Always be celebrating

Inspired by a man shouting outside my flat in the afternoon.

Always be celebrating

Jerry hadn't put enough work in to spreading his message. At least, that's what I'd decided to name him that day. Across the street from my window, appealing to the disinterested, busy pacing of local residents and visitors alike, he preached vehemently:

"I've got lots of money! I'll sort you ALL out! I wanna see you all celebrating, and smiling! I wanna see you appreciating life!"

Cue a handful of bewildered stares, those typically elicited by a passing nutter. Unabated, he resumed:

"I'm pissed off, yeah?! Pissed off! Because none of you!..none of you are celebrating life! Nobody smiles!" 

As I drew my curtain slightly, I sat on the edge of the bed the way one would sit on the edge of ones seat. He chose this moment to punch the nearest people carrier making a left turn into a side street. Not being tentative, it was a wonder he didn't break his knuckles, not that this would have distracted him. The driver for his or her part was as unperturbed, continuing the journey with no fuss.

"I'll just take my money and f**k off shall I?!" He finally relented, stubbing out his cigarette on another car and crossing the street, wandering off out of view. At no stage did he draw any greater attention than the same momentary, bewildered glance from passers by. 

As he drifted out of sight, I mused on the notion that, just maybe, the greatest secrets to unlocking happiness, fulfilment, and our full potential in this existence, were trapped within the minds of those insufficiently served to convey them. Arising, then, and pushing on my shoes, I wondered if I could liberate the poor fellow of his knowledge where others had blithely ignored him, and perhaps do some greater good by interpreting his word.

Venturing to the street, I was just able to catch up with him. Overcoming my own trepidation, I managed to nervously get his attention.

"What you want mate?"

"Um, you were saying people should smile and celebrate?"

"Yeah f****n ell man! Smile yeah! Celebrate! Pisses me off!"

"It's just...don't people need a reason to celebrate? Something to smile about? A lot of people are coming back from work not all that happy. Why does that bother you so much?"

"I got loads of money. I'm a f****n king yeah?! We've only got the one life yeah?" He jammed a hand into his pocket, and pulled out a few mixed notes. Apparently he had enough to not mind the exact quantities and denominations, as he pushed his fist into mine.

"Go celebrate! Always be celebrating!" 

Before I could say anything else, he ducked into a crowd out of sight, muttering to himself as he departed. 

Heading back homeward, vaguely dissatisfied, I had to decide to make something of what he had failed to elaborate upon. At the very least, I had to be grateful for the...£35 he'd given me. Not that I had any idea what he had to celebrate. It seemed to me that, alongside seeing himself as a king, the man celebrated having money, simply because he had money. 

Therefore, this is what I chose to take away. He celebrated, simply because it was possible to celebrate, even without just cause, when he could say the word so frequently that it lost all meaning. 

I figured that night, I'd call a few friends to try out that lesson with me. We could always be celebrating.

Reviews

[Maya]

This reads like such a believable story, I kept smiling throughout the whole read. I love it! You have a flair for coining really interesting and fleshy characters. I can't wait to read a novel by you :)