Backseater guru

Vladimir was a taxi driver. He had faith in fate and he really loved the thought of fate being customized by your actions. He didn’t like his fellow taxi drivers talking about the existence of a godsend traveler in the streets who would possibly travel in their taxi one day and change everything at once. Vladimir would just quote Saint Ruberto for them ‘Do not wish for a bright tomorrow twice for our Lord doesn’t want get bored’.

In a foggy night, a strange, anachronistic man came to the cabstand and told Vladimir a place. Vladimir showed him his cab and went over to take the driver seat. In five minutes, the cab was cruising around the town. Despite the thick fog, Vladimir drove real fast for he knew every turn in the town better than the ups and downs of his wife.

Before the man in the backseat could reach his destination, they were stalled under real bloody conditions. The cab had hit an old timer killing him. Everybody except the dead man was cool. Vladimir slowly got out. Watching the dead body bleed, he lit a cigar and turned to his traveler.

‘Oh boy, you killed somebody?’ asked the traveler with a lazy smile.

‘Never mind man, I’m not new to this, I’ve hit many and killed all of them. I confess everyday and I’m clean.. yes!’

‘Oh really? then it’s good. How many have you killed dear?’

‘May be 11 or 12.. I don’t remember..bah.. what’s in it anyway?!’ said Vladimir.

‘You don’t know boy, do you?’

‘What?’

‘I’m the newest man version of god and I’m sent here to spread his message!’

This time hearing the man’s serious declaration, Vladimir didn’t say anything, but thought ‘He could be a man god and I should start worshiping him!’

‘Wonder why I tell you this? You’ve sinned and that too by using the eternal prime number!’ said the backseater still finding comfort in the confined cab.

‘But I haven’t!’ uttered Vladimir.

‘Oh yes my son!, you have. If you’ve killed 11 men or even 13, you won’t even get a redemption in the troublesome days to come!’ the backseater guru seemed to be so mean with his game of words.

‘Oh pardon me my lord!  I have realized my sin!’ sobbed Vladimir and fell to his knees.

‘I’ll kill some more people and make it even. Oh god please forgive me!’ Vladimir couldn’t control himself. He didn’t even notice the backseater guru getting out of the cab and walking away.

Two bartenders

Logan and Vyga were two bartenders who lived together. They were not friends or lovers, they just lived together.
Logan, the tall kid with blue eyes worked all night in an American pub. Vyga was a typical Indian beauty and she worked in an Asian classy bar far away from the American pub. They loved their job more than anything else and believed in the old saying that the bartender gets to see the finest sample of the world.
One day when Vyga was at work, a crazy drunkard came over to her and introduced himself as Alex. Vyga knew many people in there. Booze made most of the men stupid and loose lips. But sometimes there is an imbibed wise guy. Alex stood still indifferently while Vyga smiled a mocking laugh.
‘Ah hello Alex, which one?’ asked Vyga as she does to everyone who comes over to the bar.
‘What?’ Alex had an embarrassing accent.
‘Which drink sir?’
‘I don’t want a drink, I’m here for something else’
She sensed something strange. The man was damn serious and she realized that he was not drunk. The last time she saw somebody talking like this, she was at the gun point and it was a heist. ‘I’m here for something else’!
‘Yeah, tell me mister.’ This time Vyga had grown cautious and felt the shotgun hid under the wooden panel.
‘I want you to marry Logan’ said Alex.
Vyga didn’t speak another word because she knew that one day somebody would come and ask this stupidity. In fact she was specifically warned against an Alex.
Vyga, being a bartender had visions which were influenced by that of the local sample of the world. And she never tried to lose them so that she could see Logan as a complement. She was always disgusted to find him different. She didn’t appreciate Rock music, instead chose to take a trans with some Eastern classics. Logan would never understand why she had to search her insides for peace when he could go out and invent it. She din’t love him, they just lived together.
‘Marry him and everything will be much easier’ said Alex and walked away into the dim light.
The incident didn’t move her. Nothing could move her. She won’t love Logan or try to be like him, as long as she finds peace within herself, at least not in the near future.