Champagne, Cigars & Southern Nights

A Hangover with a Side of Grief

Have you ever woken up, the sun shines in your face and for a second you think, this is going to be a bomb ass day?

Yea, that was not me today! Fuck! Morning brings the realization that last night was not a nightmare of my subconscious but a living nightmare with the potential to haunt me into my future. My pounding headache serves as a reminder of how many shots I had mixed with champagne.

I roll over looking for my phone on my nightstand to see fifteen percent battery life filled with one hundred percent messages of concern from my girls, my father and Brooklyn.

I shoot my father a text to let him know that I'm okay and agree to meet him later tonight for dinner to talk about last night. I know that we need to, but my heart breaks for my father just as much because last night was the end of his marriage, the end of a family he worked so hard to create, to establish, to provide for. How do I comfort him in this moment?

Determined to ease my friends' mind, I head to the shower wanting to cleanse my skin of the pit of terror that was the gala. Placing my head against the cool ceramic tile, the water washes over me almost like the rain after a storm.

Thirty minutes later, I emerge and make my way to my couch, phone and charger in hand. Flashes of last night try to break their way through to today but my computer interrupts any chance they can get.

"Good morning." The girls say and I can see the worry written all over their faces.

"Hey", I quietly get out afraid that I may break from all the heaviness any moment. 

"Love", Georgette begins but the door buzzer surprises us all.

"Hold on a sec." I quickly direct towards the girls while praying  it's not Miller. I press the button to be greeted by the voice of  my mystery guest.

"Hello".

"Good morning beauty.", I hear the voice that immediately brings calm to my life. I hit the button to unlock the downstairs door and stand at the elevator to my loft anxiously awaiting to see his face. My breath is knocked out of me as Brooklyn James emerges from the elevator.

"Hi", I softly greet him and he in return engulfs me in the softest yet warmest hug.

"What you got there?"Vivi yells through the computer.

Shit, I forgot they were there. Not missing a beat, Brooklyn walks and sits on my couch to be met with three smiling faces.

"Morning ladies."

The three of them look at me with a questioning expression while responding. I shrug my shoulders, not sure what to say.

We chat for about twenty minutes before Kennedy interrupts to say she has to go meet Adrian for wedding planning and this finally gives me an opportunity to see what brought Brooklyn James to my door.

Sitting in a comfortable silence, Brooklyn follows me into my kitchen to heat the tacos. I direct him to a seat at the counter looking in awe at how this man has been there for me the past twelve hours.

"I don't think I properly thanked you for getting me out of there last night."I turn to look at him and continue. "It means the world to me that you protected me from that shit show that could have developed."

"You don't owe me a thank you. I won't allow anyone to disrespect you." I see the sincerity in his eyes as he says those words. I see a sincerity that I never saw from Miller in all the years we have dated.