The Story of
Your Life
by Robert Garner
McBrearty
The fellow sitting next to me at the
bar said, “I went through some rough times.
You ought to write the story of my life.”
“I will, John,” I said,
‘I’ll do it right now.”
In those days, I always carried pen
and paper with me, and as John told me his story,
I wrote: John Springer was born in a small
town in Ohio. His father passed away when he was
fifteen, and his mother shortly after, and nobody
figured out that John was living in the old house
alone. He ate what was left in the fridge, and
then he turned to cannibalism. He first took down
his neighbor, Joe, across the street…
John leaned in. “What do you
got so far?”
I read what I’d written and his
eyes widened. “This is all wrong. I
wasn’t born in Ohio. A cannibal!”
“It’s interpretive, John.
This is the descent part. You need the descent
before the redemption.”
“You’ve made a mockery of
my life!” He threw his drink in my face and
struck me. We grappled at the bar as I tried to
ward him off. The bartenders forced us out on the
street. He went off howling down the block.
“You’ve ruined my life!” he
shouted.
“Come back, John,” I cried.
“I love you. I love your life!”
But he went on, bellowing in outrage.
Since then, I can’t stand to be alone. I
want to tell your story.
Previously
published online in Posit.
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