The Copper Penny

The Copper Penny

A Story by BrynnaW.

The bar wasn’t at its usual hustle and bustle. Many seats were empty and the taps leaked more beer than what was being poured. “Mary’s,” it was called, the name high above the door in pink; ironic for such a place. Inside, neon lights labeled each beer available but there were few people to gaze upon such fermented glory. Surrounding the bar were several wooden tables etched with various designs, none of which were occupied with more than one person. At one of the tables was a woman who played with her wedding ring, an untouched beer beside her. Her gaze crawled upward from the heavily carved table to the dusty windows, where she could see her SUV was parked. Perhaps she was looking for an escape or maybe she was thinking of her child she had recently dropped off at her mother’s.

            A man sat in the corner table watching her with pity. His table was covered with empty beer bottles and he began to down another to steady his nerves. The woman glanced at him, her nose scrunched with distaste. She could see sweat glistening on his forehead and his hand lifting the neck of the bottle for each long gulp of the liquid courage. At his feet, though, was a bag; a military bag. The woman smirked to herself, seeing him just as unfortunate as her.

            Then, he stood. He didn’t sway or shake or show that the alcohol had any effect on him. The man grabbed his bag and set it next to the woman’s table, gesturing to ask if he could sit down. However, before she could deny him, he sat down across from her and tapped his knuckles on the wood nervously.

            “Shelly?” the man asked and she nodded, mindlessly toying with her ring. “Name’s Theo,” he held out his hand for her but she peered into his face with distrust.

            “You’re not here for the drink, I presume?”

            “I thought I was. Why does it matter?”

            Theo shook his head, a slight smile lining his lips, “You’re waiting for someone.”

            “No. I was but... well, they didn’t show. So, I came here.”

            “Your husband.”

            Shelly nodded again as though her head worked on a spring meant for a toy. This man was invading the little comfort she had at this place and she saw no point in focusing on a man who reeked more of alcohol than a dozen sleazy men at a stripper’s club.

            “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked and quickly dug around in his pocket until he produced a penny, dirt smeared over Abe’s face. “Listen,” he began but stopped suddenly, digging through his pocket a second time before shaking his head. The dull copper balanced on his finger and he flicked it with his thumb, causing it to jump out of his hand and dance wildly in circles upon the table.

            “In the war, every second counts, every life counts. One thought can be our last so, we try to keep that good thought with us no matter where we go. The bombs... they crashed down on us out of nowhere. It was an ambush.”

            The penny seemed to slow, each turn sounding to every tick of the clock. It hit the beer bottle but bounced back to the center of the table in effort to keep spinning.

            “During that ambush, we all looked out for each other. We’re all brothers practically. Sometimes, though, our brothers leave us and we can only wonder what their final second is. There’s just so little time in this world and so much hell.” Theo watched as the penny tipped off the edge of the table, flipping like a falling man reaching for the ledge, for his life. It landed on the concrete to continue its soon ending journey and as the penny began to wave around its edges, saying its goodbye, he cleared his throat.

            “He asked me to find you. I watched him die beside me when he saved my life and if I could trade places with him I would, believe me,” the man used his thumb to wipe away his silent tears. “He talked about you and your son a lot. I’m sorry.”

            Shelly couldn’t look at the sullen face of the man before her. She couldn’t pry her eyes away from the penny ending its life on the cold floor. As he finished his apology, the penny finished its goodbye and when she looked up with tears brimming her eyes, the man was gone. All that was evidence of him having been there was the bag on the floor, labeled with her husband’s name. Trembling, she leaned down to pick up the penny but, as she looked up, she noticed something taped under the other side of the table. Her fingers gently peeled it off and she opened the clumsily folded letter, smeared with grime.

            A creased photograph of her and her husband holding their newborn baby boy fell out. She held a hand over her mouth with the photo clutched tightly in her other shaking hand. Her muffled cries were became more vocally pronounced when she turned the photo over. Scrawled on the back in her husband’s panicked handwriting were ten little words: Every second was another thought of you. I love you.

© 2014 BrynnaW.


Author's Note

BrynnaW.
New and Improved

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Featured Review

Aww.. that was quite sad and such a nice change from your usual stories. I like how you use short stories to write something different than your books. I thought the idea of the copper penny was a good idea. It was hinted perfectly, i got what you mean before i read your notes. It was great. :)

Posted 11 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.




Reviews

That was really depressing..... it was a great story though.

Posted 9 Years Ago


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FNG
Wow... just wow. That's all I wish to say.

Posted 9 Years Ago


A very special story. I liked the way it was paced and the ending tied it up perfectly.

Posted 9 Years Ago


"In the war, every second counts, every life counts. One thought can be our last so, we try to keep that good thought with us no matter where we go." Lovely quote and great tie-in with the last line. An inspired story with amazingly vivid descriptions, and so much packed into few words!

Posted 9 Years Ago


Congratulations on this story's win in the Need Reviews? I contest! It was well earned!

-Mila

Posted 9 Years Ago


This is quite sad. I had tears in my eyes when I read this. Well done.

Posted 9 Years Ago


I really love the description in this, and the ideas the man has to offer. Really well done.

Posted 11 Years Ago


Aww.. that was quite sad and such a nice change from your usual stories. I like how you use short stories to write something different than your books. I thought the idea of the copper penny was a good idea. It was hinted perfectly, i got what you mean before i read your notes. It was great. :)

Posted 11 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Nicely written. Thanks for the note, which gave it enough context to work.

You've written one thing that has me grammatically flummoxed. I'm not sure what I'd do with "It was of my husband and I's first kiss". I'm not sure "I's" is ever correct. Maybe switch around: of my and my husband's first kiss" or reword "of the first kiss between my husband and me".

Posted 11 Years Ago


Wow! This is ever so lovely. Amazing write!

Posted 11 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.


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Added on April 23, 2012
Last Updated on November 2, 2014

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BrynnaW.
BrynnaW.

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