Dear reader, this here is not part of the Novella, but just a quick foreword. First and foremost thank you all, who already gave me some feedback and also to those who will in future! Second, the name of the post got longer than I wanted it to and maybe it's confusing. But simply, here's a link to the first part of the Novella. After I'll write and post it whole (expect about 5-7 parts), I'll start editing and posting updated versions and those will be called version 02, 03, etc.
He sat for a while, with the tablet silently waiting on further notice. Dren
almost thought about something, before the ringing sound awoke him. He took
his smartphone out, which was nothing else but a smaller version of the
screen before him. Again the archaic term stuck. ”.. Yeah?” ”Hey man, me
and the gang are meeting for a beer, same time, same place. Care to
join?” ”You even have to ask? Hell yea.” ”Great, see ya.” This was Dren’s
automatic response, when somebody caught him off guard. So he sat there for
a moment, thinking if he really wanted to be in a noisy place tonight.
Uploading.
15 minutes later, Dren was already at the usual meeting point, a great pub. ”Pubs
are one of the last remaining pieces of the older generations. Still retain their
charm, as a testament to time itself.” Upon entering the Cal’s pub he felt a
welcoming and warm atmosphere all around. The smell of beer filling his
nostrils, and the laughter of people reaching his ears. There was no more
second guessing that this had been the right choice for the evening. As per
usual, he was the first to arrive, so he simply found a free table. This
quest was proven to be no problem at all, since it was very early in the
evening and in the middle of the week. He sat upon one of the welcoming
cushioned chairs. Soon enough, the smooth surface of the table reacted to his
presence, and lit up. A welcoming screen appeared, showing a variety of
different options. Dren moved forward his arm, and lightly touched the
screen a few times. He was automatically selecting the section dedicated
to the various different beers. Multiple options followed on-screen, with
Dren lazily selecting ”lager” and ”white”, without even looking at the
other options. He was so used to this place probably even more than his
home.
He lost track of time by looking at the different beers imported from various countries - politically speaking, various sub-territories of the great European
Union. For the second time in less then an hour, he was pulled to the reality by
the sound of Blair’s words:”Hey man!” and his welcoming hand saluting
awkwardly. ”Hi Blair! Wow, to be honest I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”
”Ha-ha, very funny. I’m never late!” but than continuing with ”Well,
no. I’m late, but never as late as Dana and Norm.” ”Yeah, have to give
you that one. How many beers do you think we can down before they honor us with their presence?” ”Tough question! I’d say we better find
out!” and with that, the conversation was momentarily over, and both sat
in silence, while fumbling with the table-screen. In the end they both
went for the artificially home-brewed beer. ”In here nothing beats the
ol’ Cal’s lager.” to which Dren responded:”Were you reciting this line
since the last time?” They laughed in unison and sat for a while longer,
awaiting the waitress. Before Dren could see her, he heard a surprised and
somewhat amused Blair saying:”Oh wow, this place has sexy waitresses too?”.
He followed the sound of the voice and identified the object of Blair’s
musings. A tall brunette, ”Nice ass” the first thought crossing Dren’s
mind - it was hard to miss, since the waitress made sure her behind was
emphasized non the least by the skinny jeans she was wearing - and a
generous bosom from what could be observed from over the Cal’s obligatory
Shirt-wear. Her response was rather bemused and off-guard:”Oh. Uhm.
Thanks I guess, here’s your beer.” ”Thanks,” replied both and awaited her
leave.
”So she’s not only a new face in here, but a newbie to the whole waitress-thing as
well.” ”Seems so.” confirmed Blair, still hoping to get another look at her
butt, even though she was beyond his eyesight. Blair’s excited ”Next
beer, I want to find out all about her!” was met with Dren’s resigned
”Sure you do. But for now let’s just toast and start this night!”. ”Cheers!”
was heard over the sound of two glasses meeting. And soon a refreshing
cold taste filled their mouths, successively spreading downwards to their
stomachs. ”Aaah, the first sip of the beer is always...” ”Magnificent I’d say.”
”Wasn’t exactly the word I was thinking of, but sure, magnificent it is.”
concluded Blair. A moment of awkwardness followed, with the two not
being exactly happy with how the moment played out. Dren was the
first to break the unwelcoming silence with an idea:”Hey, let’s play a
drinking game? Haven’t done it in quire some time now.” Blair’s green eyes
behind heavy-framed black glasses lit up in expectation, in a way Dren
always associated with the excitement of a young kid opening a Christmas
present:”Great idea! We haven’t played the Cal’s games since we got fed up with
them soon after the bar’s opening.” Following his words, Blair tapped the
table-screen, selected the category ”Games” and lastly, the ”tap-out”. Of
course, the bar officially didn’t recommend drinking, and the game was
intended to simply be a fun pastime, to see who has a better eye-hand
coordination and sense for rhythm. In principle it was a simple game, the
players had to tap with either the left or the right hand, depending on
the on-screen instructions, which followed the rhythm of a popular song.
After the song’s ending, the winning player is one that has managed to
follow the rhythm better. From there to a drinking game, the step was
simple: whoever loses, drinks. And then loses some more and drinks more.
Just as about all of the drinking games go. It was a game that was more
fun with a larger number of players, though that usually proved to be
a problem, because everyone started to be too loud for the other bar
guests.
Time passed quickly by, with Dren taking the first defeat, shortly followed by
Blair’s. Another few defeats followed on Dren’s part, with Blair starting to drink
just to keep him company and then the situation reversed once again. Both
were growing happier by the mixed excitement of alcohol entering their
brain and a competition taking place. Before it could degenerate to an
all-out drunken competition, Norm and Dana arrived and their apologetic
”Hey guys, sorry for being late! Again! It was her/his fault this time.” was
greeted with ”Oh, look who arrived. Can you both tell us which year is
it again?” After two beers and starting on the third, neither Dren nor
Blair cared about common courtesy. And also, despite the possibility of
there being a legitimate excuse, Dren and Blair firmly believed that
Norm and Dana were just having some great sex, while their friends
patiently waited for them. This response noticeably shook Dana, but she was
reasonable enough to understand she should just stay quiet on this one. So
instead, she simply looked up to Norm and squeezed his hand, hoping
to get some comfort. Instead his alpha-male instincts showed up and he
only threw her a lazy glance, before confronting his two best friends. Oh
yes, the knowledge that his friends envy his oh-so-amazing sex life put a
boost on his confidence, so he gladly seconded it and so his response was
”Uhh.. I don’t know. You only have to keep track of years when you don’t
know the last time you got laid.” An idiotic grin appeared on his face.
Dana felt a wave of shame fleeting through her body and she angrily
added:”Then you better start counting, smart-ass.” This got Dren and Blair
out of the cornered position and they looked at each other and laughed
hard.
Once the pair was seated and another two Cal’s lagers were ordered, the
conversation picked up immediately:”So, Dren. How are you treading with the
chip?” at the sound of Norm’s voice, all three heads turned towards Dren in
expectation. ”Oh, well. Give me a second” Dren replied, to which he
quickly Uploaded his thoughts ”Right. Sorry, I had to clear my mind,
you were asking about the Chip? It’s actually treading extremely well. I
managed to study - bear with me please - for 5 hours straight!!” A laughter
followed, with all of his friends genuinely amused. Blair
was the first to pick up the conversation:”I’m sorry, but that just. Isn’t
like you.” Dren angrily commented:”Oh so now you’re mocking me? Gee
thanks! Such great a friend you are!” Realizing that Dren wanted to hear a praise for his endeavors, Dana quickly jumped in:”I think you got us wrong. It’s great what
you did! It’s just not the first thing that we thought you’d do with the
new chip.” ”Oh?” Dren was intrigued now. Norm weighed in, with Blair
nodding a few times so to confirm his mutual thoughts:”Well, yeah, you
were always the smart guy in our group. Studying would be the first
common thought of every student ever. We were almost betting that you’d
do something more inventive!” Deep down, Dren knew that they were
right, and there was much more the chip could give to him. How could he
have not thought of this before? Quickly taking out his smartphone, he
uploaded the thoughts and checked the number - thoughts_175 - making a
mental note to remember it later. The rest of the evening was uneventful,
with the bunch happily chatting, drinking and recounting their daily
experiences. Dren’s friends have long before taken advantage of the new
technology. And seeing how it improved their daily lives, it was his friends
that eventually got him out of the fear for this mind-meddling digital
implant
... TO BE CONTINUED
Let me put here again a link to the beginning of this Blog, so it will make more sense for newcomers. Hopefully.
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