Odd Man Out

joes

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

For a chain, Joe’s Crab Shack had lots of personality. It fit how Mickey saw the life he used to live. Now he had bigger problems, his co-workers.

“Hey, there he is,” shouted Nate waving him over to their table. “About time you got here.”

He sucked up his nerve and tried to look confident walking over to them. He’d always avoided these “team building” meetings before because they all had one thing in common; booze.

“Here.” Laurie handed him a beer as he sat down.

“Just a Coke,” he nodded to the waiter. He was starting a new life.

It’s time to participate in Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ latest incarnation of Friday Fictioneers, the 25 August 2023 edition. The idea is to use the image above as the prompt for crafting a story or poem no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.

I thought people might be getting tired of reading my “fantastical” stories, so I thought I’d try my hand at something a little more “ordinary.”

Social alcohol consumption is considered so normal that it can seem odd when a person doesn’t drink. It can be for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that regular or chronic alcohol use isn’t particularly good for you in many ways.

But how do you communicate that to people who don’t seem to have that issue? Alcohol can be set aside, but social occasions aren’t always avoidable.

To read other tales based on the prompt, visit Inlinkz.

To read more of my work, try the SciFi/Fantasy novelette ICE.

ice
At the end of time, the world is hot and men travel the vast oceans in merchant sailing ships. Captain Ki-Moon Yong of the Star of Jindo has discovered a new horror at the bottom of the world. Can he and the Star escape disaster long enough to warn a disbelieving world?

31 thoughts on “Odd Man Out”

  1. I used to tell colleagues I didn’t drink – they always took it well and I was rarely questioned about the reasons. In truth, I happily drank a little, occasionally, but that is much harder for people to grasp. If you have one, there’s an assumption you’ll have many.
    I’m glad your character has found the courage to resist.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. A real scenario since it’s a given that alcohol will be part of the picture at every social gathering.. An alcoholic staying sober is a brave soul.

    Like

    Reply

  7. Hats off to Mickey! I worked with several recovering alcoholics in my years as a therapist. I remember one man in particular who had been sober for 25 years, and he said the craving never really goes away. But, like Mickey, he had chosen his path and stuck to it. I have a lot of respect for that.

    Like

    Reply

  10. I agree with Jade, very realistic, James.
    I had back surgery and was on pain meds a few years ago.
    When I went to social gatherings people said they understood I wasn’t
    going to have a drink, but an awful lot of empty space around me said otherwise. Well done … Isadora 😎

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to Sandra Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.