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A Friend's Burden

By Evan Drake

© 2020, Evan Drake, All Rights Reserved

It was a calm, cool night just like any other. Zack preferred his nights more lively. Except for now. Now he was prepared to give anything for a chance at a quiet night.

Some rock song about the pain of relationships blared on the radio as he sped down the street. It hit a little too close to home for his taste. He turned the radio off and let the roar of the truck's engine fill the silence.

He drove into the bar parking lot, taking up two spaces with his truck. Not his usual style of parking, but he was in a hurry and wouldn't be there long anyway. Snatching the keys out of the ignition, he rushed toward the bar's entrance.

He froze when he heard the shouts and the breaking glass within. "Yeah, well fuck you, fuck yer mutha, an' fuck the bitch who fucked 'er!"

A heavy sigh escaped him as he rubbed his temple. The voice belonged to his friend, Manny. He truly wished he could give anything for a quiet night. Technically, he could. Just turn around, go home, and let the police sort it out.

That thought was shattered along with a nearby window. A glance to the left revealed the culprit, a barstool. Zack swore and rushed inside.

The bar was a mess as expected. It reminded him of the bar fight scenes in those old westerns his uncle liked to watch. Overturned tables, broken chairs, and spilled booze on the floor. To top it all off was the pile of furry bodies in the middle of the room, all eight or so of them holding down a single drunk lizard. The reptile was the smallest one there, but he was putting up a fight and shouting obscenities. His thick green tail thrashed about, hitting a poor bear holding his leg in the shoulder until he made the mistake of releasing it to go grab the roaming appendage.

The moment Manny's leg was free, he kicked the bear in the chest. The entire group holding down fell apart after that as each one was either kicked, bitten, punched, or tail-slapped.

Zack quickly moved to the group's aid. In a single motion, he slipped behind Manny and held him in a chokehold. "Are you going to calm down or do I need to knock you out?"

The lizard relaxed in his grip. "Yeah, yeah. I'm calm. Can you let me go now?"

Zack slowly released the hold in case it was a ruse just to get loose again. Manny stayed true to his word and did nothing except make a failed attempt to fix his stretched and ripped shirt. He snorted and shot a withering glare at the bartender before stomping out of the bar.

Zack quickly followed, saying to the bartender as he left: "I'm really sorry about this."

"It ain't your fault, Zack," the bartender replied. "Just tell that crazy bastard I'm sorry for what happened to him, but he better not ever show his face in here again."

Zack sighed and shook his head. That was the third bar this month in which Manny had been banned. It wouldn't surprise him if every remaining bar in the city decided to just cut him off preemptively.

Manny was nowhere in the parking lot meaning he likely was stumbling down the street. With a loud grumble, he climbed back in his truck. "I can't just drive home and leave him out there," he said to his reflection. "I have to be the 'good friend.' Fuck my life right in the ass."

Manny hadn't gone far, just making it a little ways past the next corner. Zack drove the truck onto the sidewalk into his friend's path. The lizard leaped back, drunkenly staggering into the nearby building."Hey, what the hell do you think you're--" his expression softened slightly at the sight of the driver. "Oh, it's you."

Zack jerked a thumb at the empty passenger's seat. "Just get in."

If there was an objection, Manny didn't voice it as he walked around and climbed into the passenger seat. No words were exchanged as they rode down the street. After riding several blocks, Zack decided to break the obvious tension in the vehicle.

"Look, man, you can't--"

A loud snore from Manny squashed any chances of conversation. The lizard sat with his feet resting on the dash, head back, and tongue lolling out. Thinking of all the times he woke up with hot sauce on his tongue made Zack chuckle. Even after all these years, no matter how many times he pranked him, Manny still hadn't learned to sleep with his mouth closed.

It took 20 minutes of driving before they reached Zack's place. It was closer and Zack didn't remember where Manny was staying exactly. In the last six months, he had moved more times than in the previous 10 years. After his ex put him out, he was staying with his brother, then their mutual friend Derrick, next his mom, and finally his uncle. But that was also a week ago. Whether things had changed--again--since then Zack didn't know. Manny's phone had been off for a month.

Zack parked in front of his apartment building then shut off the engine. He thought about leaving Manny in the car to sleep it off, but the thought of him possibly throwing up in the middle of the night or waking up and wandering off made him think otherwise.

It was going to be a pain in the ass, but he moved around to the other side of the car and half-dragged his friend out. Carrying him up the stairs was the hardest part. Manny was much heavier than he looked. Thankfully, their destination was on the second floor. He nearly dropped his friend when fishing out his keys to unlock the door, but somehow he managed.

By this point, Zack was too tired to bother being nice, so he dropped his friend on the sofa. Manny mumbled something but remained out cold. Zack removed his friend's boots, tossed his legs up on the sofa, then covered him with a blanket. He then went into his bedroom.

Upon seeing the bed, he realized just how emotionally drained he was. How many times had this happened, picking up his friend drunk or covered in bruises or both? How many apologies did he have to pass out like flyers? How many times had he defended his friend's reckless behavior? How many friends have walked away because they just couldn't take it anymore?

After kicking off his sneakers, he fell face-first on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, Zack was awoken to the sound of someone talking. He bolted upright, thinking someone had broken into his apartment then the events of last night came back to him. With a heavy sigh, he climbed out of bed and shuffled into the living room.

Manny paced behind the sofa, talking to someone on the phone. He didn't acknowledge Zack's presence as he walked in. Judging from his the scowl he wore, there were bigger things to worry about.

"I don't see how that's my fault!... Well, yeah, but--" He stopped and gripped the back of the chair, glaring at an unseen entity. "C'mon, that's not fair!... Yeah, sure, whatever." He hung up the phone then slammed both fists on the back of the sofa, bellowing, "FUCK!"

Zack took that as his cue to enter before things started breaking. He knocked on the wall and slowly walked inside as if approaching a dangerous beast. "Tough morning?"

Manny snatched his head up looking ready to bolt. He quickly calmed down at seeing Zack. "Just got fired because a couple of punks broke into the store last night. Dumbass manager says it's my fault for not locking up. Mind you, locking up is that prick's job."

"Sorry to hear that, man."

"Whatever. It was a shitty job anyway. But my Unc is gonna kick me out when he finds out I got fired."

Zack nodded then walked towards the kitchen to make some coffee. "I'm sure if you explain it to him, he'll cut you some slack. And if not, you can always stay with me. By the way, what happened last night? You were pretty pissed about something."

"I was?" Manny called from the living room.

"Yeah, they had to call me to come get you." He fished the coffee pot out of the sink, gave it a quick rinse, then set it in the coffee maker. He then added the water and the coffee grounds and hit the power button before joining Manny in the living room. The reptile had moved to the sofa and placed his face in his hands.

He spoke as soon as Zack sat down next to him. "I got banned, didn't I?"

"Yep."

"Fuck. Do you think if I tell him sorry, he'll let me come back?"

Zack inhaled sharply. "You might need to do a little more than that. I mean, you made one helluva mess and bit people."

"Guess that means they don't wanna look at my sorry ass either," he said dejectedly. He looked over at Zack. "What about you? Why do you keep me around?"

"Because we're friends. I mean, sure you're a pain in the ass, but I've known you since second grade. I know you're not like this, man. I mean, that breakup hit you pretty hard."

Manny snorted and jumped to his feet. "That shit was almost a year ago!"

"And last I checked, there's no timetable for recovering from that kind of thing," Zack said, staying in his seat and remaining calm. "I don't care how long it takes, man, I got your back. I'll be right here, looking out for you."

Manny started pacing again. "Whatever. I don't need you or anybody else looking out for me. I can handle myself! Why don't you try minding your own fucking business?!" He stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door hard enough to rattle the walls.

Zack sighed and rubbed his forehead. He couldn't even begin to understand how his friend felt. He had been seeing Ashley for three years and she not only left him, but she also cleaned out his bank account. No word, no warning, just packed up and left him to come home to an empty apartment. Her latest Twitter post showed she was "living her best life" with a new boyfriend.

That wasn't something someone just bounced back from. The problem was the rest of the world wasn't going to wait for him to get back on his feet. He figured that was what upset Manny the most. He had a life to live and bills to pay. These things couldn't be put on hold while he got his thoughts in order.

Zack got up when he heard the beep of the coffee maker indicating it had finished its task. He poured two cups of coffee and left one on the table for when Manny returned. Zack also made some pancakes, eggs, and sausage for breakfast. He set aside a plate next to the coffee.

After breakfast, he sat down with his laptop and watched Netflix until there came a loud knock at the door. Already having an idea of who it was, he called out from the sofa, "It's open!"

The door slowly swung open soundlessly and Manny walked inside looking like a scolded child. "Look, man, I'm real--"

"There's some coffee and breakfast for you on the table." He pointed to the kitchen and went back to his video.

"Thanks."

"Sure thing. That's what friends are for."

"No, I mean, for putting up with me even though I've been an asshole."

Still watching the movie, he replied, "I know."

---

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