Happiness

Mary was a very sad woman. Every day, she left her house and her neighbors teased her. She went to work, and got ridiculed during business meetings. She'd come home, and it would be raining.

One day, when she was off work, she took a stroll down a street in town that she hadn't recalled being down. She thought it was strange she had never known about it, given that she had lived in that town for half her life.

The street was covered in shadows, and there was a single bar located in the side of one of the buildings. The other buildings on the street were the back-doors to shops on either street over. Although she was never one to drink, she felt a need to enter the bar.

When she entered, she noticed right away that the bar was well-lit, and that there was a soft jazz music playing. She noticed that aside from herself and the bartender, there was one other man and one woman occupying the bar. They seemed to be sitting a fair distance apart from each other, and they didn't notice each other's presence.

Feeling uncomfortable talking to either of them, she took a seat at the bar, and spoke to the friendly looking barkeep. He turned around, and handed her a glass filled with a dark beverage.

"Oh, no, I don't drink." Mary said to the bartender. To her surprise, he laughed.

"Surely you drink something at some point. There's no alcohol in that, you know. It's just a regular coke."

"Oh, well, then. I suppose I shouldn't turn down the drink."

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, madam?" He asked her. Mary was caught off guard for a moment.

"What do you mean? I was just walking, and I realized that I hadn't been here before."

"That's interesting. Normally, the only visitors we have are miserable. So, what's troubling you?"

"I'm not really troubled about anything." Mary said defensively, but the bartender gave her a friendly but firm stare until she finally answered the question.

"I see, so you're feeling pretty sad. You don't feel like anyone sees your true self, hmm? Well, maybe I should introduce you to one of our patrons. I'll let you speak with one of them, but before I introduce you, let me tell you about each of them. That man over there is known as Passion. He gets all excited about anything that happens. If he sees injustice, he fights it bitterly and with fire. If he wants something, he goes after it. He doesn't get along with the woman. That woman is Logic. She doesn't really get excited about anything, but she thinks all the time. If she sees terrible things happen, she comes up with a solution. If she desires something, she makes a plan, and then saves her desire until it is reachable. So, who would you like me to introduce you to?"

"Passion... Logic... are you kidding me? You're trying to tell me that those people are named Passion and Logic and they follow their names exactly... and you're going to introduce me to one of them? Are you just trying to make fun of me?"

"Of course not, madam. It just seems to me that you need to have an experience with one. You may learn something."

Mary was not sure how she felt about the whole experience. It all seemed surreal. There was no way that a person would be named Passion or Logic. Certainly, even if they were named like that, they wouldn't match their names exactly. Then the idea that they just both happen to be in the same place, and that they don't get along? Mary was unsure if she could believe the bartender at all.

At last, she decided which person she would rather be introduced to. A moment of deliberation led her to  the only conclusion she felt she could make. Speaking up, she informed the bartender of her choice.

"Alright, then introduce me to Logic. If there's anyone whom I don't really understand, it's her."

The bartender introduced her, and right away, Mary saw that her personality was a bit grating to her. She spoke impassively and her voice implied a distance from anyone and everyone.

"You're Mary. You're teased, ridiculed, looked down upon. You never stand up for yourself, and you bring all these things upon yourself."

"I don't invite people to tease me! I don't want to be ridiculed!"

"But because you don't do anything to stop it, you are doing just the same. You might as well have asked them to treat you poorly. Don't blame anyone else for your mistakes and faults." Logic stated coldly.

"Then what should I do, miss know-it-all!?" Mary yelled.

"Control your emotions, and when people start mistreating you, tell them 'have a nice day' and work hard to get in a position of power above them. Treat them nicely, and they'll be ashamed of how they've treated you in the past."

Mary got angry, hearing what Logic had dictated, and in her anger, she left the bar. She went to the street, where the light was flooding into the darkened street. Calming down, she went back, but the bar was not there. Having nothing else to do, Mary headed home. When she returned, the neighbor out watering her flowers commented on Mary's hair.

"Oh! My, Mary! What ever have you done with your hair!? It looks terrible, have you just gotten back from someplace humid?" The neighbor laughed, continuing to water her flowers.

"Have a nice day, Lenna!" Mary said, walking into her house. She vowed to make her neighbor regret making fun of her.

The following day at work, she found herself ousted, ridiculed, and looked down upon by her co-workers, as usual. This, too, she pretended did not bother her, but all the while, she vowed to make them pay.

Years passed, and Mary dedicated herself to gaining power, power enough to have control. Power enough for her to smite those whom had laughed at her. The day had finally come. As the COO of her company, she now had the power in her grasp to do what she wanted.
She had dutifully, carefully worked her way up to the top, and now she had every ability to make the people pay.

Using her vast power, she laid off the workers who had mistreated her, and she used her material goods and her money to get her neighbor evicted. At last, she had her revenge.

One evening, on her way home from her office, she started to feel a bit sick. Not sure what would happen, Mary told her driver to pull over. She stepped out of the cab, and promptly left the lunch she had that day on the sidewalk. Looking up from the mess she had made, she noticed that she was in front of the same alleyway as she had gone to in the past. Curious if the bar would be there, she drifted inside.

There it stood, a small bar, and lonely. Mary entered. Once again, she saw two people at different tables. Neither of them looked very good.
Once again, she felt ill-at-ease speaking with them, so she took a seat at the bar.

"Ah, I can see you are back. That is a bit strange, considering the only patrons we have..." The bartender was interrupted as Mary finished his thought, callously.

"Yes, yes, the only patrons you have are miserable people. What happened to those two?" Mary asked the bartender, impatiently.

"Ah, you were only half paying attention, then, weren't you?" The bartender asked.

"Why aren't you answering my question?" Mary seethed.

"But I have. The only patrons we have are those who are miserable. So if my only patrons are miserable, why are Logic and Passion here, hmm?" The bartender asked.

"They're... miserable?"

"Indeed, they are."

"But if that's the case, why did you introduce me to one of them?"

"I said I thought you needed an encounter. I never said that you should take their advice."

"Wait, so you thought I would become miserable just because you introduced me to them?" Mary raised her voice.

"Now, now, that's not what I said. But let me tell you why they are miserable. Look over there. Surely you remember her? Logic. As you can see, she's a total mess. The reason? Quite simple. She is all alone. She has nobody. She spends too much time in her head, and cannot connect with those around her. She is so stuck in her ways, she will be alone forever. And do you remember that gentleman over there?"

"He's... Passion, right?" Mary asked, feeling skeptical.

"That is correct. You may notice, he is also a mess. See, he chased what he wanted passionately, but he never had a plan. He often got what he wanted, and he has just as often lost it because he didn't plan for his future. He got a family, and then they left him. He had many jobs, but his indignation at things others did caused him to lose them too. He had money, but he got greedy, and lost it all. He had possessions, but he had to lose them just to stay alive. Everything he found, he promptly lost." The bartender smiled.

The bartender's smile unnerved Mary. How could it be? Was any of this real? Why was the bartender happy? Would she become like Logic and Passion? She had to know.

"Wait, but what about me? Why am I here?" Mary asked.

"You should know the answer to that question already. It's clear you're not satisfied. You're not happy."

"But I thought that by meeting one of those two I was supposed to become happy!"

"My dear girl, if you are all one thing, or all another, surely you won't be happy. You will be missing the very thing you are not."

"STOP SMILING! WHY ARE YOU SMILING!?" Mary yelled.

"I smile because as long as there are miserable people in this world, my business will never close. My bar shall forever remain open." The bartender replied. Mary was struck. All she had worked for, and she had nothing to show for it. Mary fled through the bar, into the alley, and back to the car.

"Take me home. Please." Mary said to the driver.

"Of course, my dear. Of course." He replied. As Mary looked up and saw the face of the driver, the doors all locked.

"No! It can't be!" Mary exclaimed.

"What is that, madam?" The driver replied, with a smile on his face.

"NO! LET ME OUT YOU EVIL BASTARD!" She yelled. And as the bartender turned around in the seat to look at her with hollow eyes, she screamed.

Mary awoke in a cold sweat. She vowed that she would balance passion with logic... and not let herself be a punching bag ever again. She also swore to herself that she would never allow herself to lose her humanity as she had before. No petty revenge would be worth ruining the lives of others... and she never wanted to see that bartender again.