Cider House Rules-Don't Get Drunk

"I was wrong before, Christian Booth, you are not a fool"

Sally gazed at the man in front of her, reflecting on her earlier judgment.

"You are a liar, a clumsy liar"

"I feel this way myself."

Upon being denounced as a liar, Christian couldn't help but smile. From China in 2017 back to the United States in 1993, his name remained the same, Christian. If this experience were to be recounted, it would surely be considered a fabrication.

However, Christian was not naive enough to share this incredible adventure with a girl he had just met. The reason for being labeled a liar by the girl was something else.

"I didn't mean to deceive you, but when I opened my eyes after coming out of a coma, I saw an astonishing beauty standing in front of me. Anyone would question whether it was a dream, causing my speech to be incoherent"

"So, you're not a bungling liar but a bungling charmer, right?"

Robbed of words by the beauty before him, Christian could only nod and smile wryly. Life was far stranger than novels, and the truth even more unbelievable.

Seeing the first glimmer of a potential connection through the Spirit Eyes he had, Christian realized that this beautiful, blond, blue-eyed girl possessed the aura he had sought for years—a unique ghostly presence.

After all, while auras were rare in this Age of Domination, they didn't always appear in vibrant colors. In fact, according to what Christian had learned from the old spirit, the only thing that could make an otherwise elusive aura emit colorful light was the presence of a ghost.

In other words, this girl named Sally must have recently encountered some ghostly entities, leaving a strong ghostly residue on her body, which caused the nearby aura to radiate in this way.

Of course, only those who possessed the Spirit Technique could perceive this light; to ordinary people, Sally was simply a beautiful blonde girl.

This discovery excited Christian, who is usually calm even in the face of bizarre events. It evoked a kind of melancholy he hadn't felt in a long time, one that felt like he had finally tasted the fruit of his hard work.

But as the saying goes, "misfortunes never come singly, but good fortunes never come alone." Afterlife hands you a sweet date, it often follows up with a stick to maintain balance.

Unsurprisingly, the mocking, disbelieving expression from Sally was a minor issue. What's worse, Christian's excitement caused him to forget the lessons of his past and reveal the details of his experiences with ghosts. The result was, naturally, what had just transpired.

In retrospect, this was quite normal. Even to Christian, if someone suddenly told him something like "Your Excellency, you're turning black, and a catastrophe is imminent," he would find it easy to believe.

"Really? Does Your Excellency possess such insight? I must say Your Excellency looks rather peculiar, and it's quite astonishing. I entrust this important task of safeguarding world peace to you"

In a way, Sally's response meant just that.

"Since you can see through me, I won't feign ignorance," Christian decided to recollect himself and save face.

"Lovely lady, care to join me for a drink?"

Since he had been deemed a liar, Christian decided to employ a liar's approach. He had never done this before, anyway.

"This... alright" Sally hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed, as Christian had anticipated.

Sally didn't harbor suspicions about Christian's intentions; her initial impression of the man was simply unfavorable. She agreed mainly as a gesture of gratitude, a sort of "pity date."

"But, you've just awakened from a coma. Is it wise to have a drink?"

"Of course"

Christian shook his head. Perhaps it was due to the side effects of his transdimensional journey, but he felt no mental fogginess whatsoever.

"Even if I had a gathering with a large group of beauties later tonight, I'd be just fine."

"You seem to have a different problem. You don't even possess a sense of decorum."

Sally chided Christian, seemingly comprehending her implication.

"Even if you don't care about your well-being, at least care about your wallet. Call girls don't work for free"

"Really? I haven't experienced this before, hehe..."

Christian chuckled awkwardly, ending the conversation with a sense of self-disappointment.

"Dam,! I've been holed up in the occult realm for too long. I don't know how to converse with women anymore. What I said just now was a surefire way to dig my own grave"

"Never mind, if you don't care, why should I?" Sally waved her hand. "There's a bar nearby that I'm quite familiar with. Would you like to go?"

Then, as an afterthought, she added, "But you are picking up the tab this time!"

"No problem!" Christian readily agreed. The ultimate goal he had pursued for years had finally come true, so a little money was the least of his concerns.

...

"So, thanks to your setup, Mr. Director had quite an unusual encounter. Should I call you Cupid, truly a 'kind' lady?"

Christian, holding a wine glass, blinked at Sally, then burst into laughter again.

"Oh, God, may the poor director's unfortunate behind remain unaltered. May he not turn crooked"

Sally laughed too. While Christian's words were rather crude, Sally wasn't a typical Upper East Side New Yorker, and it was all in good fun.

"It doesn't matter. If he indeed turns crooked, he can always try the fashion industry. In that world, being gay is at the top of the hierarchy."

This was a first-hand observation from Sally, a former model turned actress. The reason she had shifted careers, apart from the income disparity, was her struggle to adapt to the fashion world's atmosphere.

"So, Sally, if you had to decide again, would you still turn down the director's offer?"

With this sudden formal question, Sally suddenly found the taste of her wine to be bitter. She arched her lips in contemplation.

"Who knows? But I think if my career remains stagnant for another year, I probably won't decline. I don't know if that odious director has turned, but I certainly have. Reality has almost bent me"

'Hey, who wouldn't bend for a decent paycheck?'

In his heart, Christian sighed. He had wanted to say something but thought better of it and held his tongue.

This was Hollywood!

"However, it's quite surprising that a spirited young woman like you contemplated suicide. That's beyond my imagination."

"It's not just you; I didn't see it coming either."

Sally took another sip of wine.

"I just wanted to drink and let off steam last night, but I got carried away. When I woke up, I was told I'd survived a suicide attempt. I initially thought I'd wake up in a sleazy motel with a total stranger next to me. That would have been the worst-case scenario"

"The latter case isn't necessarily the worst-case scenario"

Christian blinked.

"It all depends on whether the man is handsome enough"

"At least you're consistent with your standards." Sally teased Christian.

"If you want to take me away from this bar, you'll need either good looks or Spider-Man's skills"

The bar they were in, not far from the hospital they had left, was the "Cider House" where Sally had gotten drunk the previous night. After sneaking here from the hospital, and downing several tequilas, the atmosphere between the two of them had become warm.

"Spider-Man? I never expected, Sally, that you're a fan of comics"

"No, I'm not." Sally denied it without hesitation.

"I just heard that a famous director wants to adapt this comic into a movie, so I did some research."

"Do you want to play Mary Jane?"

Christian hadn't expected Sally to have such thoughts.

"What's so surprising about that?"

Sally took another sip of her drink, her gaze slightly unfocused, a sign of her intoxication.

"If I can land the lead role, I'd even consider appearing naked and swinging over the Brooklyn Bridge"

...

"Merry Christmas"

Sally took a sip of eggnog and wished her parents a happy holiday. A long-lost smile crept across her mother's face, and her parents exchanged a warm glance, clasping hands.

Dad!?

The sweet eggnog in her mouth instantly turned to the taste of soap. Sally was jolted awake.

"It was just a dream!"

Sally let out a sigh, a hint of bitterness lingering.

"Wait, where am I?"

As her drowsiness faded and her senses returned, Sally suddenly realized the most pressing question:

"Thank goodness, I'm in my bed."

Some remnants of anxiety still clung to her as she reached out and fumbled around the bed.

"At least there's no one else lying beside me."

Sally breathed a sigh of relief. But in the next moment, panic surged.

"Where are my clothes?"

Though she wasn't sprawled out completely unclothed as when she was born, Sally's bedclothes were as minimal as her days as an underwear model.

"Sleeping Beauty is awake?"

As she fretted about her missing attire, a man's voice rang out from the room's entrance. Sally turned to look, and sure enough...

Christian, clad only in a pair of shorts, was standing there with a bandage wrapped around his head. It was an odd sight, but to Sally at that moment, it was grotesque and repulsive.

"Your ability to hold liquor is truly awful. When you're drunk, you cry, you spit on people..."

Christian rambled on, but Sally couldn't hear any of it. Her head was filled with a loud buzzing, and her right hand instinctively reached under the mattress.

"I brought you back somehow. It's all thanks to how drunk you were. You still managed to remember where your door was. Look at the mess you made of my clothes..."

Halfway through his monologue, Christian suddenly fell silent. In front of him, Sally, dressed in nothing but her underwear, was brandishing a gun in her right hand, its ominous muzzle aimed directly at him.

---

References-

1. Cider House Rules- A novel written by John Irving later adapted into a movie in 1999. (Features Sally)