Infinite Testament (3 page)

Lisa Binsby’s eyes were full of tears. She tried to
keep herself composed, but it wasn’t working. Deep in the heart of the
night, she stood on a pier, the wind dramatically blowing at her back. It
was chilly so she bundled up in a slim jacket and scarf to stay warm.

Stephen couldn’t remember how long it had been since he
last saw her.

Lisa pleaded, “In a corner of my mind, I remember everything.
Maybe I shouldn’t, but I do. I remember the laughs we shared. The
silly arguments we had. It’s the little things I miss the most. I
know things have changed, but I need you now. I miss you.” Lisa’s
tears smeared her face. Her green eyes were full of longing. Her
thin eyebrows burrowed on her face as she waited to be taken back.

A handsome man with protruding muscles gazed back at
her. The man, tough on the outside, was fragile on the inside. He
was at a loss for words. He looked at her wanting eyes and simply said,
“I can’t.”

Campbell watched with teary eyes.

Stephen peered at Campbell. “Are you crying?”

Campbell was sitting in front of the TV in his hotel room,
absorbed in the show he was watching. His eyes were plainly tearier than
they had been before. “I love this show, Stephen. Lisa Binsby is my
favorite actress.”

Stephen agreed with him on one point: Lisa was the best
actress in Hollywood. It was only a matter of time before she started
raking in some serious awards. Stephen never told Campbell about him and
Lisa. There was no point. It would only produce hundreds of
questions he didn’t feel like answering.

Stephen asked, “Why aren’t you ready to go?”

Stephen was sharply dressed. Campbell, on the other
hand, looked like garbage. He was still wearing his dirty white T-shirt
he wore on the plane. In the 45 minutes they had been at the hotel,
Campbell had done nothing. Stephen was fed up. “Screw it, let’s
go.” The night before the big speech was reserved for a few drinks.

“What about Miles?”

Stephen glared at him. “Seriously? He takes
better care of himself than you do.”

Stephen left the room, knowing Campbell would grab his
shoes and follow.

Stephen and Campbell arrived at a bar in Hollywood.
This was Stephen’s type of place: plenty of pool tables and giant screen
TVs. It was especially crowded on this day. Everyone was dressed in
their best attire, except for Campbell, who didn’t care for bars but came to
accompany his friend anyway. The bar reeked of desperation as dozens of
men stumbled around looking for a late-night hookup.

Stephen fetched beers for himself and Campbell. He
checked out the TVs: no good games on tonight. Across the way, there was
a group of people cheering. He glanced at a crowd that was watching…
something.

“What is that Campbell?”

Campbell stuck out his neck to try and see, “I think it’s
just someone playing pool.”

Stephen and Campbell trekked over to the crowds. They
saw Paul Higgins in the process of schooling some poor opponent in pool.
Paul Higgins was the biggest star in Hollywood, a dashing teen
heartthrob. He was worth millions of dollars, maybe as much as
Stephen. Surely there were personal guards nearby making sure no one got
too tangled up with him. Stephen met plenty of actors in his day.
He never met one he liked. They all loved themselves and often acted like
they were the second coming of Christ.

Stephen noticed that the balls remaining on the pool table
were of mostly one type. Someone was dominating the game and it appeared
to be Paul Higgins. Paul strutted around the table as his opponent stayed
silent. His cocky prance irritated Stephen. He didn’t just beat his
opponent, probably some average Joe trying to impress a girl, he berated him.

“In my last life, I was the pool champion of the world!”
Paul proclaimed.

Campbell sighed, “What a tool.”

Stephen nodded. “Agreed.”

Paul took a shot and nailed it. He was just the
8-ball away from victory. The crowd roared with applause.

“What is that? Six wins in a row?” Paul asked,
continuing his show. He twirled the stick around his body and above his
head like a baton.

Stephen’s goal for the night revealed itself: he was going
to teach Paul Higgins a lesson in humility.

“Follow me, Campbell.”

Paul Higgins sunk his final shot and the game was
over. Stephen wormed his way past the tightly woven throngs of applauding
people, determined to face Paul before anyone had the chance to beat him to
it. Stephen emerged and stood at the end of the pool table, staring down
Paul. He didn’t say a word. It was like a western shoot-out.
Paul stared back. It would be seconds until one of them would draw.
The crowd quietly listened.

“Another challenger? How much money do
you
want to lose?” Paul taunted.

The crowd simultaneously turned their attention to
Stephen. There wasn’t a trace of fear in his body. He threw down
twenty $100 bills on the table. Draw.

Stephen declared in a Clint Eastwood-like tone, “I hope
you’re as good you think you are.”

Campbell slapped his head in disbelief. The crowd
turned their attention to Paul.

Stephen grabbed a pool stick and waited.

Paul Higgins was stunned. He didn’t know if this
mystery fellow was bluffing or if he should be worried. He stood and
pondered, knowing he couldn’t let the crowd down. He visibly regained his
composure.

“Deal.” Paul’s guard emerged from the shadows and
took the scattered money off the table. Stephen quipped, “Make sure you
don’t lose that. I’ll need it back in five minutes.”

Campbell squeezed his way through the crowds and came to
the aid of his boss. “Why are you carrying that much money?”

Stephen shrugged.

“Are you any good at pool?”

Stephen whispered, “Just watch this.”

Lisa Binsby was both impressed and touched.
Stephen just cleared the whole pool table and won her a giant stuffed
animal. This was reputed as one of the hardest carnival games in
existence and Stephen just dominated it. The game started with six pool
balls in the center. The goal was to knock all six balls into the pockets
using only four shots. Since this feat was typically impossible, the
prize was a monstrous stuffed pink dog that was almost as tall as Lisa.
It dawned on Stephen that he would have to carry the dog through the fair for
the rest of the day. Perhaps he should have waited to play until they
were on the way out.

Stephen and Lisa had recently graduated college. It
was June and St. Joseph, Michigan was having its annual fair. Lisa was
leaving for Los Angeles in a few weeks and Stephen would soon be starting his
entry-level job. All they had was today. Tomorrow was more than an
uncertainty; life was at a crossroads for both of them.

Stephen and Lisa held hands as they strolled through the
rides, games, food stands, and crowds of people. The fair had a rural
feel to it and the sun was out in full force. Summer had officially
arrived and was blessing the people of Michigan with comfortable weather.

Stephen and Lisa wandered past a little burger stand.

“Wanna get a burger?” Lisa asked.

“Sure. I’m always up for a burger,” Stephen said with
a giant pink dog over his shoulder.

They walked toward the burger stand when they were
interrupted by a female voice. “Hey guys!”

The voice was sharply recognizable. At first, Stephen
couldn’t match it to a face. Then he saw Kristen waving her hand in the
air running toward them. “Oh great,” he mumbled to himself. Kristen
was wearing bright pink, essentially matching the dog draped over
Stephen. She looked dapper as always. Kristen never spared an
expense when it came to her style.

“What’s up guys?”

Kristen and Lisa embraced.

“How are you?” Lisa asked, “Where’s Bruce?”

Kristen hugged Stephen, “He’s in line getting a hot
dog. I told him to meet me over here.”

Stephen grew ecstatic to finally have a chance to see
him. He never heard from him anymore. Bruce was always spending
time with Kristen. It irked Stephen everyday. It was like Bruce had
forgotten he even existed. Bruce was supposed to be his best
friend. Was it too much to ask to check in every once in a while?
His personality had changed a little too. He was a philosophy major, and
he became, well, philosophical. Nonetheless, Stephen was excited to see
him again. Finally.

Bruce arrived, hot dog in hand, and approached
Stephen. “What’s going on? Long time.” Bruce shook Stephen’s
hand in that nonchalant way Bruce does things.

“How’ve you been Bruce? I haven’t heard from you in
forever. You don’t answer my calls.”

Kristen slapped Bruce’s shoulder. “Why don’t you
answer his calls?!”

“I’m sorry man, I’ve just been busy, that’s all.
Peter van Inwagen and all his crap been keeping me up all night.
Philosophy’s not easy.”

“Hey no problem,” Stephen muttered. Looking to shift
the focus, he said, “Ya know Lisa’s moving to Los Angeles in a month.
She’s going to be a movie star.”

Lisa blushed. “We’ll see about that. I’m just
going to see what I can do, maybe I can get some parts or something.”

“That’s great!” Kristen proclaimed.

This was just like when the four of them met at the theme
park. The fair was less glorified, but similar in purpose.

Without warning, a blanket of darkness covered them and the
heavens unleashed barrels of water. As the four friends became drenched,
they sensed it was time to separate once again.

Bruce shook Stephen’s hand. “Sorry it’s been so
long.”

It felt good for Stephen to hear him say that. Life
had pulled them apart but there would always be a special place in their hearts
for one another. Stephen looked at Bruce as water poured from his hair
onto his face.

Bruce whispered into Stephen’s ear, “I’ll bring it next
time we get together, it’s your turn to have it for a little while.”

Stephen smiled. It was overdue for his turn.
Not that it really mattered, but they did have an agreement, and Stephen kept
his end of the bargain for all those years.

They shook hands and gave each other a brief hug.
“I’ll see you soon.”

They wouldn’t see each other soon. In fact, the next
time they saw each other, it wouldn’t be a happy reunion.

Bruce and Kristen walked away. Stephen and Lisa
watched as they faded into the distance. “Lisa,” Stephen announced,
“Follow me.” Stephen darted off with the pink dog over his shoulder,
which was getting progressively heavier as the rain soaked down.
Confused, Lisa ran after him.

Stephen stopped at a mini-roller coaster. It only
went in a circle and was designed for little kids. He asked the operator,
“Can we get on this?” The operator shook his head. “Too wet.”
Stephen dropped his head in disappointment.

Lisa caught up with him, huffing for air. “What’s
gotten in to you? You know I’m not that fast! We have to get out of
the rain!”

Stephen gazed into Lisa’s green eyes, “You know, I met you
on a roller coaster, so I figured the right place to do this would be… on a
roller coaster.” Lisa shook her head, not understanding what he was
getting at.

Stephen reached into his pocket. “I love you.”

Water dripped down her face. Her long, flowing, brown
hair was soaked. Her clothes grew wetter by the second. The light
in her eyes illuminated the darkness around him.

Stephen pulled a tiny square box out of his pocket.
He got on one knee and snapped it open. A ring sat inside. “Lisa
Binsby, will you marry me?”

Stephen cleared the entire pool table.
All that remained was the 8-ball. Unluckily for Paul Higgins, Stephen was
exceptional at pool. It was a talent he never fully utilized, with the
exception of a couple cheap carnival games. Paul lost his swagger and was
lagging way behind. The crowd was stunned. Campbell proudly looked
on as his boss was about to grow $2,000 richer.

“What’s wrong Paul? Can’t make it seven in a
row?” Stephen had stolen Paul’s thunder. He enjoyed turning the
tables on this ex-bully. Sometimes people just needed a taste of their
own medicine to set them straight. Not that Paul Higgins would ever be
anything but a primetime jerk.

The crowd wondered aloud who it was laying a beat down on
their hero. “Who is that guy?” “What movie is he from?” The
crowd obliviously awaited Paul’s defeat.

Paul knocked in some shots. He wasn’t an inadequate
opponent. In fact, he was an excellent player; but Stephen was
phenomenal. It was only a matter of time before Paul screwed up, allowing
Stephen a chance to put the game to rest. Sure enough, Paul’s shot left
his target ball barely tipping and missing the middle cup. The white ball
ricocheted toward the center of the table.

Stephen had a clear shot with the 8-ball in the corner
pocket. He chalked his stick, leaned in to Campbell, who had been his
biggest fan throughout the match, and said, “Guess I’m buying dinner for the
next couple days.” Stephen approached and prepared to sink his shot.

The crowd shifted its focus. One by one, heads
switched directions. They all looked toward Paul. The match became
an afterthought. Stephen was flabbergasted. He was about to make
the shot they’d been waiting for. What could take their attention away
from that?

Stephen could barely see Paul anymore as the crowd closed
around him. A woman kissed him on the cheek. “Who is that?” Stephen
asked Campbell. The crowd continued to block their view. Stephen
and Campbell tried to look around the clustered heads to see what was causing
the commotion.

Paul emerged from the crowd and uttered, “Get it over with
already.” Stephen now had a clear look at what caused the ruckus: the
woman who kissed Paul Higgins.