July 2002
"Mhm, I used to be like that but not anymore." Terri sipped on her red wine as she eyed the young man in front of her.
Sometimes old habits never die.
"Yeah? What made you change?" The man leaned on the table with open ears. The woman before him was wise beyond her years. He could tell she had been through some shit and he wanted to know more about Terri.
"Life." She simple responded.
"That's it?" The man raised an eyebrow.
"That's it." Terri drunk the rest of her wine and began to pour herself another.
"You know that's your third glass right?"
Terri glanced up at him as the liquid begin to fill the whole glass. She was fighting demons. Mason seemed to hunt her for the past 3 years and the only way to get rid of him was to drink and smoke weed.
"I'm a grown ass woman." She waved him off and he watched as she brought the glass to her lips and gulped like a fish. "Plus, I can handle my liquor."
"Yeah..."
Terri belched and yawned loudly. He was boring her. Every man that she had came across in Seattle was boring. Hell, Seattle was boring in general.
"Um..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Are you ready to go?"
"No, no. We're good." She assured him but her words slurred a little. "But, I have to go to the ladies room." She excused herself, got up out her seat, and headed towards the bathroom.
Leaning over the sink, she closed her eyes tightly and tried focusing on her breath.
"Don't be a drunk.. don't be a drunk.." she whispered to herself with her eyes still closed. Once she opened them, Mason was looking back at her into the mirror.
"Do you not have any remorse?" Mason asked her. The look he gave her was filled with so much hate. She wished she could take it all back.
"I loved you more than I loved my own daughter."
"And look where that's got us."
"Just got away.. please." Terri begged. This was all in her head. He wasn't real. Was he? No of course not. She remembered killing him. He was hunting her, speaking to her, like he always did.
"Was was the point? Huh Gen? What did you get out of this?" He pointed at himself. He still looked the same way. Blood on his clothes. A huge cut in his throat. Shattered glasses on his face. Hazel eyes. Smooth skin. Just like the way I remember him.
"You know im crazy." Terri began to dig around in her purse and pulled out a thing of pills.
"Tuh, tell me about it. And this new name that you have.. Terri.. why Terri?"
"I don't have time to talk to you right now. You're not about to do this. Not right now." She swallowed her pills whole and drank some water from out the sink.
"Why you always tryna get rid of me?" He touched her shoulders but she flinched.
"Don't touch me."
