The Black Pill: Part Two

Just to recap, we discover that Monica has seen the beauty of the black rose and get away from the toxic relationship she had with Kenneth. She created a better for her and Jeremiah, Monica and Kenneth’s son. She married a man named Shane, had three kids with Shane and created a fruitful life for Jeremiah. Years have passed, and Kenneth’s life is a mess. Kenneth is currently unemployed, an alcoholic and living with his parents. Kenneth only wants one thing in life, and that one thing is his son Jeremiah. He doesn’t have the best relationship with his son, and for him it’s because of Monica. She’s made it hard for Kenneth to be a father to Jeremiah, and he constantly pleads to Jeremiah to believe his truth. Eventually, Jeremiah was tired of hearing Kenneth’s truth and stopped talking to him. This hurt Kenneth more than anything. All Kenneth wanted was his son and have the opportunity to be a father to him. Well, the opportunity presented itself.

Kenneth is at the bar at midnight, has ten drinks, gets in a fight with a bartender and gets thrown out. As he walks to his car, he notices a male figure leaning on his car. Kenneth is afraid of approaching the figure and thinks about calling the cops. Then, the figure in a Southern accent says, “I mean you no harm, Kenneth. I’m actually here to help you. I am the man in the white suit.”

Now, it’s time to get into “The Black Pill: Part Two.”

Kenneth didn’t know what to say to the man in the white suit. Questions poured his mind like who is the man in the white suit and how did he know his name. Yet for some reason, Kenneth wasn’t afraid of him. He was just afraid of approaching him. He couldn’t see his face in the shadows, so he didn’t know if he was black, white or Hispanic. Kenneth also believed the man in the white suit when he said he meant him no harm. However, Kenneth still felt like he needed to be cautious with the man in the white suit. Kenneth asks, “What do you want with me?”

The man in the white suit chuckles and says, “You know, a lot of people have seen me in a variety of different colors. I’ve mostly been seen in a red and black suit. A few times in a green, blue and yellow suit, but you’re an interesting specimen, I reckon. You’re the first person to see me in a white suit. Now, I don’t know how I feel about that, but I am a fan of new experiences. I reckon we’re gonna have a fun, interesting time together.”

The man in the white suit smiles, and Kenneth can see his shiny, white teeth in the shadows. He still cannot see his face. Then, Kenneth wonders if he’s talking to the Devil himself. He says, “Are you—

The man in the white suit interrupts, “No, I am not the Devil. I do get that a lot with people who see me in a red and black suit, but I quickly assure them that I’m not the Devil. And I’m not an angel either despite the white suit. Truthfully, I am something else.”

“What are you?” Kenneth asks.

The man in the white suit laughs and replies, “A mystery. I know who I am, but it won’t matter to you. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, son.”

“Try me,” Kenneth says.

The man in white suit’s smile widens, and he says, “Believe me, you don’t want to know. However, you are a rare specimen, and I reckon I just might have to tell you who I am depending on the choice you make tonight.”

“What choice?” Kenneth asks.

“Follow me and find out, ” the man in the white suit says.

The man in the white suit starts walking with his red cane, and Kenneth is compelled to follow the man in the white suit. As they’re walking, Kenneth tries to see the color of his skin. However, it’s too dark, and he’s too drunk to tell. Kenneth is struggling to walk and follow the man in the white suit, and he starts stumbling. The man in the white suit turns to look at Kenneth, smiles and says, “Don’t worry, Kenneth. You can lean on me for support.”

Kenneth leans on the man in the white suit, but he quickly finds himself tired. He finds himself not walking but floating. He looks up at the man in the white suit and sees a smile across his face. Why is the man in the white suit smiling? Then, he closes his eyes and drifts into sleep.

Ten seconds later, he wakes up in a room. It’s a small room with an old TV set, and a bookcase with three books in it. A white, gray and black book. There’s a red door to his right, and he finds himself seated in a red chair. Across from him is a coffee table and a white chair. He looks to his left and finds the man in the white suit staring out of the window. The only source of light came from the window. Kenneth asks where they are, and the man in the white suit responds, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Well, what time is it?” Kenneth wonders.

“It doesn’t matter,” the man in the white suit replies.

“Well, what does matter?” Kenneth wonders.

The man in the white suit turns around, smiles and says, “Now, that’s an interesting question.”

The man in the white suit starts pacing and looks at the books in the bookcase. He stops at the bookcase and picks up the white book. He opens it and flips through the pages. He smiles at them and says, “You know, I find myself thinking about an interesting movie at this very moment. Can you guess the movie, Kenneth?”

Kenneth couldn’t guess the movie. The man in the white suit chuckles and continues, “I’m thinking about the movie The Matrix. It’s honestly one of my favorite movies ever. One of my favorite moments in this movie was Morpheus presenting these two pills to Neo, a red and blue pill. The blue pill would keep Neo in the Matrix, while the red pill would take Neo out of the Matrix. Morpheus needed Neo take the red pill because he was the One. Neo would be the one to save Zion from the machines. However, Morpheus still had to give Neo a choice simply because of free will. He couldn’t alter Neo’s choice because he would be ruining Neo’s fate and/or destiny. Morpheus had to have faith that Neo would make the right choice.”

The man in the white suit puts the white book down and picks up the gray book. He opens it and flips through the pages. Then, he says, “That’s what life is honestly. It’s many things, and it’s open to interpretation, I reckon. Faith, destiny, fate and free will. Everyone’s different when they go through me because again it’s open to interpretation. For you, life is about free will, a series of choices. You can choose to quit drinking whenever you want to. You can choose to get a job whenever you want to. You can choose to leave your parents’ house whenever you want to. However, you don’t have the choice to choose whether or not your son lives with you or not. You have no control over that. At least, not until now.”

The man in the white suit closes the gray book and places it back where it was. He grabs the black book, walks over to Kenneth’s direction and sits in the white chair across from Kenneth. Then, he places the black book on the coffee table. The man in the white suit reaches into his pocket and pulls out two pills. A white pill in his right hand and a black pill in his left hand. He presents them to Kenneth, and Kenneth finds himself staring at the pills.

The man in the white suit looks at Kenneth and whispers, “These are your two choices. You take the white pill, you are guaranteed your son. Your son will live with you, be yours and give you the opportunity to be the father you want to be. You take the black pill, you are guaranteed sobriety, a house and a job. You will never want alcohol again in your life, you’ll have a home you can call your own and a job that will provide you a steady income. The choice is yours. Which pill do you want? The white pill or the black pill?”

This is the end of “The Black Pill: Part Two.”

Be sure to like, share and comment your thoughts on this short story.

Next week, I will be sharing part three on Tuesday and part four on Thursday.