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ARE YOU ALONE?
Sitting in a smoke-filled tavern
Examing the rock glass of scotch in front of you
Watching how it looks in the mirror as you put it up to your mouth
And slowly sip the last of the golden poison in it
You meet your own eyes in the reflection and notice that
Your hair is quiet mussed
And your eyes are resting on darkened circles, looking tired
But, you smile a little seemingly enjoying your own image looking back at you
The ice tumbles as you drain the glass of its warming contents and return it
To its paper coaster on the bar top
You spin around on your backless stool and spot the jukebox
The silver-oasis-of-melodies glistens in the dimness
A chaos of lights trace across its face enticing you to come closer
You search your trouser pockets for a quarter or two
Titles of favorite tunes flood your mind…so hard to choose which one
Your finger squeals as it moves down the glass-encased list of songs displayed before you
You pause at one that has caught your eye, smile, drop the coins in the slot
And press B4
The machine obeys and the coins fall into its belly
A moment later John Waite begins “Missing You“ and the sound replaces the low murmur in the place
You are surprised at yourself for the choice you made
You return to your drink at the bar and empty the glass
You shake it a bit in the air to get the attention of the barmaid
She nods as she pulls herself away from her chatty girlfriends seated at the other end
Of the long bar
She pours a fresh drink and replaces the old one with a swipe of her hand
She peels a 5 dollar bill from your reserve that sits under your cigarettes and Bic lighter
The cash register’s cha-ching clashes with the song you chose
She returns a dollar change and wipes the surface clean in front of you as she comments
On your song pick as being one of her favorites too
You smile without answering…she returns to her friends….they glance at you and giggle
They get it….they know you’ve been sitting there alone obviously having been stood up
Your face feels hot…wondering if you should just stay and get shit faced or spare yourself any further embarrassment by leaving right now
You gulp down the scotch….it burns your insides more that way
You repeat the bid for another one by jiggling the ice in the glass over your head
But this time the barmaid pretends to ignore you….they giggle again…this time louder
She finally pulls herself away and pours you another…from the bottle into the same glass and without moving it from its coaster
“This one’s on the house”, she said with a grin
B4 ends
“Thanks”, you reply without a grin
You wobble a little as you return to the jukebox for another selection
Searching both pockets simultaneously for a long moment you finally come up with enough change
This time you choose L9 “Figured You Out“ by Nickleback seemed appropriate
More giggles…louder…..you don’t bother to turn around...they know you know
You think about ordering a sandwich but the thought of being stared at while you eat took your appetite away
Finishing your complimentary drink in two gulps you light the last cigarette and crinkle the package and toss it onto the bar
Pissed, you stuff the remaining money into your pocket
Leaving a tip for her is out of the question at this point…she giggled away any compensation for service
L9 continues to play on as you push the door open and step out into the shock of sunlight
You giggle keys in your hand as you walk toward your car
Feeling foolish and lame, you drive off leaving a little peel-out at the edge of the driveway
You imagine the barmaid is cursing you about now and her friends are still giggling like chickens in the yard
Oh well
As you pull into your garage you think about that left over Chinese food in the fridge
Hopefully that opened bottle of white wine is still on the shelf too
The garage door groans as it labors downward
You make your way up the concrete stairway to your apartment passing more giggling girls…Jezzzzuz! do they all think I’m hysterical to look at?, you mutter to yourself
907 is the number assigned to your digs in this complex…you fumble to pick the right key on your key chain
a flapping scrape of white paper stuck to the door with chewing gum catches your attention
you read it as you unlock the door.......
“Where were you??!! I waited at the dinner for hours and you didn’t show!! p.s. Fuck You! Don’t call me again…ever!!”
The End
