn’t trouble himself over it.

His beer was brought as quickly as could have hoped, therefore he was satisfied.

He sat and stared at his beer. Well, I guess this is what I wanted. Without another thought, he grabbed it and chugged down half the glass. He meant to chug it all down, but he lacked some skill in this regard. The aftertaste of alcohol in his nose, his watery eye’s, he didn’t enjoy this part of the process. But he needed a proper buzz, he longed for it after a day like this. He gave himself a few seconds, and then he chugged down the rest.. Ah, the feeling of drinking on an empty stomach, he could feel the effects instantly.

Where do some people get off? Like seriously. I swear this entire planet is just predators and sheep. There is no middle ground. Is there anybody else that is actually kind and empathetic just for the sake of it? I was trying to do the right thing. What clearly was the right thing. And what do I get in return? Shit. A broken nose, and potentially legal trouble in the future. Sure, my plan could have been better. I didn’t have a plan. I took action. That’s how things should work. You see an injustice, you take action. And now i am the bad guy. All those people looking at me like I am some kind of monster. Calling the police, telling them I am the problem. Was I the one who was mistreating my dog? No. I am the one who took action against abuse. But just because their the one with the BMW, and I am the one who doesn’t look “professional”, or speaks like it, automatically I am the bad guy. Not a single one of those people cared for a second to hear my side of the story. I swear the only thing that matters on this earth is what’s on the surface. Nobody cares enough to look any further. Everyone just put’s on a mask, everyone is pretending to be somebody their not. I refuse to do that. I am a decent person, even if nobody is willing to look far enough to see it. I refuse to play their game. But sometimes I wonder if I should play their game at all. Would nothing be better than suffering in a world run by monsters? Would anybody care if I just disappeared? Would anybody remember me for being a decent person? Is it suffering worth it?

With all of this, Devin’s eye’s got watery, he was on the verge of crying, but being in a public place, he was trying to restrain himself.

The waitress was coming back over.

“Would you like another.” the waitress asked.

“Yes.” Devin answered while nodding his head.

“How is your night going?” Devin asked with the reflective sadness in his voice. Made sure to look right into her face, so she could see his eyes, they were still watery like he was about to cry. He wanted her to see this.

“Fine.” She answered his question. Then turned around and walked away.

Devin sat there and chugged down his second beer, waited a few minutes, and ordered his third.

“Waaaaahhhhh”

all of the now 8 people inside the green flamingo looked over at the bar. There was a girl sitting alone positively sobbing. Just letting it all out for everyone to hear. She sounded like she just had the tragedy of her life. It was difficult to listen to.

The bartender rushed over.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He asked her like any concerned person would.

She answered him. But not in English. She was of eastern Asian descent, in her early twenties.

She ranted and raved for a good 2 minutes with tears changing the note of her voice, and the expression like she was telling a story. The bartender looked into her face, and nodded empathically like he could understand every word, except he could not, he didn’t even know what language she was speaking.

She stopped speaking, looked at the bartender like perhaps she was waiting for him to speak, he said nothing, just looked back at her with a caring expression.

The bartender paced back and forth for a few moments. His eye’s then lit up. He set his cellphone on the counter directly in front of her, pointed to it, then to her.

She nodded her head side to side to decline. She pointed her finger at herself, and gave the bartender a thumbs up to express she was okay.

She then proceeded to start sobbing again, much quieter this time, but expressing just as much pain.

The bartender handed her a box of tissue, she accepted graciously and used them.

Her sobs got quieter, and quieter until they went away.

Meanwhile Devin was almost finished with his third beer, and his fourth had already arrived.

Devin looked over near the entrance. That same waitress who had been serving Devin was talking to some guy.

They were laughing about something together. Devin had a good view of the man. He radiated confidence. He was tall, good looking, well dressed., fancy watch,perfect smile. He was wearing a white button down shirt, black dress pants, and dress shoes.

This man and the waitress were having a very interactive conversation. One of them would be talking, and then they would laugh, then the other would talk, and they would laugh again. This went on and on for a few minutes. Eventually, the man started flapping his arms like a chicken and spinning in a circle while saying something repeatedly. Must have been apart of some inside joke they had, because the waitress found it hysterical. She absolutely lost it with. She was using the hostess table to hold herself up, otherwise she would have toppled to the floor. Like she had never seen anything so funny in her entire life.

Why would you be so friendly to somebody you don’t know? Do you decide your going to be friends just be looking at each other. “Hey I like the way you look, want to laugh together so loud the entire bar can hear us?” Are some people just best friends with everyone they like the look of. Is your personality open ended? Open to twisting in any direction to connect with anybody for your own benefit? Some people are shameless. And now your sitting beside the Chinese girl. Good luck with that.

The tall good looking man was indeed sitting with the eastern Asian girl. He ordered a water. And they both nodded to acknowledge each other. The girl was done crying, but she still had the box of tissue in front of her, and the eyes of someone that had just been crying for the better part of 20 minutes.

Devin looked over again.

Are they talking? Yes they are definitely talking. How could that be? Does the Chinese girl speak English? Why didn’t she speak in English when she was talking to the bartender?

Devin got up. And walked close enough to hear what they were saying.

They are speaking Chinese. Seriously? This guy speaks Chinese? Of course he does. Whatever it takes to impress people. What other reason would a white guy in America learn Chinese. What a fraud.

After chatting for a few minutes, the eastern Asian girl got up to her feet, stood there looking at the tall good looking man, he said something to her, and she nodded her head in agreement and went out the door.

Devin finished his fourth beer.

Devin continued observing the tall good looking man. After the young crying girl had left, the man was navigating all throughout the pub. It didn’t take long for Devin to overhear that the man’s name was, Peter.

Peter was talking to an older gentleman, they were having a good laugh together, then with a young lady, then with an younger man, and another person, then another, hahaha, just laughing away, soaking up the all of the positive energy in the room.

“Hey did you meet peter?” “Yes. That guy is so funny!” “Peter!” “Peter!” “Hey peter. Come here!”

“Peter. Let me show you this picture you’ll love this!” “Peter, stop it! Your a wild man.” “Peter. What kind of watch is that?” “Peter.” “Peter.” “Peter.” “PETER!”

Well… That’s enough bullshit for one night. Watching any more of this is going to make me sick. Most people probably admire a guy like that. They sit in their tiny little seats and think, “Oh my, if only I could get that much attention. I am special too! Notice me!” It’s pathetic. And someone like Peter is their king. The King of bullshit. A guy like that deserves to be put on trial. On trial for all of the nonsense he spews. His words literally mean nothing. He probably forgets 90% of the stuff he says to people. Not me though. I remember everything single thing I say. Even going back to when I was a little kid. Because words actually matter. You don’t just…..

“AHHHH” Devin heard a shriek of pain.

“Come on. Just a little bit further.” Devin could hear, he looked over near the entrance.

A man, and a little girl who had just entered were responsible for the noise.

They were struggling together to walk, the little girl was holding the man by the side desperately trying to keep him upright.. They were moving along slowly, step by step.

The man had a two prosthetic legs exposed from his shorts, and one prosthetic arm.

The handicapped man’s momentum starting carrying to the right, the little girl tried to change his direction with all her might, but the weight of the man just carried her along, the man toppled face first into the bar side chairs, taking the little girl along for the ride.

Mixed in the stew pot of mess was four toppled over chairs, beer and chicken wings, and three people lying on the floor. The little girl, the handicapped man, and another man who had been seated at the bar. He had shoulder length hair, a patchy beard, bloodshot eyes.

The little girl rose right up to her feet. She couldn’t have been any older than 11. She had light brown hair. Her face was beat red , she was nearly out of breath, but she had the stern look on her face of a hardened old man.

The man who had been seated was cuddled on top of the handicapped man, their bodies making a T shape. He grunted, and unceremoniously used the handicapped mans waist to push himself off of the ground and to his feet.

“Don’t worry I’m fine.” The grubby looking man said to the little girl.

The little girl glared at him with a fierce face.

“Okay.” The man said awkwardly, chuckled. Reached around in his pockets. Smiled and walked away covered in a mess of chicken wings and beer.

The handicapped man was lying on his back among the mess.

The little girl crouched down beside him.

“Ah Christ” the man said. And started laughing hysterically.

This instantly wiped the concern of off the girl’s face. She smiled with relief.

She could hear some some chatter behind her. She turned her head. There were six concerned faces hurdled together watching her.

“Are you guy’s okay?” One of them said.

“Call the coroner.” The handicapped man yelled out from the floor.

“Yes. Thank you. Were okay. My dad just lost his balance. He just need’s a minute to rest.” She said.

“Do you need some help?”

“No thanks. we will manage.” The little girl said. Smiled at them.

They seemed reluctant, but the concerned bystanders slowly backed away.

“Come on dad, we should get you up now and to a table.” She said to her father.

“What for Sam? You should just leave me here. At least you wouldn’t have to ever worry about moving me again. I can conduct all of my future endeavours from this exact spot.” The handicapped man said.

“Come on. No more jokes. Can I please get you up?” She asked him.

He nodded in agreement. Stuck his two mismatched hands towards the ceiling for his daughter to grab.

Sam stood over him and took her fathers hands. With all of the little weight she had, she leaned backwards, trying to pull her father up to his prosthetic legs.

She tugged, and tugged with all her might, grunting, and red in the face, she had her father about halfway up, but he wouldn’t get any further. She continued like this for about 30 seconds, until she had nothing left, she gently set her father back on the floor.

“Come on Sam. Your going to hurt yourself. We need to ask somebody for help.” He said to her.

“Hey you grab one hand and I will grab the other, and we can pull him up together, okay?” Peter said.

Sam did just as Peter suggested, and they were able to easily lift him to his feet, and with Sam, and Peter both under a arm, they were able to walk him to an empty table, and sit him down. Peter then sat with the father and daughter, and they engaged in a conversation.

“He got up so we could take a picture, and somebody stole his wheelchair, can you believe that? Who steals a wheelchair? His prosthetic legs don’t work nearly as well anymore, if we have to go long distances he needs his wheelchair.” Sam said to Peter in the midst of their conversation.

“Unbelievable.” Peter said. “Some people in this day and age truly amaze me. I thank you for your service sir. If there’s ever anything I can do for you let me know.” Peter said to the handicapped man.

Devin had been entertained by watching all of this unfold, he had planned to leave over 10 minutes ago but instead ordered his fifth beer, and had just finished it.

He watched Peter help the handicapped man up from his seat and to the bathroom, while Sam stayed in her seat.

I swear this ass hole is so darn fake. I just cant fathom, cant possibly fathom how this guy can look himself in the mirror. How much attention can one person possibly need? Do you need to be friends with every single person in the bar? Are you worried you won’t have their approval? Does everyone need to like you? I just cant understand how all of these people fall for it. It’s so obvious. A interchangeable man addicted to approval. And yet I’m the one that people look down on. This world is such fucking bullshit. I don’t give a fuck if I am the outlier, why should I change to blend with everyone else? That’s the problem. Everyone else is willing to cut out their core to blend in, so something that is wrong is normalized, because everyone else is just willing to bend to it. To look cool, and have approval. So fucking stupid.

Devin watched Peter help the handicapped man back to their table. Peter then seemed to make a farewell, threw something in the trash, then exited through the front door.

Well, I can’t say coming here and getting drunk, has made me feel any better. I have had enough, I should leave, it’s only getting busier in here.

Devin proceeded to get out of his seat and head for the door. He stopped to throw out the bloody napkin he had been using to nurse his battered nose.

After he had tossed out his napkin, he continued standing over the trash can. He was looking inside.

Is that? A wallet?

He took a better look. Yes that’s definitely a wallet.

He slowly reached his arm into the trash can.

Stops. Is there anyone watching? He looked around. Okay good. Nobody seems to notice.

Reaches his arm the rest of the way down. Feels around with his hand. Okay, that’s something slimy. Gross. Feels around a little more.

Okay that feels like a wallet. He grasps the wallet with his slimy hand, slowly and as suddle as possible, pulls the wallet out of the trash, and DAMN IT.

It slips out of his slimy hand and somehow goes 10 feet across the room, and under a table of 6 people.

Okay, people are definitely looking at me now, just look forward, and act normal.

He walks over to the table, tries to muster a smile, the people at the table don’t smile back, just eye him suspiciously. He leans down and picks the wallet back up, holds it against his body so he doesn’t drop it again, and heads to the washroom.

There was two men young men looking themselves over in the mirror. Devin walked past them and into the middle stall.

“Hey, I’m thinking about getting a cat, would you ever get a cat?” One of the young men said.

“No! What would I want a cat for? Do I look like an old lady to you? Are you lonely? Don’t you have a TV? Get a stuffed animal if you need something fluffy to lean against, it serves the exact same purpose and you don’t have to clean up any shit.” The other young man responded.

Devin sat on the stall, staring at his red slimy hand holding the unopened wallet. His mind felt blank for the moment.

What the hell am I doing? Why didn’t I just leave the wallet where it was or immediately bring it to one of the employees? What if I was ignorant to the circumstances, and I was watching myself right now. Devin, that’s not your wallet. Why are you sitting on a public toilet staring at a wallet that’s not yours? What kind of nonsense have you involved yourself with Devin? What bad decisions led you to this point?

Well, I am already this far, might as well open it and see what’s inside.

There was an I.D.

Jeffrey Robinson.

Devin looked closely at the picture. Where do I know that guy from?

That’s the injured guy….

Why would his wallet be in the trash? Could it have gotten thrown out on accident? That would be a hell of a mistake to make. Probably not likely.

So what does he have in here…..

ID, membership cards, credit cards, no cash. Hmmm…. Does he not have any cash because some people don’t carry cash anymore, or because somebody already stole it?

I think it’s possible his wallet was in the trash on accident, who knows, mistakes happen. It’s also possible that he doesn’t have any cash because, he simply doesn’t carry any. But for both thing’s to be true… It doesn’t seem likely. Foul play? Most likely.

Devin could hear a very loud group of at least 3 people laughing loudly in the bathroom. It made him uncomfortable, like having people close by was shining a light on the fact he was looking through a wallet that wasn’t his.

He was far too preoccupied by thought to comprehend what they were saying, he was just hoping they would go away.

God damn it, whether it’s stolen or not, now I have it, what am I supposed to do?

Could I just leave it somewhere? I could set it right on this toilet seat and leave like this never happened. But…. What if some lucky jerk ends up with it, and drains all the guy’s credit cards? Or even worse, steals his identity. Can’t do that. I also can’t imagine the pain in the ass it must be for a guy like that to replace everything in his wallet. Besides, think of what a good guy I would be to return it. I could use the guys credit cards before he cancels them, but I wouldn’t do that. Think of how happy Jeffrey would be to see there’s good people like me willing to do the right thing. What if he even gives me a reward?

So how do I proceed? Should I just be completely upfront and honest? I haven’t done anything wrong. “Hey sir, I found your wallet in the trash on my way out the door, I took it into the washroom and looked through it for 15 minutes, and now I am returning it. Good day.”….

Okay, I don’t need that honest.

So what should I say then?

“hey I think this is your wallet, I found it in the…. bathroom!” Yes. That ‘s perfect. It explains why I left the bathroom with it, and plus there’s a good chance that’s where somebody stole it from him anyway, and they probably took the cash and tossed the wallet it in the trash on the way out.

But what if somebody noticed me take it out of the trash and…. I also dropped it under that table. All those people would have saw. Would they think it was my wallet? Or would they have somehow noticed I took it out of the trash? And then I go to the washroom for 20 minutes, and then “oh I found your wallet”. It makes me look very suspicious if somebody was being observant.

Well damn. I don’t have a better plan. Alright, I still haven’t done anything wrong. There’s no need to over explain. “Hey sir, I found your wallet in the bathroom…..” And somehow none of the countless people that used the washroom before me didn’t find it. Just me. The guy that has been sitting in here for 25 minutes….. God damn it.

The longer I wait in here the worse it make me look. If I wait too long, the guy might leave be gone by the time I come out.

Don’t think, just do. Don’t think, just do it. I don’t have a choice. Here we go.

Devin stormed off of the toilet seat, bolted out of the bathroom door, and headed straight to the table where the injured man and his daughter had been seated.

He came to a stop. Looked back and forth. Where are they? Another group was in their seats.

Devin looked around some more. Could they have moved to another table?

Devin was circling about looking for them, even more difficult with his drunkenness fogging his vision, and coordination.

He backed into someone.

“Oh sorry about that sir.” The man said to Devin politely

Devin eyed him briefly. He was wearing the black shirt of the servers. Devin didn’t offer his own apology, or accept the one given by the server, he continued looking about the room frantically.

“Are you looking for somebody or something?” The server said to Devin.

“Huh?” Devin said. He looked around and finally found the servers face.

“Yes the injured guy, and his daughter. Where are they?” Devin said.

“ I think they just left. Are they friends of yours?” The server said.

“No, uh, I mean yes. Thanks.” Devin said frantically.

“Sure thing.” The server said.

Devin B lined right out of the green flamingo. He was standing on the sidewalk, looking it over back and forth. Where are they? Surely they couldn’t have walked very far. They must have gotten into a car. For god sake’s! I must have just missed them……

Out of the corner of his eye…. A taxi. Just pulled onto the street just 15 feet away.

“Hey!” Devin yelled like a maniac

“Heeeyyyy”

“Stop!”

He ran like his life depended on it. The traffic seemed congested when he took off but somehow the taxi seemed to glide through it. Devin saw the taxi turn right, by the time Devin took the same turn, there were multiple taxis in sight.

“It was that one. I remember the license plate starting with B.”

He ran and ran. Left turn, right turn, then left again. Finally it was stopped at a light long enough for him to catch up.

Devin looked through the window, it was tinted black, but it had to be the right one.

The light turned green, he had to get their attention before they took off again.

He smashed his fist on the back window repeatedly with the force of someone who had zero concern about breaking it.

“Wallet. Wallet. I have your wallet.” He said over and over. Continued smashing the window even as the taxi started rolling away.

The car suddenly stopped.

Devin smiled with his whole face. Flashed the wallet in front of the window for the person inside to see.

The window finally rolled down.

Devin’s smile faded away.

There’s was a perfect white haired old lady looking at him with a warm expression.

Before Devin could think to speak a single word, the old ladies expression changed, to furious rage.

She snarled her teeth, and her face wrinkled into the face of a monster.

“SCUM!” she screamed out, and threw a book that hit Devin square in the face, and the car sped away.

Devin’s already battered face seared with pain that even the alcohol failed to numb. He looked down at the book, picked it up, it was the bible. He dropped it back down.

He looked around. It was somehow completely dark all of sudden. He had no clue where he was, and no clue how to get back to the green flamingo. He felt his back pocket, he still had Jeffrey’s wallet. He had to get back to the green flamingo, surely Jeffrey would come back eventually and ask about it. It was the only thing left to do

He started walking back the best he could remember. He turned left then right, then left again. Wait? Wasn’t I supposed to turn right back there. I don’t remember this street…

He hopped in a taxi. He had to. He would have walk around in circles all night otherwise.

“take me to the green flamingo please” Devin said to the cab driver.

“Okay. Hehe.” The cab driver said. Chuckled.

They took a left turn, and drove through one set of lights.

The car stopped . “The green flamingo” The cab driver declared. They had arrived.

“Five dollars.” The cab driver declared.

Devin pulled his wallet out of his back left pocket. Seriously? He found not a single bill left. He knew his credit cards were already maxed out.

Could I? Well, it’s the cost of returning the wallet. I’m sure Jeffrey would understand.

“It will be on credit.” Devin said.

He was handed the machine and he used Jeffrey’s credit card.

“Hey I think the green flamingo is closed.” The cab driver said.

“Closed? No way. It’s only midnight. It’s Friday.” Devin said.

Devin got out of the cab, waited for a break in traffic and crossed the street.

He tugged on the big glass door. It wouldn’t nudge. No way. He tried the other handle. What the hell is going on?

There was a notice on the door.

“Closed early for maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Devin let out a nervous laugh.

What am I supposed to do now? Leave the wallet here at the door?

He chucked the wallet onto the concrete, and stomped on it like a maniac.

People walking by looked at Devin with caution. Some of them even moved onto the street to avoid getting too close.

Devin collapsed down, sat against the locked door, and stared off into the distance. His mind felt blank. Like he didn’t have the energy to muster another thought. The sidewalk was flooded with people. Devin watched their faces as they passed by.

There was one particular face across the street, and his eyes continued following it. He recognized it.

It was Peter. Scooting down the street with his trademark smile. Peter stopped, looked at the sign on a door, and walk inside a pub.

Devin got right up,grabbed Jeffrey’s wallet, crossed the street recklessly, and went through the same door.

“Can I get you anything?” The waiter asked Devin.

“Whisky please.” Devin said.

Devin was sitting at a table in the corner, where he had a view of the entire bar.

He looked around.

Whereabouts are you Mr. Peter? Where are you lurking? Maybe you have already introduced yourself to the entire bar and have moved onto the next one. Probably not though, I would have seen him leave. Perhaps he is conducting a performance in the washroom. That’s okay. I will wait.

And so Devin sat at his table and drank his whisky. Looking all about for peter to appear. The place was fairly busy, people were spread all around. There was only one person sitting at the bar though. A girl.

Devin was looking her way. For one reason or another he was curious about her. He could only see about 20% of her face but clearly she was cute. She had mid length blonde hair, a black t-shirt, jeans, and she she had a skateboard beside her feet. Devin wished to know more about her. He even temporarily put off his optical search of for peter to stare at her.

Devin downed his whisky like a seasoned veteran.

“Can I get you anything else?”

“Another Whisky please.” Devin said.

His whisky arrived before he could blink, and he downed it quicker than the last.

His head was spinning a little bit. A song came on. He liked it. Really liked it actually. He wasn’t sure he had ever heard it before. He was tapping his fingers, shaking his head.

This is fun. I am glad I came here. But wait. I didn’t come here for fun. Peter. That asshole. That lying, manipulative, open ended personality bastard. I came here for justice. And that’s what I am going to do. Has he shown his face yet? No. Okay. I will continue waiting. At least I am enjoying myself in the meantime.

Devin noticed a shadow coming from around the corner. And then he appeared, right on que. Peter. He didn’t have his usual smile. He had a struggle on his face. This was slightly disappointing for Devin. He had fantasized of the exact moment he could wipe away that stupid smile. He hadn’t decided exactly how he would accomplish this, but he had the stolen wallet in his pocket, and he would figure it mid confrontation.

Peter sat next to the blonde girl Devin had been eyeing.

Devin should have easily been in earshot, but he couldn’t hear a single word. It was clear from body language they were involved in an intense conversation. But they were speaking quietly.

Devin, being heavily lubricated, got right up, and took a seat two chairs down from Peter.

Both Peter, and the lady looked over at Devin, and subsequently paused their conversation.

Peter scoffed, and nodded his head side to side, then proceeded to stare forward with a partial smile on his face. The lady seemed more jumpy, like she had more to say. She kept on looking back and forth, looking at Devin multiple times. Eventually analyzing Devin for a few seconds, then looked back to Peter and said:

“I just don’t understand it. No matter how many times you try and justify it, I still don’t get it.”

“What don’t you understand about it?” Peter answered immediately. Looking forward the entire time.

“Well….” She considered her words.

“You say you need time for yourself, and I can understand that, I guess. But, that’s not really what you are doing. Right? I didn’t run into you taking a quiet walk, or sitting alone at a movie. I find you all dressed up, surrounded by people, and making conversations with multiple people within the span of 10 minutes. And you lie about it. You lied about where you were going to be tonight, and you lie to my face right now about why you are here. So why are you here? Because clearly you don’t want to be alone. That’s clearly bullshit. I’m amazed you would think i would actually buy that. Could I not have been here with you tonight? What difference would that have made?” She asked him. You could hear a little fire in her voice now. The volume was increasing the more she spoke.

Peter chose to not answer any of the provided questions. Continued looking forward.

“Answer me.” She yelled.

“What does it matter Dacy? Sometimes people just need to get away. There’s nothing unusual about that. And if I didn’t lie about it, I would have been interrogated about something you clearly don’t understand. People lie all the time. It’s normal.” peter said. Finally turning his head to speak directly to her.

“It’s not normal.” She snapped back.

“yes it is.” Peter said. “You wouldn’t know what’s normal for men.”

There was a silence. Peter proceeded to look forward. And Dacy continued pacing her eyes back and forth all over the room eventually finding Devin again.

“Hey there. Excuse me. Yes you.” Dacy said to Devin.

“Hi there.” Devin said and waved to her. “What can I help you with?” Devin said smiling reassuringly.

“If I were to ask you a question, would you mind giving me your honest,unbiased opinion?” Dacy asked Devin.

“Absolutely.” Devin answered, still smiling.

“If you were in a relationship, and your partner said they were going to be working a specific night, and you end running into them, that same night, dressed up at a bar, would you consider that reasonable behaviour?” Dacy asked him genuinely.

Peter laughed out loud. “Let this master of reason sort this out for us why don’t you.” Peter said. Still looking forward.

Screech. Devin slid back his chair and stood up.

“You really want to know what I think?” Devin asked. Looking at Dacy with dramatic eyes nearly popping out of head. While holding his drink in his hand.

Both Peter and Dacy were looking at Devin with their mouths hanging open.

“Of this scoundrel.” Devin added. Raised his voice.

Dacy looked back and forth between Devin and Peter.

“Wait. Do you guy’s know each other?” Dacy asked to both peter and Devin.

Peter, seeming to find this new bizarre interaction amusing, chuckled. “I have never seen this guy before in my entire life.” Peter said. “Look what you started Dacy. Nice job.”

“Oh yes we know each other.” Devin said with anger.

“All too well unfortunately. To answer your previous question, do I consider that reasonable behaviour? The answer is no. That is not reasonable behaviour. Not even close. That is, reasonable behaviour for a reasonable person anyway. But for this guy? I am not the least bit suprised. Trust me this man is capable of far worse. I have only been in his presence for one night, and I have already seen it first hand. He parades around like a circus puppy, performing for anybody that will give him an ounce of attention. He may present to just be a genuine person, looking for a genuine connection, but that is just apart of his act. And people fall for it, because Peter is a professional. I am sure he has been performing for a long time. He probably performs for you. And has been the entire time you have known each other. People like Peter are so hungry for reassurance, that they become nobody. They will bend in any direction for you to accept them. They have no solid ground to stand on, so they are willing to stand anywhere, and do anything as long as it benefits them. Just tonight. Peter charmed a crippled man, and a little girl with his nonsense, and then stole from them!” Devin raised his voice.

“I can’t imagine what else he has done. I can only imagine. “Murder,infidelity, arson, cruelty to animals, kidnapping, extortion, sexual assault, human trafficking…..”

“Hey buddy” Someone interrupted Devin from behind. Tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

Devin turned around to the man standing before him. Devin looked up at him. He was big and tall. Had a full beard, was wearing jeans and a band T-shirt. He was standing with a little girl.

“Hey there. So sorry to interrupt.” The man said to Devin. “This might sound kind of funny but….” The man considered his words. “Okay. Let me tell you a story. I drove down here to Bellington St. To pick up my brother and my niece. After reaching them, my brother told me he had just realized he was missing his wallet. So logically we traced back his steps back to the bar him and my niece had spent about half an hour in. Unfortunately at this point, they had already closed. Okay bummer. But, by some amount of luck. A bartender who had still been inside, walked out of the green flamingo just as we were outside. So of course, we told him are situation, and there wasn’t much he could do, especially after close. No wallets had been returned. But he did have an interesting memory from earlier. He witnessed a young man that seemed to have taken a wallet out of the trash. He said the young man was acting strangely, and his behaviour in general just struck him as odd. This alone wasn’t very helpful, or gave us any reason to believe this was connected to my brothers missing his wallet especially considering the green flamingo doesn’t have security cameras. But nonetheless he described the appearance of the young man to us, and my niece here, remembered seeing him. We were actually just driving away, when my nice here said “Hey that’s him right there who the bartender was talking about.” And she was talking about you. She saw you through the window. Like I said I’m sorry to bug you. But that is why I am talking to you. I’m not accusing you of anything of course. For all I know the bartender described the wrong person. I honestly feel like a jerk for even asking, but by any chance did you happen to find a wallet in the green flamingo, and forget to return it, or maybe you did return it or anything that could help me. And i am Chris by the way.” The man said.

“Well as a matter of fact I can help. I can help by pointing you in the right direction. To that man right there.” Devin pointed to peter who with Dacy had been closely listening in.

Chris glanced quickly at peter, and then back at Devin. Looking understandably perplexed, he was waiting for Devin to continue speaking, but Devin did not.

“Okay?” Chris finally said. Chuckled. “uhh would you mind elaborating on that. What does that guy have to do with it?” he said.

“Well he’s the man you are looking for.” Devin said cryptically.

“What man?” Chris fired back. Started to get frustrated. “Can you please stop messing around and just say what you mean.”

“Well it’s pretty simple. That man.” Devin pointed to peter again. “Is the man your looking for. He’s the one who stole your brothers wallet. I know this, because I saw him do it. He took it right out of your brothers back pocket on the way to the bathroom. He did it stealthily of course, but luckily a keen eye, myself was paying close attention and caught him in the act.”

“For Christ sakes.” Chris said under his breath. Scratched his head and nodded in frustration. He brought his head up to look at Peter.

“Is any of that true?” Chris asked Peter with a tone like he couldn’t believe he was even asking.

“please don’t trouble yourself with anything that guy says This guy was accusing me of arson and cruelty to animals and a bunch of other nonsense.” peter said. Then circling his finger around his temple to indicate Devin was crazy.

Chris was looking at the ceiling flabbergasted when The little girl, Sam, poked him to get his attention.

“That is peter. Me and dad met peter. He was nice. He wouldn’t do that. And dad always keeps his wallet in his front pocket. Always.” Sam tried to speak quietly, but it was loud enough for all involved to overhear.

“Yes he would!” Devin yelled out. Losing his quiet cryptic composure.

“Fine. I can prove it. Before peter left the green flamingo, he dropped it the trash. And I did find the wallet in the same trash can. Just like you said.”

“So you did find a wallet then?” Chris said.

“Yes.” Devin said.

“Can i see it please?” Chris said. Laughed like he shouldn’t even have to ask.

Devin handed the wallet to Chris nervously. His hand shaking to take it out of his pocket.

Chris looked through it.

“Does your dad usually have no money in here?” Chris asked Sam.

“No. He had at least 200 dollars in there.” Sam said.

“Okay. I am calling the cops.” Chris said. Took out his phone.

“good.” Devin said. “Hey everyone.” Devin spoke loud enough so the entire bar could hear.

“That man. His name is Peter. He stole someones wallet. We need to make sure he doesn’t leave. The cops are on the way.”

Chris chuckled at this.

“Thank for that.” Chris said.

“Well.” Devin stretched out his arms. “I think I have done enough justice for one night. I have places to be.” He said.

“I think you better stay actually. At least until the cops get here. Your are one eye witness to the crime. We will need you.” Chris said. Standing firmly in front of Devin. Not exactly trying to hide his sarcasm in his tone.

Devin even in his drunken fog, understanding the situation, looked all around the room to plan his next move. Should he quickly flee before anyone can touch him? He noticed a bit of a crowd of people had formed around who had been watching the scene. They all had the same look in their eye, Devin thought. The look of powerless zombies, under the spell of someone like peter. He was fighting a losing battle.

With this thought in mind, he subsequently vomited a vast amount on the floor, and losing his balance slipped and fell onto the pool of puke. The police shortly arrived, and Devin, covered in vomit, was taken away.