Half way around the world lies the one thing that you want
Buried in the ground, hundreds of miles down
The first thing that arises in your mind when you awake
Is bending until you finally break
~Isaac Slade, The Fray
Taking a serious hit off a long-necked Budweiser, Tony Campbell is clearly a troubled man.
“Things are never gonna fucking change for me.”
“Days and days and days go by and nothing is ever going to change.”
Choking down the remaining dregs, Campbell places the empty sweating bottle carefully back on the cardboard coaster–a maneuver he’s obviously executed with precision a thousand times before–and then he looks at me out of the corner of his head.
“My old man told me when I was just little kid that I was gonna wind up on this very bar stool. The fucking guy should have been a fortune teller don’t you think?”
Unsure of how to respond, I nod my head once and look away. As I do, I notice that there are no windows in the place.
Ordering another beer, Campbell doesn’t need to tell me that the devil sits close.
“I loved my brother more than anything in this world. I can tell you honestly I wish it would have been me.”
Reaching for his cigarettes, Campbell strikes a match with ferocity.
“All in good time I guess…all in good time.”
Tony Campbell’s oldest brother, Gunnery Sgt Daniel Campbell, was listed as missing in action on 3 January, 1972. Tony never recovered from the loss and laments his circumstances on the same bar stool daily.
In the meantime, the devil sits close and waits patiently.
VFW Club, western, NE
Leave a note.