The Bartender's Secret
by Derek Bixler
It was a warm September night in Laredo, Texas. I'll never forget it.
My life was in shambles. I wanted badly for my ranch just east of town to be a financial success, but four of my cows died just that week. At 57, my window of opportunity to glimpse the American dream was shrinking quickly. A close friend of mine got caught in a tornado less than three moths prior and died. I lost my house that same night and spent the little cash I did have building a new one. Not to mention that the house was for myself alone; though I was well-known around town, I never found love.
In a fuzzy state of mental darkness and dissatisfaction I drove my 1994 Chevy truck into town for a few beers. I slipped into a local bar and took a seat at the counter. Struck up a conversation with the bartender. He was quiet, older gentleman. Smooth skin and soft features. He had a peaceful glow about him. "Call me Sid," he nonchalantly instructed me.
I felt like I could trust Sid. There was something almost otherworldly about his presence. About 5 or so beers in, I started telling him about all my troubles. I recounted my recent problems and how they seemed to be a culmination of an unhappy life. I told him about how I never fulfilled my desires. I had hoped for so much and life had let me down. Sid's words changed my life.
"I once had it all," Sid started. "I was born into a wealthy family. Went to the best schools, inherited a fortune. My wife and children were beautiful. Yet I knew that one day I would grow old. All of the beauty and wealth would fade and I would eventually die."
Sid was compelling. He methodically continued, "I set off on my own. Isolated myself in nature. It was there I made a discovery about life: unhappiness is a product of desire. By letting go of my desires and passions, I have achieved peace."
Sid's word struck me. I left the bar and started to restructure my life. I let go of my hopes for my ranch, my desire for money, and my tortured passion for success. All became clear as I began to live by Sid's life philosophy. It's been almost a year now; I am content.
This story contained story features and elements from the The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold (1922). The bartender "Sid" is based off of Siddhartha, aka the Buddha. "Sid" relays to our unhappy narrator a loose version of the Buddha's life story and one of his realizations presented in the story of Siddhartha and the Hermit: that "Unhappiness is born of desire; that man is to be pitied who is a slave to his passions." The secret of the bartender? He was a reincarnation of the Buddha!
Image info: Picture of a bar in Jackson, Wyoming by Miguel Hermoso Cuesta. Source: Wikimedia
Hey Derek! I really enjoyed your remake of the story “The Life of Buddha”. The way you started your story with the location and type of atmosphere, really grabbed my attention. I was very impressed with the way you kept this tone throughout the whole story. I know I have a difficult time jumping back and forth but all while I was reading your story, I felt as though I was sitting in the same room as your characters. When writing this story, did you consider having Sid continue with his life of everything he had after he set off on his own? I was thinking that he could possibly have taken a trip by himself to regain his ways and desires. My one suggestion would be to write a continuation of this story explaining what the main character did instead of reaching for his hopes and desires. If not a continuation, you could think of adding a short ending explaining where he is now, setting, life, and small goals if he has any. Great job on this story, I was very intrigued the whole time.
ReplyDeleteHey Derek!
ReplyDeleteI feel like you could elaborate more on how the main character changed his life after meeting Sid. You mentioned at the end of the second paragraph that the main character never found love. After he met Sid, did that change when she let go of his ambitions or did he learn to be content without it?
"'Call me Sid,' he nonchalantly instructed me."
This choice of working is a bit odd. Particularly the "instructed" part. Instructed sounds more like a formal setting than a bar. Is there a way to phrase Sid's introduction with a more casual tone?