Prompt from:Stories from the Jukebox
Prompt #21: Mirror by Rick West
Photo by:Getty Images (@gettyimages) | Unsplash Photo Community
Hank slipped into the back seat of the car and covered himself with a blanket.
“How many hours?” he inquired.
Charles, his 17 year old driver, looked in the rear view mirror. “5 or 6 hours,” came the laconic reply. “I bought some snacks and some drinks for the trip,” he said.
Hank closed his eyes as he tipped his hat forward. “Nothing for me, thanks.”
Charles looked out the front window as he shifted gears and eased off the clutch.
“Mirrors are a reflection of your soul,” mumbled Hank.
Charles pulled on to the two lane road and replied, “that may be true for some folks but all I see when I look into a mirror is a mop of curly hair and the face of my uncle staring out at me.”
Hank gave an abrupt laugh. “Your uncle?” he asked. “Not you?”
“Seems kinda funny don’t it. But there he is staring at me,” said Charles playfully. “Of course that I look quite a bit like him makes the image more appalling.”
Hank sat up a little straighter in the seat, pulling the blanket snugly about him. “But seriously, what do you really see?”
Charles took a quick glance in the mirror before looking deep out on the road. He licked his lips quickly before brushing his hair back from his eyes. “I see someone who is searching for something he can’t find.”
Hank thought about this for a minute. “What might you be hoping to find?
”Oh, the usual,” said Roger. “Peace, happiness. A good woman to settle down with. Enough money to make both of us happy.”
Hank looked into the mirror searching the face of his new friend. Seeing what he wanted to see he left the last declaration alone.
Charles looked back at the mirror. “What do you see when you look in the mirror?”
“In this car I see your eyes doing everything you can to get us to Canton on time, safely and securely.”
Charles chuckled. “That I do.” A song came on the radio:
What you believe is
What you receive,
The mind is a mirror.
“I am fascinated by the coincidence that this song came on the radio talking about mirrors while we are having this discussion.”
“There are no such things as coincidences,” stated Hank firmly. “Everything happens for a reason. Go on, ask your question.”
Quietly Charles asked, “What do you see when you look in the mirror?”
Hank looked out the side window at the passing cars. “I see an old face that has yet to come to terms with his life. I see a person who isn’t at all like what others describe him. Their words and descriptions pile up like an insurmountable obstacle, placing roadblocks in the directions I wish to take.”
Charles looked puzzled at this statement. “But you are famous. You have lived an amazing life.”
“Thank you for saying that,” replied Hank. “My life could have been so much more.”
“More?” asked a puzzled Charles. “What more could you want?”
Hank looked at the back of Charles’ head. “What is really important in life Charles?”
“Well,” started Charles. “I think what everyone thinks is important is important to them. For some people it is family, friends, good company. For others it is something more personal. Everyone is different so it varies.”
Hank settled back and pulled his hat down over his eyes. “Sometimes people don’t want to see anything else. Some people don’t look too deep.”
Nothing was heard for a while except the rumble of the tires and the chatter of the radio while those words were considered.
The world outside
Is a reflection of mind
Dance in the mirror
After a few miles Hank spoke up.
“Everyone is different so it varies,” he repeated softly. “I suppose that is true. Everyone looks for something different. Everyone believes something different.”
“There is no defined answer to what you are supposed to see in the mirror.”
“There is only who you are. Or who you want to be.”
“Aren’t they the same thing?” Charles inquired as he turned the windshield wipers on.
“The mirror only shows what you want to see. Your brain interprets but it is fallible,” Hank slurred softly.
The radio played on.
What you look for
Is what you will find
Life is a mirror
“Once I had a mirror that my grandfather had made. After he died I kept hoping that I would see him in the mirror.”
“Like somehow he put a part of himself in the mirror?” Charles asked.
“When we create or make something a part of us goes into it. I kept looking but I never saw him,” replied Hank as he closed his eyes.
“Now that would be something,” said Charles. “It’s like your songs I guess. They always have a part of you in them.” He looked in the mirror at Hank. Getting no response Charles turned up the music and drove on until he needed a bathroom break.
Where your word goes
Is what becomes so
Follow The Mirror
When the car stopped he reached over the seat. “Hank. Do you want anything?” he asked as he shook Hank’s arm. It felt cold.
“Hank?” Charles inquired as he felt Hank’s forehead. “Hank,” he said quietly before leaving the car to inquire where a hospital was located.
What metoric like his was.