It's a Start

Going to bed that night was torture. I cried for what seemed like forever and Craig was in the other room, falling asleep by himself another night. Bring someone good for him soon. He deserves it.

He questioned me the next morning, asking what happened and what he did and said. I didn’t tell him much, just said that he didn’t throw anything. I got a little laugh out of him. He promised that there wouldn’t be another night out where he would drink a lot. He didn’t have to promise, but I saw it in his eyes that he was sticking with it. I appreciated his ambitions.

Surprisingly, he stayed at home for the next week. I didn’t hear anything else about apartment searching, so maybe Brian had called him and told him to live with him. That was good; that was what he needed. I’d rather him be around someone close than be around the person that’s dragging him down or wallowing in self-pity. Brian needed to guide him to a better path.

The past three days had been good. I’d gotten the job at the bar, receiving a phone call on Sunday. Craig was happy for me when I came out of my room skipping and jumping around. It was probably the happiest I’d been since being back in the loop of life. I did school work for most of the day and went to work at six, getting out at ten thirty. I loved it so far.

Mindy was the brunette that I worked with every night and she was the first person I became friends with since I started there. On my first night, she looked me up and down. I felt uncomfortable because this 27-year-old brunette with red tips and eyes that could probably pierce your skin open was staring at my outfit. Finally she put a smile on her face, “Well, you dress well, so you’ll do great, sweetheart.” I laughed after that and went straight to work after she showed me the ropes.

It was pretty simple– say hi to a few guys, keep a smile on your face, take their money, pour them a drink (or drinks depending on how ready they were), and move to the next customer. Mindy loved having me around so far and every night she hugged me and ruffled my hair.

She’d been working there since she turned 21 and she loved it ever since. She loved the fact that I was 23 because she said starting at a young age was fun. “Bartending is the best. You can flirt with a guy and be in control on providing the alcohol or not,” is what she told me last night. I couldn’t stop laughing as I poured a drink and set it in front of the middle-aged man sat at the end of the counter. She was the greatest person to work with.

My boss was pretty kind-hearted too. He let me do whatever, take however long of a break I wanted, drink all the alcohol I wanted, and bring the friends I wanted too. Hey, they could even get drinks on the house if I wanted! He was also one of the bouncers since he was a pretty big and strong guy. “Big Moby” is what everyone called him. I asked Mindy on my first night there why that was his nickname and she looked at me while wiping the counter off. “I’ve heard he has a big dick, but I’m not really extreme on seeing my boss’ dick.” She made me laugh a lot.

Craig’s room was getting filled with boxes and I knocked on his door before heading to work. “Hey, I’m leaving. I’ll see you later?”

He turned around from writing “CLOTHES” on one of the boxes and nodded at me. “See ya.”

I bit the inside of my cheek and closed his door behind me. The clack of my shoes against the hardwood floor echoed in the narrow hallway and I grabbed my keys out of my bag as I walked on the walkway toward my car. It didn’t take me long to get to work and I walked in through the backdoor, hearing the chatter of the thirsty customers outside the room. I put my bag on the desk and searched through it for my phone. A smile came on my face as I looked up at the corkboard above the desk, taking off my jacket. There was a picture tacked to it, new, and “Andrea!” was written on it in sharpie in Mindy’s handwriting. It was a picture of her and I on my second night of working here. It looked like she was biting my cheek while I was smiling brightly. Big Moby took the picture for us.

“My love is finally here!” Mindy cheered, causing a rouse from the men in front of her when I came out of the backroom and locked the door with the spare key I had. I laughed and hugged her then got to work. Big Moby grinned at me from the door and I waved.

The crowd grew bigger and bigger by the second and I didn’t understand how Mindy could multitask with everyone shouting at her. She was swinging her hips while mixing a drink, mouthing the words to the song coming through the speakers. I shook my head with a smile and took the ten-dollar bill that was slipped in front of me.

Some rock band was coming through the speakers and all I saw in my line of vision was glass after glass after glass. Once I got a break for at least a minute, I looked around the dark and dimly lit room. There was a small stage to the far back of the building, but it hadn’t been used since I first started last week. I wondered if they even used it at all. Mindy followed with her eyes to where I was looking and talked while pouring the liquid into five shot glasses.

“Do you sing?”

I stared at her, wondering if she was actually talking to me. “Me?”

“Yeah, you!” She laughed loudly, flicking her hair over her shoulder while sending a smile to the guys in front of her.

“Uh, no. Never tried.”

“What is up with you, Andrea? I barely know anything about you besides your age and name.” I shrugged, taking a sip of the beer I had under the counter. She smiled at me and I pushed three more full glasses toward the eager customers before looking over at Moby. I pointed toward the backroom and told him I was taking my break. He nodded while his meaty arms crossed over his chest. Mindy said she’d be fine while I was on my break and I opened the door while fixing my shirt. I was in need of a cigarette.

I’d picked up the nasty habit. Craig said I started the night I was kicked out and he couldn’t believe it because I was supposed to be this intelligent girl, but even those ones make bad decisions.

My leather jacket slipped over my arms and I strapped my bag over my head and walked out the backdoor. Leaning against the back of the building wasn’t as fun, plus I was an adventurer. I took my hair out from under my jacket and began walking toward the street from the back. There were plenty of lights to guide me, but I just started at the structure across the street. Looking one way, I checked for cars then ran across the street, which was kind of difficult due to the heels on my feet. Talk about blisters.

Making it across safely, I checked the other way and ran again so any oncoming cars wouldn’t hit me. My eyes scanned the structure and I looked for a way in, finding the tollbooth and squeezing past the levers. It was a long walk up to the very top, but definitely worth the view. I could see just about everything.

I walked to the very edge, leaning over the half wall and looking down at the street below. It made me a little nauseous.

My hands dug around inside my bag and once I found the pack, I opened the cover and took one stick out, dropping it back inside and finding my lighter. That fell into my bag also when I lit up the cigarette. I’m going to die anyways. Got out of that once, maybe I can do it again.

I leaned against the wall for a good five minutes, inhaling the nicotine every once in a while. It was calming, so it made me jump when I heard the rumble of tires against the cement. I watched the driver get out of the car and I looked away when they looked over at me. Minding my own business, I kept at it with my cigarette and watched the stars glimmer.

A low clearing of the throat caught my attention and I heard their footsteps before, but I didn’t dare turn my head. I looked over at them– him and waited for him to say something. “Sorry, but you wouldn’t happen to have another cigarette, would you?”

His eyes were tired– or maybe that was because of the position of the lights from below and the ones up here that were striking his face. He wore a black hat over his head, a denim jacket over a plain white shirt and he had on jeans that were rolled up a little at the bottom. I liked his shoes; black high-top converse.

Stop staring, Andrea, my conscience told me. I looked away and opened my bag to find the pack. “Yeah. Here you go.” I opened the cover and he slipped one out with his fingers.

“Do you have a lighter?” He asked gullibly with a laugh. I smiled a little and handed mine over to him. “Thanks.”

Oddly enough, the guy stood with me and started a conversation as we smoked together. “What are you doing on the roof of a parking lot?”

My hand pulled the stick away from my lips and I breathed the smoke out while we looked at each other. “I could ask you the same thing,” I retorted.

He smiled, eyes crinkling and he looked down below as he put the cigarette between his lips. “I’ve been coming here since high school with my friends.”

“Where are your friends?” I laughed a little, looking behind him toward his car.

“It’s nice to come here alone once in a while,” he said sincerely and with a straight face. “I think a lot.” I could tell by his eyes and the way he was always biting the corner of his lip slightly. Not knowing what else to say, I left it at that and went back to burning and breathing in the smoke. He stubbed out his cigarette and I watched him confusedly. He wasn’t even halfway through it. “So, what’s your name?”

He stood taller than me by a lot and I looked up at him, flicking the ash. “Um, Andrea.”

“A little dubious?” His eyebrows rose.

“No,” I shook my head and stared at my hand. “It’s a long story– kind of.”

He chuckled while I put out the cigarette and threw it away. “I think we’ve both got time.”

“Maybe later. My break’s almost over.” I adjusted my bag and faced him. Sure is taller than you, dwarf.

He put his hands into his pockets. “Where do you work?” I looked below and pointed at the bar across the street. He nodded slowly and I looked back up at him, taking in the features of his face. “Can I hear about it tomorrow, then? We can meet here if you’re working. Same time?”

My eyes squinted. Now why would a stranger like you want to hang out with me: a girl who doesn’t even have stories to tell? “Sure,” I shrugged and began walking away from him. “See you tomorrow.”