Foreword -- My editing skills are not the best and does not help that this story was written on and off for a few years. So there might be some inconsistencies, grammatical errors, first to third person and back, and other oddities. I have been sitting on this story and others for literal years and want to share what I have completed so far. A few chapters are done for this series... A bunch more in progress. But I am still tinkering so they might get reuploaded as I complete the more chapters to deal with the inevitable retcon.
Chapter 1 -- The Ring
It was another overcast Friday evening as I rode the ferry back to Seattle. Another long day at work brings my mind to places that I have unfortunately become familiar with. Places of what ifs. What if I could go back to a turning point? Like when I started dating this girl a few years ago. To tell myself what, not to do it? Or to not make it a serious relationship because now I've wasted my prime years on bullshit. Or a year before that, to not drop a job I loved for the false frontage of an equalish paying job in my home town. Hell, why not back in college when I was picking my major. To pick something a bit more specified than just 'computer engineering'.
My mind wanders through these thoughts over and over as I pull a deep drag on my smoke. I close my eyes as the nicotine fills my lungs, giving me a sweet uplifting sensation. But it is quickly followed by a nagging cough. I open my eyes as I wipe my hand on my pants to the parting clouds over the sound as the sun begins its final decent for the day. More lights come on around the boat, lighting up areas like showcases on the 'Price is Right'.
"Shit!" I exclaimed as the ferry took a hard landing against the pier. My bag hits the floor and slid away from me. "Fuck man, the guy must be drunk or something up there." I walked over to my bag. But I must've misjudged where I was bending over to. *BANG* I slammed my head hard into the chipped paint on the wall. *dink dink dink* I hear. I look to see what it was to see if it was anything I dropped on impact. But the source of the sound was not mine. It was a ring. Picking it up, the ring had some heft. The color was black as night weighed like a dense stone. When I turned it to the light like Smeogle did to the One Ring, it produced a blinding glare. Wrapped around the outside of the ring looked like intertwined quartz and marble veins that were pulsing.
'This thing looks ancient' I thought as I twirled the ring in between my fingers. When I pinched it, a port popped up. 'The fuck is this?' It was a USB-C port on it.
"Looks like it could be a medical type thing," I told myself. "Probably should turn this in to the lost and found." I palmed it intention of turning it in. I rolled the ring between my fingers like a fidget toy. For shits and giggles I try on the ring. It only gets passed my first knuckle on my fat fingers. Looking at it longer reminds me of the ring I almost bought her. The life we almost had. The regret of glossing over the bitch that she was. I was lost in a depressing trance.
*bump* "oops, sorry," said a woman's voice.
"It's ok," I let out, the trance was broken. I look up at her. She was very pretty, but I quickly look away as to not be creepy. I look back up at her. She touched my hand and said, "Things are about to get better." Then she did was smile and walk away.
Then it hit me, it night be hers. "Excuse me" I say to her, but she filters into the crowd. "Hey!" But she's gone as quickly as she appeared. I look at where she touched me. It's been too long since I had a touch like that. Then I see the ring. "Fuck this..." I mumble, I rip the ring off, almost launching it into the sound. But I hesitate and pocket it. I make my way off of the ferry. I light another smoke and start my strenuous uphill walk to my apartment forgetting about the ring. I stop mid stride when I went to feel for my keys, "Shit," I say pulling out the ring. "I meant to drop you off on my way out of the terminal." I pull out my phone to see the time, it was late. I just wanted to get some shut eye. "I'll try to stop by tomorrow."
The next morning, curiosity got the better of me. After brewing a cup of coffee, I fired up my porn laptop and the virtual machine I have running inside. "I hope you are a medical identity ring and not a crypto locker," I say with a nervous chuckle. "But that's why you're going in the porn-top." I plugged in the ring. At first, nothing. No indications on the screen or lights on the ring.
*Ring* went my phone and pulls me away.
"What now," I mumbled. It was the work phone out line; it always seems to be work calling and no one else. Even on a Saturday I'm chained to them. "Hello?" It was a 'senior' member of the office. "what happened?... Please calm down... With whom am I speaking with?... Sorry Ms. Mills, please tell me again *cut off*... you plugged what where... did you try to... ok well *cut off again*... can I finish... as I was saying, you need to contact the system administrator because I am only a sub-admin without access to senior level permissions... I'm sorry Karen, but you shouldn't... I think you need to retake the cyber awareness course again... please take it up with my supervisor... you should know better than to plugging in unknown USB's into the system..."
"What a fucking dumb bitch."
With that, I go out onto the balcony to light up another smoke with my coffee. I look out to the city skyline. But I force my gaze past that, out to the mountains. "I mean, it's only an hour away." I tell myself as I flick the expired butt into the wind. Inside I see that my computer has shutdown. "I thought that had a full charge? Fuck it. Ring probably has water or some sort of damage to it anyways." I took a picture of it and printed 'found' flyers for the next time I rode the boat.
"Ring found."
"Please email -- foundringonbremertontoseattleferry -- to claim"
"Please include description of ring in subject line"
For some reason, I decided to say fuck it and drive out to the mountains. I got dressed and jumped in my shitbox of a car, an AMC Eagle that I was attempting to restore. Not having a garage made it more difficult and even more expensive. But it ran and the 4x4 worked... worked when it wanted to at least. I stopped at the gas station to fill up and grab some snacks. Driving in the cool mountain air, sounds of nature and my tires humming fill the car. I try to reflect on things. I really seemed to set into motion of trying to better myself. But I always think like this, and never do. "do or do not, there is no try" I hear Yoda in my head. I look at the time on my phone, 'no service'. I was out there.
I spent the day driving the fire roads, just me and the Eagle... and my thoughts. My recurring thoughts of 'what ifs'. I stop at an overlook of Mt. Rainier. As I stare at the mountain, another car pulls up. It's two women being all bouncy and bubbly. They are posing in their leggings and crop tops. 'living the best life... at the ends of means' I tell myself sarcastically. I hate them. I hate them because I am not them. They are happy, having fun. Even though it might just be skin deep, it is deep enough. Because here I am, pudgy and out of shape, thinning hair on top, overly hairy elsewhere, but still can't grow a beard. And deepest cutting, they're friends. Yea I have work friends, but they don't invite me out for beers. They don't call to see how I'm...
One of them yells at me, "YO CREEPER! STOP STARING!"
It seems that I was so deep into myself I didn't realize I was staring at them.
"Sorry." I got my things together, "I was lost in thought."
"Yea, the thought of getting in these pants perv," she yells back. I got red and quiet and I drove off. 'its not my fault they set up right in front of me...' Maybe I was staring at them, because now I was thinking of what it would be like to be them. Long full hair, tight toned body, pretty face. Being the envy of other...
*ding* goes the gas warning light. "Guess it's time to go home."
As I get closer to the gas station, my phone erupts once it found a signal. I pull up to the pump and see that I have 12 texts and several voicemails... All from my boss... "fuck," I let out defeated. "what now."
'Hey Dale, its Joe. Please call me at the earliest opportunity. We need to talk about the service call this morning. thanks'
'Yo, call me'
'Hey, we need to talk'
'Why are my calls going straight to voicemail'
'CALL ME BACK ASAP!!!!!'
