Power
"Bro. You're going to figure out your powers one day. You just got to be patient." Will said as he set his empty mug of beer back onto the table.
I took a large swig of my beer. "Dude, that's easy for you to say."
"What do you mean it's easy for me to say?" Will questioned.
"You figured out your powers when you were eighteen. You've had it forever."
"Okay. Maybe I should have paraphrased it or said it differently." He flashed a noticeable glance at his empty mug of beer on the table. "I blame the booze."
"Plausible," I muttered.
"What I mean. Is that since it's taking so long...you know, maybe your power is going to be fucking amazing. Studies say that the older you are the stronger the power is going to be."
"That's wishful thinking," I retorted, as I reached into the twelve-pack of beer at my heel and retrieved another.
"You're being negative," Will shot back, as he took a sip of his beer.
"How am I being negative? I'm thirty-six and I have absolutely nothing. Everyone...literally everyone around me has a power and I have jack shit," The frustration was starting to rise in the pit of my stomach, and I kind of wanted to change the subject. The further we got into this...while under the influence, wasn't a good idea.
"Come on man. It'll happen." Will said reassuringly. He pulled out his phone and started tapping the screen. "You hungry? You want some food? Split a pizza? On me?
I shrugged my shoulders. "I already ate."
"What you eat?" Will questioned, his right hand clicking through his phone as his left phone assisted him in downing his beer.
"Fucking...Ramen,"
Will lifted his head and glared at me as he finished his beer. "How the hell do you eat that shit all the time? You know that's not good for you, right? I think every time I talk to you about what you've eaten for the day it's either Ramen or Cup-o-Noodles."
I lifted my hands in defense. "Dude, work only gives me a thirty-minute lunch and they're easy to cook."
"If I were you I'd take advantage of like, Doordash or something, you know? Order food and have something super delicious delivered to your front door."
I scoffed and rolled my eyes, ending with a chuckle. "Well, I'm not you."
"Ay-yi-yi, My Guy. You're a total mood killer." He paused for a second as if thinking something over. "Hey...maybe that's your power. You can consume anything you want and not get the health ramifications from it."
I pulled back in my chair and shrugged my shoulders. "I mean at my last physical my doctor did say I was pretty healthy despite eating like shit."
"You ever have it assessed? You didn't think to ask him right then and there?" Will asked, his eyes narrowing at me from behind his mug.
"I mean it never crossed my mind," I said with a shrug. "You know? I never once thought. Hey, maybe my superpower is that I can eat as many packets of ramen as I want. That's stupid, that's a really stupid power."
"Bro. That is not a stupid power. That means you can eat whatever you want and not get fat, or anything. That's fucking amazing. When you're done eating ramen do you feel like shit? I usually feel like shit, I can literally feel the sodium sucking away at my body."
I shrugged my shoulders and cracked open another can of beer. "I mean. No? I feel fine. I usually only eat them during work, so it's not like I'm doing anything active."
"So you're not sitting at your computer at work regretting the fact that you just digested a shit load of salt? Like it has no effect on your body?"
"Iono," I shrugged. "I feel fine."
Will let out a laugh and rolled his head back, swinging his drunken arms across the table and almost knocking his mug over. I had to reach out and catch it before it crashed to the floor.
"Dude!" Will shouted. "That's your fucking power! You've had your power the entire time!! You can eat whatever you want! That's amazing!!!!"
I laughed and shook my head. "That's so fucking stupid if that's my power."
"That is not stupid, man. That's incredible!"
"Alright. Whatever man. I sincerely hope it's not. What are you ordering? I'll help you kill whatever you order."
"Pizza. I thought I said that earlier. You kosher with that? I can add whatever you want since you can eat whatever you want."
"I'm kosher with whatever you want man. You're buying." I glanced at his empty glass. "You done drinking for the night?"
Will shook his head. "Absolutely not." He glanced at his empty mug, and I watched as it filled to the top with liquid gold.
"See...now that's a cool power," I said.
Will rolled his eyes. "Yeah...I just wish I could use it on other people."