The Universal Will of Life
Rory found the Americans in the Red Lion pub, they had taken over leaving the locals a bit bemused. He was tired with the state of his life and lonely. This week he was in Aberdeen staying in university halls of residence.
A year ago he left Joanne, by his own decision but he regretted it terribly. He loved Joanne and thought about her constantly. She had given him an ultimatum "face up to responsibility or leave. I don't like frauds". He left Nottingham and travelled to Scotland for a new start as his trade was becoming too well known anyway.
Rory is a professional story-teller, otherwise known as a con man. With a persuasive tongue and a friendly smile he was as good as it gets. On the way into Aberdeen the taxi driver told him "I've just taken three lassies up this morning, Americans on a cultural exchange". He liked students as he was young enough to pose as a student and foreign students were especially gullible.
Tonight he is a nervous new philosophy tutor. He has urgent expenses and a cash flow problem. He would promise to pay them back in a few weeks, but first he had to make contact. He found an empty table and started to write in his notepad. He wrote "who cares" repeatedly in green biro with the odd expletive.
At 8.30 he saw a group of girls looking at him, glancing up he saw one coming towards him. She stopped and looked back at her friends but they waved her on. He turned the page and wrote at the top in large letters "The Universal Will of Life".
"I'm really sorry to bother you", Rory jolted pretending to be in deep concentration. "I was wondering if you have a light. None of my friends smoke and I'm desperate for a light."
"Certainly" he said and offered her a light.
"I've been watching you, you seem very serious, what are you writing about?" She sat down and they talked. "I'm on a cultural exchange visit, I love Aberdeen, it's so grey- my friends think I'm weird" she giggled.
Rory laughed and introduced himself. She was studying journalism and seemed eager to learn more about him. She frowned as he explained what he was studying but then the conversation flowed as she asked him the questions most people leave at the back of their mind until they meet a philosopher. He let her talk, studying her and noting valuable information.
At 10.30 he was convinced the time was right to ask for the money when her friend appeared and interrupted, "Mary Anne, our last bus leaves at 10.45, we're leaving now to get to the bus stop would you like to come with us?"
Mary Anne giggled and whispered "what was your name again?"
"Rory".
"Kelly this is Rory" she said out loud and they shook hands. Rory gulped at his beer, Kelly was the image of Joanne, the same short hair and sparkling eyes. He was entranced. Kelly smiled and held her head up shaking her hair delicately. Rory was in love, "why now?" he thought.
Mary Anne left leaving Rory confused. He didn't know what to do. His self discipline said "you can't live on sympathy". Kelly haunted his thoughts, but he decided to stick to the original plan.
The bar emptied, the love song on the sound system swirled around in his head as he walked home. Mary Anne had mentioned the free meals she got in the university canteen, the next day he went there early to listen to the gossip and watch for the girls. Very soon he got bored and wrote in his notepad "it is all froth, everyone is living on nothing, when will they notice?"
When Mary Anne and Kelly appeared, Mary Anne had dinner with him, his story worked and she promised him the money. Strangely Kelly left early, "she's just jealous" Mary Anne explained and giggled.
The next day he went to the park to read. The sun was shining and it was difficult to get a free seat, as he turned a corner he saw Kelly sitting on her own, "amazing" he thought and sat down beside her.
His heart leaped as she smiled and started to talk to him. She was different to Mary Anne, far more intellectual and she was able to debate his ideas more eloquently. He relaxed and opened up his feelings to her. Suddenly Kelly went quiet, took her sunglasses off and stood up.
"I've been following you" she declared. "Mary Anne is dumb but I'm her friend. I want you to give me her money. You are a fraud!"
Rory was stunned, "but...what...what money?" she glared at him. "How did you know?" he confessed.
"Well, I never trusted you anyway. I asked the university and they had never heard of you. And Schopenhauer isn't Austrian he was German." There was silence. Rory was ashamed.
After he gave her the money he packed his stuff and left, throwing his notepad in the bin. He went to the train station to get a ticket for Nottingham. He wondered if he could compose a story for Joanne.
Rod White 11/07/98
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