Title: A Contented Man
Fandom: Harvey (Movie)
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Elwood P. Dowd, Harvey.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 405
Spoilers: For the whole movie.
Summary: Elwood P. Dowd is satisfied with his life.
Written For: Challenge 343: Card.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harvey, or the characters.
A/N: Dialogue is borrowed from the movie.



If asked, Elwood P. Dowd would describe himself as a contented man. He didn’t ask for much out of life because, quite simply, he didn’t need more than he had. The secret to contentment was knowing when you had enough of everything to satisfy your needs, and he could honestly say that was the case with him. He had his sister Vita, and her daughter Myrtle May, a roof over his head, plenty to do each day, and above all, he had his friends.

Truth be told, by now he had more friends than he could count. They came and went, drifting in and out of his life, as circumstances dictated. Most of them he only ever saw once, but there were always new people to meet; that was the way of things, and Elwood never minded. A man could never have too many friends.

Why, thanks to Harvey, he made new friends almost every day. It was why he always made sure to carry plenty of calling cards wherever he went. That way, whenever he met someone new, he’d always have one handy.

“Here, let me give you one of my cards,” he’d say. “If you should ever want to call me, call me at this number, don’t call me at that one. That’s the old one.” It wouldn’t do for people to get confused and think he was avoiding them. Nothing could be further from the truth. He valued all of his friends, the old and the new, equally.

Sometimes it seemed to Elwood that too many people were short of friends, and it took so little to put a smile on their faces, to make them feel a little better about themselves and their lives. He and Harvey were always willing to lend their ears, listen to someone’s troubles over a drink or two, the big, terrible things they’ve done, the big, wonderful things they’ll do, their hopes and their regrets, their loves and their hates, and in so doing, ease their burdens so that when they left, they did so with a lighter step, impressed and perhaps a little envious, because Harvey was so much bigger and grander than anything in their own lives.

Of course, no matter how many new friends he made, Harvey would always be his best friend, the one he spent the most time with, and that was just fine with Elwood. Harvey was such wonderful company.

The End