Memories Work Like Magic

chapter three.

After dropping his keys on the small brown table in his foyer, just as he did the night before, Jack stormed into his house and headed straight to the kitchen. He stopped in front of the sink and began talking to himself aloud.

"What's gotten into me? Maybe I just need to drink and loosen up a little. Yeah." He glanced over at the glowing green numbers on his stove clock. They read 8:30. It wasn't even noon yet. "Yep. Just need a bottle of whiskey and everything will be fine. Maybe I'll invite a friend over. Actually, no. I'd rather not." He paused for a brief moment and stared into the dark drain of the sink before flinging his hands up and clutching on to his head, shaking it. "Jack, Jack, Jack. Are you crazy? Wake up! Why are you talking to yourself?" He yelled before removing his hands and quickly bringing them back down to his sides.

He turned his head to look at his wine cupboard, thinking Well, a drink doesn't sound too bad right about now. Maybe just something light.

~~

Jack lightly and lazily dropped himself onto the black leather couch of his living room with a small glass of red wine in his hand. After taking a sip he placed his cup onto a red and black circular coaster and set them both on his dark, wooden coffee table. He noticed that his laptop rested next to where he placed the coaster, so he pulled it into his lap and opened it, the white Apple logo on the cover lighting up. He typed in the address to the House & Home website. He never actually looked at the houses and furniture in it while he was in the taxi. He didn't check when that magazine was issued, but he was sure it was outdated.

Almost instantly after the website finished loading, Jack's phone lit up the same way that it did earlier that morning. This time, though, the number was unknown again. Before picking up, Jack picked up his phone to hold it closer to his face and squinted at the number displayed on the screen. It looked slightly familiar, so he thought it might have been the same number that called him while he was driving.

"Hello?" He lifted his phone to his left ear. He made his voice go slightly higher, almost as if he were one of those flight attendants that were always happy, so that he could sound like he wasn't frustrated as hell with himself.

"Jack! That luxury apartment you were looking at the other day just sold!" Jack definitely did not recognize this voice. His focus was what the voice said, though, so he didn't bother asking who he was speaking with.

"Aw really man? That's sucks!" Jack replied with fake expression. Not too fake, though.

"Yeah! But get this, another one on the thirteenth floor of that same building went for sale." A faint sound of giggling could be heard through the phone from Jack's end, as if whoever was on the other line moved his phone away from his face so he wouldn't be too loud.

"Oh really? Send me a link, bro," as soon as Jack said this, the man on the other line erupted with laughter. Jack grimaced and moved his hand and neck in opposite directions. The mysterious man was laughing very obnoxiously, and for a long time too. Jack was thankful he wasn't talking to this man in person; he would have gotten spit all over him.

"Tricked!" Jack was confused, so he stayed silent, bringing the phone back to his ear. "Silly Jack! Apartment buildings don't have thriteenth floors! It's bad luck!"

Now Jack actually had a reason to be annoyed. "Why are you yelling?" he asked coldly.

"Sorry, man, I just can't believe you fell for that! Psssssh–" Jack hung up as the person on the other line started laughing again.

"Fuckin' useless," he muttered to himself. "God dammit!" He yelled when his phone started ringing again. He recognized that it was the same number. Right after he picked up he blurted out, "What the fuck do you want?"

"Woah, sorry man, I didn't mean to make you mad," the voice started. "But there is actually a luxury room for sale at Hillside Residence."

"And you couldn't just text me all this?" Jack blurted out again. He was surprised at himself for being rude to a stranger that was trying to help him out. Jack had to pause to think for a moment. This guy knows my name and knows that I'm looking at new homes, so he isn't a stranger, is he?

A very short conversation and three text messages later, Jack was on the Hillside Residence website looking at this luxury apartment.