A 'Complete the story' prompt

 “AFTER TWENTY YEARS” by O.HENRY

Provide your imaginative ending to the given story.

Note: Word limit - 250- 350 words

Jimmy Wells and ‘Silky’ Bob -were thick childhood friends. However,

once Bob left to pursue his fortunes in the West, the two eventually

lost touch. Nevertheless, they had promised to meet each other in 20

years, to the hour, after their last dinner together at the same spot in

New York City. Jimmy Wells became a Cop wherein Bob turned out to

be an outlaw.

Twenty years later, Bob was waiting outside where the restaurant

once stood when he and Jimmy parted ways; the latter, who’s now a

policeman, comes upon him while he’s walking his beat. After hearing

Bob’s story about the friends’ pledge to meet up again and watching

him light up a cigar, Jimmy recognizes it’s Bob. To his shock, he also

realizes that his friend is a fugitive from Chicago, whom he’d seen

earlier on a police bulletin.

So this was the ending I had given:

…Veiling his shock like the tough cop he is, Jimmy started walking towards his old friend. When Bob looked at the approaching figure, a smirk grazed his scarred face.

“Looks like someone have kept his end of the promise,” he exclaimed to Jimmy and hugged him back. “You have weathered well, mate,” Jimmy said as he silently scanned Bob, top to bottom. Bob guffawed, saying” You look no less matured too, Wells”. They did their special handshake, without missing a single beat.

They entered the restaurant and got seated at the same table where they had wined and dined twenty years back. As the waiter who approached the table filled their glasses, Jimmy shared a meaningful glance with him. This did not go unnoticed by Bob. When their meal arrived, they dove into it with gusto without wasting much time.

“I feel we should have met often during all these years, what do you think?” Bob asked silkily. Jimmy gave him a consoling look and said “Worry not mate, we would get to meet a lot from now on”. Bob mumbled “yeah, right” and continued to eat. After the meal, Bob took a pen from his trench coat and scribbled something on a napkin lying by. Then he excused relieving himself and the waiter directed him the way.

 A group of uniform-clad men appeared out of nowhere and Jimmy gestured them to follow Bob.  But when they approached the stalls in the men’s room, they found them all empty, save for a cleaner who went about with his job despite the commotion. Jimmy let out a frustrated sigh and ran back to the table. Taking the napkin used by Bob, he read its content – “I hope that the distance would increase our bond as it had done all these years”. Laughing loud at his old friend’s cheeky reply, he stormed out of the restaurant with his men, muttering about deceiving friends and ‘Silky’ escapes, not noticing the cleaner with a scar on his face who walked past them.