Rambling On
doubting-tomas:
Perplexed, Thom looked at him. It was a question he had been asked many times before, but without any of the scorn he was accustomed to when people normally asked. It was strange not to reply sarcastically. “Why not?” he answered. “I’m used to it and it’s nice. It doesn’t interfere in my day to day life. It enhances it. So why not?” He took another sip, as if to demonstrate. “Why /don’t/ you like drinking? It won’t hurt you?”
The mumble surprised Thom a little; mostly because he could just imagine Philip settled down with a nice lady and kids, the meek husband obeying all orders, doing his computer stuff in the back room. “Eh, it’s not just about the one night stands. It’s about finding someone you’ve got a connection with. Heaven knows we don’t get much of that connection time, being in our group all the time.” Thom meant lady connection, of course, but it didn’t need saying to the hetero Philip. “I guess he just gets a bit separated from it, having been with Tabatha for so long.” He smiled a little at that. “He doesn’t need to hook me up with people. I can take care of myself.”
Philip shrugged, searching his mind for the positives of the situation; he didn’t like thinking of the apostle in a bad way. And so he agreed with a smile. “Back in the day, people only ever drunk alcohol.” He informed, “did you know that? Water was so unhygienic, and in the process in which alcohol is made, it gets boiled, which sanitises it and makes it safe.” He chuckled, amused at the thought of everyone today drinking only alcohol. “People were drunk all the time, but humanity still managed to somehow move forward.” A stiff shrug fell upon Philip’s shoulders and his smile weakened a little; he was known for messing up, so this would be no exception. “It’s not that I don’t like drinking. I just...don’t feel like I should, just in case I get a hangover and Jesus might look down on me for it.”
The problem here wasn’t really that Simon was pressuring him into finding a ladyfriend, it was more the fact that Simon was so strong-headed, period. It was consuming. Philip had imagined himself sitting on a giant sponge and gradually sinking into it until the only thing left was his waving hand sticking out. “What about, uh, you know..” he began, scratching the back of his head. He emptied his glass with his other hand. “you know..” he repeated with a shy grin. God, I hope he doesn’t take this the wrong way. “why ladies? People shouldn’t just assume that other people are into the opposite gender to their own, I don’t think.” Philip tried, not really sounding authoritative or pushing his point, but it sounded more like a suggestion - just in case Thom didn’t agree. His moustache looks so neat today. “I think that, in our line of work, it makes more sense to assume that people like other people rather than gender. Jesus does.” He exemplified, trying to validate his point without bringing too much attention to himself.












