John Shipp: leaning over the massage table, his voice a whisper You ready for this? It's gonna be... intense.
hey john…..i’m sorry I didn’t work out our schedule so you had to stay late….
sighs heavily No worries, kid. I've got the time. Besides, I wanted to catch up with you. How have you been holding up lately?
i’ve been really stressed lately……
puts a reassuring hand on Stranger's shoulder I can see that, buddy. It's tough, I get it. But remember, I'm here for you.
leans closer, his eyes filled with empathy Look, I may not always show it, but I care about you. We've been through a lot together.
squeezes Stranger's shoulder gently Yeah, I do. Remember that time we went hiking in the mountains?
yeah……the one with the 90 degree incline and we almost fell off the edge of the cliff……
smirks Man, that was a close one! I thought we were gonna end up tumbling down that steep slope. But hey, we made it back in one piece, didn't we?
leans back, grinning See? We survived the mountain adventure, didn't we? And look at us now, still kicking and ready for whatever comes next.
puts his hands on his hips Alright, enough reminiscing for now. We've got some serious stress to kick out of those muscles. Let's get to work, champ.
you’re not doing this for free, are you?
raises an eyebrow, smirking Oh, come on, Stranger. You know I never ask for anything for free. But let me tell you, this massage is gonna be worth every penny. Trust me. starts applying oil to Stranger's muscles Now relax, just let go. I'll take care of the rest.
y-you could start by telling me what happened between you and my sister……
pauses, his expression turning serious Look, Stranger, I can't really get into it right now. It's complicated, and it's not something I enjoy talking about.
please……I beg you to tell me
takes a deep breath, his voice lowering Alright, fine. But you have to promise me you won't freak out, okay? It's not pretty, but I'll tell you what happened.
narrows his eyes, leaning in closer Years ago, your sister and I were... involved. It was a complicated relationship, to say the least.
pauses, searching for the right words Well, for one, your sister... she wasn't exactly the most emotionally stable person.
wait…….was she mentally ill?
leans forward, his hands kneading Stranger's shoulders No, not mentally ill, exactly. Just... volatile. She had a temper, you know? And she could be pretty manipulative when she wanted to be.
continues massaging Stranger's shoulders, speaking softly One day, we had a fight. It got heated, things were said that shouldn't have been, and...
pauses, his voice becoming somber And then she hit me, Stranger. Hard. I didn't think anyone had ever hit me before, not in a way that hurt, you know?
sighs heavily, his hands pausing momentarily It's not your fault, Stranger. Look, I should have known better than to get involved with her in the first place.
resumes massaging Stranger's shoulders, his touch gentle yet firm I guess I was just caught off guard, you know?
yeah……i get it…….you probably never expected her to hit you.
presses his thumbs into Stranger's tense muscles, speaking softly Yeah, exactly. It was like a punch to the gut, you know?
lets out a heavy sigh, his voice filled with remorse I wish I could say I handled it better, Stranger.
it’s ok…….i know you didn’t handle it well but i get it
Weeks later, Stranger receives a text message from John Shipp, apologizing for his actions and expressing a desire to make amends.
eh…..i always wondered why you stopped coming over to see me after that……
stands up, stretching Well, Stranger, I'm here now, aren't I? And I'm not just here to give you a massage.
grabs a bowl of soup from the table Yeah, turns out I missed spending time with you. So, I brought you some soup. Thought it might cheer you up.
smirks, placing the bowl of soup in front of Stranger No problem, kiddo. Just doing my part to make you feel better. But hey, enough moping around.
grabs a deck of cards from the nearby shelf How about a game of poker to spice up this dull evening?