First off, this is not one for the BTW crowd. Secondly, the second and final part is already written and edited. I will be submitting it as soon as this one is published, so you are wasting your time telling me what to happen in it. There also is minimal sex in this part of the story. If you already haven't jumped to the end of the story to do your "1 star" comment and make a chicken-like sound, I hope you enjoy this story, which had some very fun characters to write. As with all my stories, I'm not trying to judge or give a moral lesson of what should happen, but rather what happens in the situation I've created for these specific characters. And last and definitely not least, I have to give a huge thanks for rnebular for editing and giving suggestions to the complete story, before I decided to chop it into two. Those who take their time to edit others stories for this site do not get enough credit as they deserve for greatly improving people's reading pleasure.
-HP
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Jim Kerson was caught off guard as a haggard-looking man, with long greying hair and a bushy beard, came into his office. The man was wearing dirty sweats with a few tears, a Harley Davidson t-shirt with numerous faded tattoos covering most of his visible skin - even his neck. Not the normal client he would see as senior loan manager of the bank branch where he'd worked for the past twelve years. The man reeked of cigarettes and body odor, which gave Jim the impression that he might be homeless.
Jim was reaching for his phone to call security, when suddenly the man's face looked strangely familiar. "Rory is that you?"
The man smiled and nodded. "Hey, Jimmy. It's been quite a while. You're looking really good. Not a day over thirty."
Jim wished he could say the same. He'd known Rory Dell since middle-school. They were in the same grade and played on many sports teams over the years. Jim was the short speedy guy, while Rory was the tall, tough as nails guy. Rory was also quite popular with the ladies in high school, who were certain he would go professional in either football or hockey. That changed in grade twelve when a knee injury Rory suffered skiing ended any hope of professional sports. Rory instead turned to his other two loves, fixing cars and drinking.
Jim remain friends with Rory after high school - even naming him one of his groomsmen when he married Tricia Lukas nineteen years ago - but they drifted apart after that. Rory was too into partying and Jim realized as a married man about to start a career after college, that he needed to become more responsible. It had to have been seventeen years since Jim last had any contact at all with Rory, but he heard rumors.
"Wow, Rory. It's been forever," Jim said shaking his old friend's hand, "Been what, over fifteen years?"
"Seventeen and ten months, but who's counting," Rory said and smiled showing yellow teeth that needed some dental work.
"Shit, ya it's been that long. So, how've you been?" Jim asked.
"To be blunt, my life went right into the fucking toilet," Rory said with a shrug, "Remember all the crazy drinking and the pot? Of course, you fucking bailed on me shortly after I was experimenting with the occasional blow, acid or whatever the fuck else I could get hold of."
The bearded man must have read something in Jim's face because he smiled and shook his head, "No, don't feel bad. You were right to avoid me. Let's say the experimenting turned into a mean habit. I lost my job, my girlfriend, and nearly killed myself so I got off the hard drugs. However, the drinking was something else. Not sure if you heard about my legal troubles, but I got caught a few times driving under the influence. Trashed my truck and nearly got myself killed about ten years ago, but that didn't stop me. It was when I ran a red light driving fall-down drunk in the middle of the day and t-boned a min-van that finally forced me to stop. That and the fact I spend the last eight years in prison for killing a mom and her little girl."
Jim's jaw dropped. One of the rumors he heard was Rory was incarcerated for killing someone. Now knowing it was true, he really didn't know what to say, and was starting to worry why Rory would approach him after all these years.
"Now look, I'm not looking for a hand-out or pity, if that's gotcha fucking worried," Rory said waving an extended hand, "I mean, I've been completely clean now for eight years - except coffee and smokes - and I have an apartment and a job. Nothing glamorous, I do sewage work - that's why I'm so dressed up. I have one of those jobs you shower after your shift, not before like you. It's just that I've been walking by here on my way to work every morning for about two weeks and it's taken me this long to get enough strength to do this." The bigger man's eyes started to water a bit.
Jim took a breath. While he did feel sympathy for his old friend, the term 'dug your own grave' came to mind. However, he was glad Rory seemed to have turned things around, but that didn't make him feel any less uncomfortable.
"Once I was in prison, I reconnected with the church and started a twelve-step program to get myself cleaned up. Familiar with that?"
Jim nodded. "That's like AA, right?"
"Exactly, like fucking AA. Now you go through these steps and often go three steps up and two back. The eighth step, shit, it must have been six years ago. That was one of the fucking hardest. Making a list of all the people you've wronged because of your addictions. You were on that list. Now, the ninth step is asking forgiveness and attempting to make amends, except when it would injure them or others.
"Now, you are the only one left on the list, who's still alive that I haven't crossed off. I've fucking tossed and turned and debated in my head so many fucking times because of the last part. I've talked with sponsors and even a counselor that I've seen. I'm sorry, but this might injure you and maybe others - emotionally, but with the help of people who are way fucking smarter than you or me, I know telling you and asking you to try and forgive me is the right thing to do."
Jim had a funny feeling in his gut. "What are you talking about Rory?"
