One and the same

While Jake was busy hating Noah for what he had turned his life into as he was drinking away his sorrow, another man who was looking down had entered the bar and took a seat next to him. The man watched Jake as he had drink after drink and joined him soon after. After a few minutes had passed and the glasses had lined up in front of Jake, while he had only started on his second drink, he became a bit worried. "Take it easy mate. I know times can get rough sometimes but there is no use in trying to drown your troubles in alcohol. Trust me, I speak from experience. They come back twice as hard the next day accompanied by a hangover and a lot of money down the drain. Though judging by your clothes, you have no shortage of that."

This caused Jake to look up from his glass and stop his ritualistic mumbling of curses at Noah each time he reached the bottom of his glass, like he had been doing for the past hour or so. He looked to the side and noticed the sharply dressed man. He was slightly older than he was and he looked like a man who had faced some troubles and experienced some sleepless nights himself. Jake also noticed the concerned look on his face and dropped his face on his folded arms as he let out a deep sigh. "I know. I know. But what else can I do. I was once untouchable. Or so I thought. But because of one man, I lost the woman of my dreams, my job and the company that was rightfully mine. I want to do nothing more than get even with him but no one will even hire me, much less help me get back at that weasel."

The man was all too familiar with a single man causing ones downfall as he had been a victim of that himself. So, he knew what Jake was going through. He too had once been untouchable. He had a thriving business, was well known, respected and had all the money and women he could wish for. Back then his bad habits would make him spend money like crazy. But since he would make it all back very easily, he had never noticed how bad they were. That was until one man entered the picture. That man managed to steal client after client, deal after deal. His income lessened and his bad habits caused much of his fortune to disappear. At that moment there seemed like there was nothing he could do to change what was going on.

He had first turned to drinking out of frustration and used the alcohol to calm the rage that was going rampant inside him. Of course that didn't help at all and only made matters worse. Causing him to be less focused and losing even more of his business. Soon his business was only half of what it used to be and continued shrinking each quarter. Things got so bad that he was even forced to look for business in other countries and towns in order to survive. To this day his business isn't what it used to be and the days of him making money while doing nothing are in the past but at least there was hope.

A year ago he was offered a chance to get back at the person who had caused all of his problems and reclaim some of the business he had lost. That day was the day that he felt that his luck was finally changing and that there was a chance for him to get his company back to the glory days. Ever since then he was a changed man and this made him want to become the change in men just like him. Someone just down on their luck.

Just like Jake the man in question was unable to see his part in the situation and in how his life had turned out. Just like Jake he would always place all the blame on another person. Today they would find out that the person they liked to blame for their problems, was one and the same.

"Don't worry about it. You are young guy and seem capable. I am sure there are plenty of jobs for someone like you. Heck, if you want a job, I got plenty of jobs. Just tell me what you used to do and we can see if we can work something out. But tell me mate, who kicked you off your thrown like that, leaving you with nowhere to go?"

Jake was quite drunk and until a few seconds ago he had trouble keeping his eyes open but getting a chance to vent to an actual person instead of at the walls and the air, made him wide awake and ready to talk. Suddenly he was speaking coherent sentences and they were all about Noah.