The Chat Room by Jim Vaughn

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SUMMARY: Another twisted tale from The chat rooms

The chat room

I'm late it's nearly 5 o'clock and I haven't even signed on yet, This concerns me because if I don't hurry the room will be full and I will be forced to sit unmercifully through yet another night of petty, bickering, boorish people.

I glance around, I have my beer and a fresh pack of cigarettes, I hear the wail as the modem makes a solid connection, I watch as the sign on screen scrolls before my eyes. While I'm watching it check my password, I take a long drink off my beer, "I remember when I only smoked a pack a day" I say to myself.

My friends invited me to have a drink after work and maybe shoot some pool, I declined saying that I was tired. Which is true enough to a point. But also I know there is a woman in there, I don't know her that well yet, But I sure do find her interesting. I sat there and watched her talking to everyone, everything she is saying is exactly the same thing I'm thinking at the same time I'm thinking it.

This is very exhilarating to me because I'm a man living by myself. I don't have that much close contact with people other than the people I work with and an occasional friends sister to date.

She seems popular enough and people tend too flock around her, I think they are drawn to her charisma, "Personally" I think "They are drawn to her sexuality". I watch as she banters with the men, how she works everyone of them making sure she gives each one of them just enough attention, but not so much the rest feel jealous. She is a social maestro conducting her symphony of people that want to a feel like part of her life.

While I watched that first night, I felt drawn much like the rest of the men must have, her innuendo laden hellos, and the personal little things that make you feel special without ever having done a thing. It's a strange feeling I have, every since that first night I signed on almost 2 weeks ago, my life has taken a change of course.

I was once what I considered an active person, I would go out after work with my buddies and play pool, or shoot hoops at the gym. As I sit here and think back on it I wonder how it is a person can justify letting their lives pass them by while sitting in front of a monitor.
Well it's almost thanksgiving and I have been online now for 5 months. I think back to how naïve I really was in the beginning. I feel part of something now that I have a regular group of people I see almost daily. It's nice we interact well together and the malcontents that wander through have to deal with the power of group. Harsh words and veiled threats abound in these situations, but mainly that kind of behavior is dished out upon those that would usurp the group or cause grief for one of our clan.

I'm beginning to see that there is a subculture of groups that exists within the boundaries of the main group, while many of them share mutual friendships among the others I sense friction amongst them at times.

My friends called and asked if I was going to come for the thanksgiving day football game we have played every year since we were in the 4th grade, I told them I was not feeling very good and I probably wouldn't make it this year.