Saul!
Kia ora, team!
Welcome to July! We are officially half-way through 2023, which feels bonkers to say because it feels like it’s been so much longer than that since the beginning of the pandemic, and yet somehow like time is flying. I don’t know about you all, but I am really starting to feel my age. 😅
Okay so: I had a random idea for a guy when I woke up on Saturday morning, so before I did anything like take my medication or eat breakfast, I sat down at my computer and wrote 2000 words about the guy, his girlfriend, and some people he knows. It’s not finished, and to be honest I’m not really sure where it’s going, but I had fun writing about Saul and his daily life. The more I wrote, the more I realised he is kind of based on someone I’ve known for a long time but haven’t really been on contact with much lately. I’m obviously not going to say outright who he is, but I would like to think that if he read this he would find it endearing rather than sad. It was not my intention for the reader to feel sorry for him - Saul knows who he is and what he’s about, and while he is very jaded, but he loves his work and he loves his friends. Saul is a good guy who would do anything for you if he thinks you’re worth it, and he’s loyal to a fault. Saul is the kind of guy who smokes weed and is covered in tattoos, but you’d still feel comfortable bringing him home to meet your parents.
I love Saul so much, you guys.
I’m only sharing here about 750 of the 2000 words I wrote this past weekend for a couple of reasons, but the main one is because it would make this post very long and potentially make it too long to send in email. The other reason, though, is that I just want to keep a little bit of it to myself for now. You’ll more than likely see it somewhere eventually, though!
Before we get into it, I want to make mention here that there are mentions of alcohol and drug use in this story - it's nothing hard core, but it's there and I wanted to let everyone know in case these things are a trigger for you! Okay, with that all out of the way, let's dive in!
Saul quietly stirred from his slumber and slowly opened his eyes. At first everything was a blur, but things gradually came into focus. His sense of smell was returning to him also. The room smelled of stale beer in beer cans, cigarette ash, and weed – but it was a comfortable cocktail for Saul. Safe, predictable. He had a slight headache, but not so bad that he immediately reached for the ibuprofen; that would come later, once he started moving, he thought.
Saul sat up in his bed and surveyed the mess that was the usual state of his studio apartment. Dishes piled on the small kitchen counter. A mound of empty pizza boxes from the week-long Domino’s binge that had just, hopefully, ended. An upturned ashtray that Saul figured must have been sitting on the bed when he passed out the night before. His exes clothes in a pile in a corner, waiting to be picked up. Saul grunted as he raised himself up to put his feet on the floor. “There it is,” he winced as his headache instantly worsened. He picked up the plastic strip of ibuprofen tablets off the floor beside the bed and popped three out, placing them on his bedside cabinet.
He looked around his immediate vicinity for some kind of liquid to wash the pills down with, but all he could see was a half empty can of strong lager from the night before. “Hmm… nope,” he muttered to himself as he gathered the will to stand up and walk to the kitchen counter. He shuffled across the room and looked through the cupboards above the sink, searching for a clean glass – but they were all empty. “Fuck,” Saul then began looking over the pile of dirty dishes to find one that was the cleanest and could be easily rinsed off and used again. It took him a moment, but he found one, ran it under the tap and wiped it off, then opened the fridge, took out a bottle of some flat orange soda and placed it on the bench. After filling his glass, he poured the rest of the soda down the sink, murmuring about not being entirely sure where it came from, and then sat back down on his bed. Saul took the pills, and almost spat them out with the taste of the soda but controlled himself long enough to swallow. He sat, motionless, for a moment, hoping for an instant effect. It didn’t come, so he groaned and lay back down.
An hour or so later, Saul awoke again, feeling slightly better, to the sound of his phone vibrating somewhere his bed sheets. Eventually he discovered it just in time for the caller to hang up. Saul looked at the name, “Ugh, Sarah. Work.” He shook his head a little, “fuck that,” and put his phone down beside him. The phone began to vibrate again, same caller. “God damnit,” Saul hit the answer button followed by the speaker button, “What?” he grumbled, his phone held out limply in front of him while he sat, eyes closed.
“Hey Saul, it’s me. How are you doing?”
“What do you want Sarah?” Saul groaned, knowing what she was going to ask.
“Sorry Saul, I know you had a big night. Andy called in sick.”
“That motherfu-“ Saul’s voice trailed off. “He was here last night.”
“I know.”
“He’s not sick, he’s hungover.”
“I know.”
“I am also hungover.”
“I figured,” Sarah paused a beat. “Can you come in tonight?”
Saul grumbled as he gave the question a moment’s thought.
“Please?”
“No.”
“Pretty please?”
“No.”
“Anna is out sick too-“
“She was here last night.”
“I know.”
“She’s hungover too.”
“I know. But I’m covering for her, so I’ll be here with you for moral support all night!” Sarah had a twinge of optimism in her voice, feeling certain that her presence would make Saul reconsider.
“Fine.”
“Yay!” Sarah squealed in excitement. “I’ll see you at six, okay? Bring your happy face!”
“Fuck you, Sarah.” Saul did another grumble.
“You know you love me! Bye Saul!”
Saul hung up his phone and threw it across the room at a pile of dirty laundry and missed. “Fuuuuuuuuuck!”
It was almost 5:45pm by the time Saul arrived at the restaurant, The Smoking Gun. Sarah had been stalking his phone so she knew when he was almost there, and she had made a coffee for him, just the way he liked it, ready and still hot when he arrived. “Saaaaaauuulll,” Sarah sang as she heard the door open before she could see him. “I maaaaade you cofffeeeee!” Saul sauntered over, clearly still not having a great day.
“Hey Sarah,” he winced as he walked up behind the bar. “Thank you for the coffee.”
Still in her sing-songy voice she replied, “You’re welcommmmmeee,” and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for coming babe.”
“You’re welcome, but you owe me. This coffee doesn’t absolve you of the misery you are putting me through tonight.”
“Put it on my tab,” Sarah laughed. Saul gave her a wry little smirk and headed for the kitchen.
“Asshole.”
“You love me!”
So what do you think? Do you want to know more about Saul? I would love to write about him more whether anyone wants to read it or not, but I’d love to know how y’all feel about my new guy that I made up.
As always, thanks so much for reading. If you want to read more stuff written by me, you can check out my movie reviews over on Letterboxd! I recently reviewed Queen of the Damned (2002), Poseidon (2006), and Single White Female (1992), and I’m hoping to do a few more this coming week. If you have comments, questions, suggestions, or just want to say hi, please hit me up in the comments or at any of the socials in the links below.
Stay safe out there everybody and have a great week. I love you!
Ka kite anō au i a koe. 💚
Rebecca