I am sitting at a bar
A guy walks into the bar and sits down next to me.
I’m writing in a notebook.
“What are you writing?” he asks.
“A joke.”
He leans over and glances at the page.
The first line reads:
A guy walks into a bar and sits down next to me.
He chuckles.
“Did you write that before I got here?”
“No.”
He keeps reading.
The next line says:
"Did you write that before I got here?"
His smile now fades.
“Wait. Are you writing down our conversation?”
“Yes.”
I write:
"Wait. Are you writing down our conversation?"
He stares at the notebook.
“That’s happening right now.”
“I know.”
I write:
"That’s happening right now"
“Stop doing that!”
I write:
"Stop doing that"
“This is creepy.”
I write that down too. He then reaches for the notebook. I pull it away.
“How does this joke end?” he asks
I look at the empty space at the bottom of the page.
“I haven't written it yet.”
For the first time since he sat down, he says nothing.
I write for a few seconds.
He watches my pen move.
His face drops.
“What did you write?”
“That you leave the bar.”
He gets up and walks out of the bar.
I keep writing.
A moment later the door swings open.
The guy walks back in.
“What are you doing?” he asks
“Finishing the joke.”
He looks down at the notebook.
The last line reads:
The guy walks back into the bar and says, "You asshole."
He looks up at me.
“You asshole.”