Adaptation of the Chameleon

by Douglas A. Schmitt

“Okay, Luke,” the supervisor replied, “get some rest, bud. I will see you tomorrow night.”

  Luke ended the call and threw his phone lightly on the end of the bed. He retrieved his opened pill bottle and exited his room.

  Luke stepped into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of cola with a few shots of whiskey. He stirred the liquid with a dull silver butter knife and walked towards the living room. He took a seat on the black leather couch and began searching through the television channels.

  As the time passed and landed on half past nine, Luke heard his front door open. Feeling high and slightly confused, he turned around to see Alan walking in. Alan placed his coat on the dining room table next to numerous cans of beer and empty bottles of whiskey. He turned around and made his way towards Luke and said, “This place is a fucking wreck. You need to get your shit together,r man. I know you got dumped. Big whoop, you need to get over it man. It’s not like you are the only one that has ever been fucked over before.”

  Luke turned his head to the left and tilted it towards Alan. He swallowed the last bit of drink from his glass of ice and wiped his mouth clean and responded with a heavy slur,

  “Look man, you mind your own business, okay? I loved that girl, man, and she… she screwed me over.”

  “Whatever, man,” Alan answered, “you just need to get over it.” Alan left the room and walked towards his bedroom. Luke heard Alan’s door slam shut.

  The intoxicated young man continued to sit on the couch when he decided to call Audrey. He stumbled to his feet and cautiously walked down the hall. He entered his room and retrieved his phone from the end of the bed. He took a seat at his computer desk and waited for Audrey to answer.

  “Hello, Luke?”

  “Yeah,” Luke whispered, “this is Luke. What is up? What are you doing?”

  Luke sensed the slight hostility in Audrey’s voice as she responded, “Luke, it’s late. I’m in my bed, sleeping. What do you want?”

  Luke took a deep breath and while leaning further back in his chair, he answered,

  “Come drink with me. Nobody wants… to drink alone… Dome on down… bring some beer or whatever… you got.”

  “No, Luke. My roommate is already pissed at me because of everything that has been going on after me and Ben broke up. I told her I wasn’t going to drink anymore.”

  Luke interrupted Audrey with a much heavier tone, “I’m coming up.”

  Audrey sat up in her queen sized bed, and while feeling her nerves shake, she exclaimed, “No, Luke! Do not come up! My roommate will flip the fuck out!” But before Audrey could finish what she was saying, she realized that Luke has ended the call.

  Audrey sat up in her bed, worried that she would get a knock on her door so late in the evening. She jumped out of her bed, and pulled on a white t-shirt and pair of pink sandals; she rushed towards the door and opened it quickly.

  She looked around for Luke and discovered his body lying motionless next to her front door. Nervous, she leaned in towards him and checks for breathing. She then gently kicked his left leg and said, “Oh Luke, you passed out. Why did you have to do it next to my apartment?”

  Audrey roused Luke enough to get him to lean against her and guided him slowly down the multiple concrete steps. She then walked through his open front entrance and down the hall. She placed him softly on top of his unmade bed.

  Audrey looked at Luke for a moment, shaking her head and expressing her disappointment in the broken young man. She set his alarm clock and then placed his dark blue comforter over his fully dressed body and kissed him on the forehead before making her way out of his room.

  Audrey walked through the apartment. She turned off the hallway light, then the television, and finally locked the door behind her. She embraced the cold chill of the October evening and finally enters her apartment for the night.

  The next morning, Luke woke to the sound of the droning, penetrating high pitch sound of his alarm clock. He briefly rested on the edge of his bed before entering his bathroom for a drink of water. He leaned in towards the running tap and fills his belly with metallic tasting liquid. He then places his hands under the cold water and splashes his face in an effort to fully wake up.

  Luke then removed a blood stained towel from the floor and wiped his face dry. He looked at the towel for a moment and immediately remembered the intense feeling he had when he snapped the bone in his hand. He shook off the feeling and prepared his shower.

  He wrapped his hand in a clear grocery bag and stepped into the warm steam filled shower. He stood and felt the small drops of water speed past his rugged face. He makes little effort in cleaning his body as he washes his exterior with a small bar of soap. While using one hand, he gently massages his scalp, removing solid white dull flakes.

  Luke found great difficulty in concentrating in his classes that day. He sat through each with one hand holding up the side of his face, feeling the after effects of over drinking. Feeling more alive as the time past, he began enjoying the small indications that his courses were complete for the weekend.

  Luke walked from his last scheduled course to his vehicle. He gets in the driver’s seat when he receives a call. He looks at the phone, and while not recognizing the number, he answered with caution. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Luke. This is Ryan from work. Look, man, I know this is short notice and all, but do you mind if I take your shift tonight? My hours got cut short and I could use the money. Mandy says that you would be the one to call.”

  Luke thought for a moment and while placing a cigarette in his mouth, he directed his attention back to his phone and responded, “Yeah, man, that’s cool. I got the weekend off anyway, so…”

  “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

  Luke felt as though a weight has been lifted off of his body. He convinced himself that he would take the extra time to finally get over Anna. He knew that he was slipping up and was excited that he would have a chance to allow himself to do whatever it took to get Anna off of his mind.

  Luke drove home and knew the first thing he was going to do once he walked into his apartment. He wanted to clean the kitchen and remove the empty containers from his dining room table. Then he planned to take every picture of him and Anna and place them in a trash bag and toss them away.

  But first, Luke wanted to purchase more alcohol. He pulled into the liquor store that resides on his path to his apartment. He exited his vehicle and walked through the heavy glass door. He picked up two bottles of whiskey and a two liter bottle of cola and walked towards the cashier.

  He waited to complete his purchase. He removed two twenty dollar bills from his wallet. Luke began to place the bills on the counter when the cashier declared, “Another two, eh? I tell ya, I wish I could drink like you college kids, but I left all that behind a long time ago.”

  Luke stood, frozen in place as he heard the unexpected attempt at conversation from the toothless man standing in front of him. He decided to smile while handing the money to the attendant. Luke then took his paper bags and walked out of the store.

  Getting home, he looked around at the mess as it began collecting dust. He looked closer at one of the whiskey bottles and noticed a note taped just under the missing cap.

  “Luke,

  Please clean your shit up… I’m tired of coming home and this place being a dump.

  -Alan

  P.S- You have mail on the kitchen counter… it’s from Oxford.”

  Luke removed the note and placed it in the trash can as he walks into the kitchen. He places his heavy paper bags next the stove and removes the first bottle.

  He prepared his drinking voyage with three individual shots of whiskey. Feeling the burn as it made its way to his empty stomach, he chased the liquor with a large gulp of cola. He then removed a glass from the cupboard and placed it next to the sink.

  Luke turned around to grab his ingredients and noticed the letter as it lay neatly on top of advertising circulars. He takes a deep breath and takes hold of th
e envelope. He opened the top and began removing the tri-folded paper from inside.

  Luke unfolded the first side and discovered a date indicating two weeks prior. He unfolded the rest of the letter and read.,

  “My dearest Luke,

  I want you to know how much I love you. I want you to know how much joy you have brought to my life. You are the best thing to ever happen to me, and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you. I wish every night that you were next to me, keeping me warm on these long and cold Oxford nights. How I wish I would wake up next to you and your face being the first thing I see. I miss our times together, I miss our adventures. But most importantly, I miss your love.

  Until I see you again… ‘passeggiata con l’amore del cielo.’

  Anna.”

  Luke felt his left hand crumple the side of the letter. A tear ran down the side of his face. He began thinking about his maternal grandmother.

  Luke grabbed the open bottle of whiskey and while tipping it upside down, funneling the contents into his mouth, he made his way into the living room. He sat comfortably on his black leather couch and observed the amount of liquid in his bottle begin to shrink in quantity.

  Luke enjoyed the high from the booze, and he began to day dream about Anna. With slight hesitation accompanied by heavy fear, Luke picked up his phone and text messaged Anna,

  “I’m sure you have your reasons. I wish you the best, all I want is my grandmother’s pendant back. Please send ASAP.”

  Luke placed his phone on the coffee table as he stumbled into the kitchen for the next bottle.

  He took the whiskey and removed the seal from the top. He noticed in his peripheral vision that his phone is flashing. He rushed towards the cellular device and answered it immediately, “Hello, Anna!”

  A male voice answered, “You wish. What the fuck are you doing texting my girlfriend’s phone? Why don’t you get a fucking life, you piece of shit! Oh, and that jewelry that you gave Anna? Yeah, that is real nice. I think I will sell it and use the money to put towards the engagement ring I’m going to buy her. Don’t worry about the one you gave her - she already threw that piece of shit in the garbage.”

  Luke took a moment feeling anger consume his body. He felt his face become hot and his hands become clammy. He took a deep breath and responded, “Go fuck yourself, you piece of shit! I swear if you were here, I would beat your ass! Why don’t you be a man, and come down here, or are you a pussy? Go fuck yourself, you fucking rebound!”

  Luke paused for a moment to catch his breath. As he waited for a response from Calvin, he realized that the call had ended. Luke tossed his phone at the other end of the couch and continued drinking.

  Several hours passed, and Luke finished his second bottle. He began feeling alone when he decided to visit Audrey. He climbed off the couch, feeling every effort as the room begins to spin. With a strong urge to vomit, he walked out of his front door and made his way to the top of the staircase. He leaned his body on the vinyl covered wall and, step by step, he makes it to Audrey’s apartment.

  He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, and began to knock loudly on the white door. He felt his mind become impatient, forcing him to knock harder and louder. Finally, in his blurred vision, he saw the door open and the introduction of bright light overcome his pupils.

  Luke rubbed his eyes as he saw a woman with light brown hair dressed in a dark green robe standing in the open door way.

  “What the hell are you doing? Do you know what time it is? It’s two thirty in the morning! What the hell do you want, you drunk loser?”

  “I want Audrey. Is she here?”

  Luke noticed the woman’s temper become more agitated. She placed her hand on the painted metal trim of the doorway. “No, asshole, she is not here. She is out of town. Now get the hell out of here before I call the police.”

  A gust of cool wind blew past Luke as the young woman slammed the door in his face. Luke stood for a moment before turning around and heading down the stairs.

  Luke remained in bed for the better part of the day. He lay comfortably with his curtains closed shut. He remained focused on delaying his hangover. The pain that developed in his head became equivalent to the pain in his right hand.

  As the agony continued to grow, Luke decided to take two of his painkillers. He rose from his bed and crawled to his bathroom sink. He ran the tap and placed two pills on the tip of his tongue. He then placed his head under the running water and took a large sip.

  After wiping his mouth clean, he decided to step outside for a cigarette. He put on a pair of sandals and slowly walked down the hall, through the living room, and out the back door. He took a seat around the plastic white table and reached for his pack. He opened the top flap only to discover it was empty.

  Frustrated and feeling the withdrawal of nicotine from his system, Luke decided to get his keys and drive to a nearby gas station.

  Luke walked out of his apartment, locking the door behind him. The urge begins to climb as he enters his vehicle and drives towards the convenience store.

  Luke pulled into the gas station and began walking into the building when he heard a distant voice call his name. Confused and curious, Luke turned around and saw a familiar attractive redhead rushing towards him.

  “Luke, it’s me, Whitney. Don’t you remember me?”

  Luke took a closer look at the beautiful redhead and with enthusiasm in his tone, he responded, “Holy shit, Whitney? Man, I haven’t seen you in like five years. What are you up to? Why are you down here? Are you still living in Tupelo?”

  Whitney smiled joyfully and as she leaned on the white ice cooler. “Yeah, I’m still in Tupelo. My parents got some rooms at a casino on the coast and invited me down. I’m just stopping here for some gas. I saw you pull in and I was like I know that guy, but honestly, I couldn’t forget you if I wanted to. So, how are you? Are you still dating Marion?”

  “Uh, no. Actually we broke up like a year and a half ago. I’m actually single, if you can believe that.”

  Luke felt Whitney place her hand on his left shoulder. She looked up at him and continued to smile. “Well, good. I tell you what, I’ll be on the coast till Tuesday, but I can leave a day sooner if you wanted to hang out.”

  Luke felt a smile emerge from under his dirty pale face. He took out his cellular telephone and said, “That sounds like a great idea. What is your number?”

  After Luke saved the new number, he watched as Whitney walked back to her red sports car. She entered and closed her driver’s side door, looked at Luke, and smiled while driving away. Luke took another look at his phone as he walked through the double doors.

  While driving home, Luke began thinking about Whitney. A feeling of nostalgia overcame him as a rush of old emotions came back to his mind. He lit a cigarette, and began reminiscing about the day he met the young beauty.

  It was May of 2005, when Luke was walking back to his post. He had just started working at the casino and was very eager to make a great impression. Lunch had ended and Luke was walking through the underworld the casino has for its employees. He climbed onto the escalator and noticed a short red headed female wearing all blue business attire standing in front of him.

  Curiosity stirred Luke’s thoughts as he attempted to make contact with the beautiful stranger. He politely walked up to her as she continued to her destination and said, “Hello there. I’m… I’m Luke. What is your name?”

  Luke remembered it was the first time he ever saw her smile. Her face lit up as she looked into Luke’s eyes. Her face blushed as she responded, “Hey, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Whitney.”

  Luke pulled into his usual parking spot in front of his apartment building, bringing him back to the present. He continued to sit and decides to light another cigarette. He placed the white stick in his mouth and began to light the end. His thoughts drifted back to the past once again. He thinks further and remembers the last time he saw Whitney prior to this afternoon.

&nb
sp; Luke remembered it was Friday, August 26, 2005. Luke was walking towards his superior’s office when he spots Whitney at one end of the hall.

  Through the frantic rushing crowd, Luke weaved his way to her side and said, “Wow, you would think that these guys have never been through a hurricane before. I mean, they have this place boarded up and every person is running around here like crazy!”

  “I know. My manager has me closing the store right now. I got to drop this off at the satellite bank and I’m heading out, going back to Tupelo until this place opens back up. So I guess I will be seeing you on Tuesday?”

  Luke laughed, wrapping his arms around Whitney. He held her close, forgetting to remember his girlfriend Marion. Luke looked into Whitney’s eyes, and said, “Come hell or high water, I will see you next week.”

  Luke started to turn away, when he felt Whitney’s warm moist hands embrace his lotion drenched face, gripping tight as she stepped forward onto the tips of her toes and gently kissed Luke’s chapped lips. She then smiled and slowly backed up, eventually turning around leaving Luke confused and curious.

  A siren off in the distance once again brought Luke to the present. He finally exited his vehicle and makes his way towards his apartment. Stepping closer to his front door, he noticed a moving truck to the south side of the building. He looked a little closer and discovered Audrey loading small items in the large open space of the truck.

  Concerned, Luke rushed towards her and said, “Audrey, what the hell is going on? Are you moving?”

  “Yeah. I got home this morning from visiting my parents, and my roommate and I had this huge argument. She kept saying, ‘I wouldn’t have signed up to live with you if I knew that you were an unstable bitch,’ and I was like… whatever… I’ll just move out, it will be okay. So my dad arranged for me to move into some cottages closer to campus, so it kind of worked out, I guess. I will miss this place though.”

  Luke stood by as two large men removed boxes and furniture from the second story apartment.