To be Titled [Opening]

[L0SS]

So I started writing. I've been reading Catch 22 recently, and was really taken in by the narrative style and characterisation. The way the novel shifts and flows between different points in time was a very interesting writing mechanic, and the humour within it is top notch. So, I was inspired to write. This opening gives very little away, but the plot is slowly taking shape in my head, so I hope this is enticing enough for you to keep on reading. I will say that is intentionally meant to be somewhat disorientating. CnC appreciated; peace out.

 

[spoiler='To Begin at the Beginning.']

0

The woman with the yellow ribbon was still staring at him. She’d been staring at him for over a minute now. Diego was unsure as to whether this was a good thing or not. He guessed not. To his mind, he was well within his rights to waltz over to her table right this instant, and tell that b**** what he really thought of her. However, he restrained himself. He would be the bigger man; sitting on his stool with his arms folded indignantly. He swirled the ice around in his glass, the cubes knocking against the sides, chiming like the keys of a tiny, crystalline piano. It was almost therapeutic. The bar was a musty, humid, boozy cocoon, and she was the delicate, deadly butterfly that threatened to break out and send it all collapsing in on itself. He glanced up at the woman again, but she was gone. This disturbed Diego greatly. Her being gone was nearly as bad as her constant staring. He reckoned he’d better give chase.

 

“Leave the whiskey on my bill” he called as he made his way towards the exit.

 

“You’ll have to set an account up first, Sir.” The bartender replied, grinning a jaunty grin. Diego was intrigued by the man’s red hair. It gleamed in the light, standing vertically upon the man’s head like a fiery pillar. Diego liked the hair.

 

“How long will that take?”

 

“Shouldn't be more than five minutes.” The man said, cheerfully. Diego knew that, in a chase, it is usually preferable to begin pursuit as soon as humanly possible, but he liked the bar, and he liked the man’s hair, so he decided that he could put a few minutes aside to fill out a form and receive a shiny silver card from the man in return. Not only would it be a symbol of Diego’s unwavering loyalty to the bar, but he could also use it to open doors if need be. As a first foray into amateur espionage, acquiring such a tool was surely a vital step.

 

“Alrighty, I’ll set one up. Do you still give out the loyalty cards?”

 

“Unfortunately Sir, we’re no longer using the card system. We set billing accounts up through your phone, now; it seemed more efficient.” The man explained. Diego was most unpleased to hear this. He was now without a valuable asset to his inventory. He thought the man’s hair to look faintly ridiculous, now that his mind was no longer obscured by the false positivity that had previously consumed him when hoping to obtain a loyalty card.   

 

“Forget it, I’ll just pay cash” Diego growled.

 

“Sure. Do you have a loyalty card, Sir?”

 

“Is that a joke?” Diego yawped. He very much hoped it was a joke. What kind of a man would taunt someone like that? One with idiotic hair, Diego supposed.

 

“Sorry? Oh, I do beg your pardon, Sir, I forgot. That’s approximately $3.50.”

 

“Approximately?”

 

“That’s exactly $3.50.” The man beamed. Diego was not in a beaming mood. He fished around his pockets for money, and produced several crinkled Dollar bills. The wrinkly, frowny face of George Washington looked back at him as he placed them on the bar.

 

“Keep the change.” Diego said, gloomily.

 

And with that, he parted from the man with the silly red hair, making his way swiftly to greet the outside world. The sticky denseness inside the bar, combined with the disgusting lack of shiny loyalty cards, had put him in a rather dour mood. However, he was not swayed in his conviction to find the woman with the yellow ribbon, and with a sharp, cold breath, set off into the unknown at a brisk pace. Reasonably brisk.

[/spoiler]