"Well you see," he spoke in a quiet, and slightly melancholic voice,"I don't have much time left. I'm due to die soon."

The dark, almost romantic atmosphere the bar had, dimmed out to a cold one at the moment he spoke those words.

The bartender before us prepared drinks silently on the other side of the wood brown bar. Discarding the soft and dreadful words that had just been said.

Hearing, but not listening.

It seemed like that was my case too, because at the surface of it all, this man was a complete stranger to me, and death seemed so far away from me, and my ability to care about it.

"I see. That's very unfortunate." I answer . Though in my head I struggled to comprehend what this information was implying.

You see, I came into the bar with the intention to have a few drinks, alone, after being fired from my job. Some solitary time to myself, to grieve my loss.

The old man approached me and began asking me what I was doing alone here and such.

Him being a stranger to me, me being a stranger to him, I went ahead and told him. What was I to lose?

The next song the small radio played was a another classical piece. The instruments played sorrowfully, filling the place with an almost depressing mood.

The old man takes a sip from the small glass of whiskey. Pondering on what to say next.

Honestly, when he first approached me I thought he was creepy, for the simple fact that, he came up to me to strike a conversation.

I quickly noted otherwise. The man wasn't suggestive at all, instead, a few minutes into our meeting, he seemed like a grandfather who listened to my troubles without having something to say.

After I was done with my talking I asked him about his problems in return.

"I don't have a much time left. I'm due to die soon."

"You see, I've left many things undone, and so much regret is lingering within my heart because of it." He pauses and sighs. "When death catches up to you, and your family, time comes to a stop, and disappears."

I listen to the old man's words deciphering his situation in my mind. I down the tequila shot that I had been saving to drink after the man left.

"Is that so? Can't you do anything to make up for it?" I ask, not really thinking about what I said.

"What can make up for unspoken words, that will never reach out to the people that need to hear them?" He asks rhetorically. "If only I hadn't been so stubborn before. Then maybe..."

I rest both my elbows on the bar top and give off my opinion. I knew that I probably shouldn't have, considering the situation, where it would've been best to just shut up and listen to the guy, just like he had with me.

But my mouth didn't stay closed, my thoughts flowed out carelessly as I just sat there, staring straight ahead at the bartender's swift movements, that poured a beer for a black haired man sitting far away from us.

"Maybe your approaching death is a sign telling you to move on. Perhaps it's only you that feels the need to make up for you mistake." I speak my honest thoughts. "We spend our whole lives figuring out how to be better people, for what? To have others like us? When you think about it, most people spend their lives trying please others. When judgement comes into the picture, we do it no more to ourselves than others do to us."

I pause and signal the bartender to give me another shot. "All the mistakes we make we feel guilty for later. Nobody blames you, so you blame yourself, and that's really when your own criticism takes a toll on your optimism in life."

"Are you suggesting I'm holding a grudge against myself?" The old man summarizes with a tired smile.

"Basically." I smile back.

"Who's happier?" I ask. "The ones who spend their life chasing the past? Or the ones who latch on with the present and future?"

"'Chasing'?" He repeats in confusion. "Why do you refer to it as 'chasing'?"

"That's right." I nod with confidence. "Running towards something that we only stretch farther from. Why? Because time moves on taking everything with it. Staying behind will prove to be difficult..." I trail off, and cast my eyes downwards recalling a few things. "...and painful."

The old man beside me remains silent. I turn to look at him for the first time since I began giving my "opinion".

Tears.

The old man silently sobbed, glass of alcohol in his grasp, shaking, quivering with the truth that was told, too thoroughly to take in all at once.

The bartender turns back to us with my tequila, ready to give it to me, and say 'here you go' or something. When he see's the old man he simply sets it down politely and turns back to his other costumer.

I watch the old man for a few seconds before turning back to looking ahead.

This is how it is.

I hold the small shot glass in my fingers and look into the golden yellow liquid in it.

So clear, and impure.

I drink it, declaring it my last, pouring it down with one hand, while reaching out to the old man, the human, with the other.

I rub his back, as if I was comforting a child.

After a few minutes he collects himself and apologizes. He goes back to being somewhat calm as he restarts a conversation with me.

"So you got fired...what do you work in?"

"I'm an attorney, and I was working at Tohei Law, but they were laying off people due to an incident that kind of ruined our reputation." I give a little sigh of relief at the change of topic.

"Is that so?" He nods. "I need a lawyer at the moment myself." He says to himself as if remembering.

"Well, I'm jobless and experienced!" I laugh, with a renewed, positive attitude. "You can hire me."

"Perhaps I can. How about I test your skills?"

"Wha- really!?" I exclaim in all seriousness. Alright! This was my chance to get a job. "Mr- sorry, can I ask for you name?"

"Sanno. You may call me Sanno, and yes I'm being serious." He chuckles happily now.

"Mr. Sanno, i'd be very grateful to take your test..." I quickly stand and bow. This man was probably going to be my new employer...and I made him cry...

Dammit....why do I have to get all philosophical when I'm a little drunk?

"Of course miss." He smiles once more. "May I ask of your name?"

I stand back up straight and dust my suit off and tuck a loose strand of light brown hair behind my ear.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr.Sanno. I am Haruna Amemori. I look forward to working with you."