A Starting Point

CHAPTER THREE - PIECES

Heloyse

"Hello!"

"Hi, Lisy!"

"Hey!"

"Are you better yet?" I don't know... It's been so long since you locked yourself in there. I think it's time for you to go out for a bit.

"For what? It wouldn't change my situation.” I took a deep breath and waited for her to continue.

“Look, you can't live in the past. Michael is your past now. You're young, you need to enjoy life."

“Twenty-six isn't young. It's walking towards old age. Who wants an old lady like me?"

"If being twenty-six is being old, I'm prehistoric, I'm already thirty-three and I'm still stranded. Even the elderly can enjoy life. Let's drink all night and graffiti the neighbors' walls..."

"Okay... You know that's bad advice, don't you? Teenager thing with a criminal record."

“No ma'am. It's great advice. I'm good at it. Who do you think advises my nephews?"

"I dare not say," I smiled.

"So, shall we go? Please!"

"Okay," I said with disgust in my voice.

“Come by at seven-thirty, okay?"

"I'll be there, babe!"

Ashley was beautiful, inside and out. She had dark skin like chocolate, the kind that have such a perfect color and texture that they don't stay in the window for long, they are so appetizing. In short; she was attractive. Thin, tall, with dark eyes, full lips, short, curly hair. She drew attention wherever she went.

I, on the other hand, was brunette, five foot six, dark hair, brown eyes and not as thin as Ashley. I don't think I'm hideous, of course, I just didn't have anything special about my appearance. Not in my life.

Ashley was different. In addition to lighting up the room with her beauty, she always made me laugh and always convinced me to do what I didn't want to do. This had just happened.

Even without enthusiasm, I decided to get dressed. I had dark circles under my eyes and looked awful. Dry lips, disheveled hair... I took a long shower, because in the shower I caught myself having so many memories that I lost myself in time. I think my life was summed up in parking somewhere and remembering our moments.

Since I last saw you, I haven't opened the coffee shop that was downstairs from my house. And the other one, I sold.

The house was a dump.

The lady who always came to clean, I dismissed. I didn't want anyone near me. Now, thinking about it...

Still wrapped in the towel, I called Margot and asked her to come over the next day to clean the house. T
hen I went to pick out an outfit. I put on a pair of dark jeans that seemed to have gone up in size. Or was it me who lost too much weight? I put on a black sweatshirt, sneakers that looked gray from how old it was and my hair, tied in a ponytail, as usual. It was so tight it felt like some dog had licked my forehead and then my hair. I used an eye pencil and that's it!

Ashley had arrived around seven-thirty.

"My God! Who are you and where is my friend? Did you eat it?"

"Not funny! I always liked jeans and sneakers."

“Okay, except you put on heels sometimes. new pants, new sneakers... Not that crap you're wearing.Not to mention that sweatshirt. Seriously, it looks like you stole it from a dead body."

“I didn't even want to go", I said, rubbing my eyes. “I did what I could. If you're embarrassed, I understand."

"No, Lisy! I didn't mean it that way, my friend. Come here and give me a hug. Forgive me?"

“You don't need to apologize. It's me and this horrible mood."

"Will be all right. You will see!"

"I know. Thanks!"

I was bad at lying.

We went to a bar.

The Little Dawson was a very busy nightclub on Fridays. It was named so because Dawson, the owner, was under five feet tall. There, people gathered with their friends and "stuffed" with tequila.

A group of colleagues from my former work met with us. Others were known to Michael.

The bar was full and it was impressive how their lives went on smoothly, while mine had stopped at some point. I looked at those people and when they looked at me, I smiled and nodded. It was my way of saying "screw it, I'm fine". But I was a completely broken vase and no one imagined how many pieces I had to put together. Into how many pieces I divided myself.

Every sip I took, the tequila ripped down my throat. And not even the alcohol content took me elsewhere. My mind was only fixed on him.

Ashley was dancing with one of the guys who shared our table. And one by one went dancing, while I remained lost in my thoughts. I had lost count of how many doses I had taken.

"One more glass... Another glass... Just one more... A little... Another... That's the last one... Fuck Ashley, I'm already big..."

And tequila was my friend that night.

"Do you wanna Dance?" Asked a young man as he approached.

"I don't know how to dance..." I said in a slurred voice.

"Let's go! I'll teach you."

I drank what was inside my glass in one gulp and went with him.

-"Pleasure! My name is Jared! And you?"

“Heloy...Lisy!”

He laughed and we started to dance.
Sometimes, I lost my balance and laughed at the situation. I was visibly drunk, visibly ridiculous. I alternated between the bar, drinking and dancing.

"Lisy, are you okay?" asked the boy, when I stopped dancing.

"I am! Me just me..."

My breath was gone and I was falling. Damned pit with walls lined with resentments. It was a slow, painful fall that had no end.