Coffee, Cigarettes And Other Drugs

Let the human in (part 1)

The sun sat fresh on the horizon, its rays glistening on the dew which rest softly on the leaves and grass of her garden.

Chenè sat on the ledge of her mother's balcony.

Every so often she would take a slow drag from her cigarette and coupled it with a sip from her cup of coffee. She savored the combination of the bitter tastes on her tongue, a gentle reminder of the storms in her life.

A single cloud sat close to the sun in the yellow lit sky.

Chenè thought about last night, ergo with a slight headache.

What should I make of this?

Was it just the alcohol speaking?

Her thoughts were kept at bay by the electricity that still lingered on her lips, but only just.

The last few drops of the dark liquid were gulped down and her cigarette bud she hid inside the chest they would use for winter wood.

Nobody used it anyways.

With a smile playing on her lips Chenè made her way towards the swimming pool, more than idly greeting pedestrians as they made their way.

Her slender fingers tugged at her beanie, locking in her stray messy locks.

There, there is our spot.

She slowly skidded to a halt, analyzing the sudden thought.

"Our spot?" she tasted the alien words in her mouth and decided she liked the thought.

Her feet followed the path itched in the memory of her brain until Chenè found herself under the arch-like entrance of the building.

Nobody was there.

She checked her watch in hopes that it might be earlier than she thought. The white face of the clock read just pass nine.

She furrowed her brow uncertain of the situation, yet she made her way to the canopy, willing herself to get up there alone this time.

"Finally!" she gave a small cry of victory as she made herself comfortable on the stone roof.

Time dragged on slowly for a while. Each passing minute piled up on each other, gradually feeding the unease within Chenè.

A small pile of dubbed cigarettes found its way next to her shoes, causing a faint foul smell to fill her nose.

When the sun was highest in the sky, like a guardian watching over the earth and harassing its inhabitants with its dull rays, Chenè gave up waiting.

She readied herself for the fall from the canopy. Her feet hit the gray floor with a muffled thud.

A sharp pang shot in her heart in tandem with each beat.

"Stop being so stupid" she would scold herself, trying to put up a façade of aloofness.

The walk back was much slower and the air nipped just a bit more at her nose and ears. She tugged her beanie down with more force, willing it to cover her ears.

She took out her phone from her pocket, sliding her finger across the smooth screen.

"Maybe I should go to Lidia today"

After an over-excited conversation on the bright screen she made her way to one of the people she deemed a little bit trustworthy.

Lidia lived in a marvel of a home, not as grand as her own though. Trimmed bushes in the shape of animals and so adorned the yard, incased with a curved driveway.

Lidia's family really liked to be theatrical.

Making her way up the driveway she spotted the tight tied white locks of her friend.

Chenè wondered how her friend didn't freeze outside while only wearing a tank-top and denim shorts.

A wry shriek filled the air as their eyes met.

"Oh my god, Chenè!" Lidia embraced her, shaking her furiously in her soft-ball trained arms.

"Lidia, I'm so happy to see you" she returned a slightly too forced smile at her friend. Lidia seemed to notice.

"What's wrong chick?" she tugged Chenè by the arm leading her to her back yard, a packet of cigarettes in her hands already.

At first Chenè tried to deny anything, blaming her mood on other matters.

Lidia looked at her the way one would look at your history teacher during last period.

She held the long white tube between her dark fingers, inhaling slowly.

"Chenè you know that façade of yours might work with some of your other friends but that shit doesn't fool me." Lidia said with the same tedious look still on her face.

She sighed deeply, slightly groaning.

"Well if you have to know.." she trailed off thinking of the absurdity of her reactions.

"I kind of met someone." The words came out almost as a whisper, as if it were spoken to loud would break the spell of it being even possible.

Lidia's eyebrows shot up, her eyes widening.

"No way" her lips turned up in a grin.

"Tell m.." the words died on Lidia's lips as she thought about the whole thing.

"Then why do you look like somebody drove over your dog" her mouth sneered in a rude manner.

Chenè smiled slightly. Lidia was always tough love, she never allowed self-pity.

"Well, he took me to this place last night-No nothing like that!" she scowled at the dirty look Lidia was giving her.

"As I was saying, he took me to a bar after we chilled at the arc-the swimming pool" she changed the detail, "And well after a while we got a little bit drunk" she raised her pitch as she spoke.

Lidia was nodding and 'ah-ing' as was the custom.

"And then after a while we went back to my place" she said before scowling Lidia for her foul thoughts, yet smiling as she did so.

"And.. then we kissed" she stared at clouds, the words leaving a sweet taste on her mouth as they left.

"And, what is the problem? Don't you like him?" Lidia pried.

Chenè fiddled with her cigarette, tipping the ashes on the loungers they sat on with their knees close to their chest.

"He didn't show up at our usual meeting spot today" she purposefully avoided the second question hoping Lidia wouldn't notice.

If she did then she didn't say anything.

"And you know what my life is like Lid. I'm sure he probably has a major hangover or something"

Lidia flicked her cigarette onto Chenè's lap.

She yelped, her arms flailing vigorously as she brushed it off.

"What the hell was that for?" she looked at her friend cautiously, uncertain of the already lack of sanity her friend held.

"Don't think so much about things" was all she said on the matter.

"Or even better yet.." she dug through her huge black purse, small items falling out here and there.

Her hand came out holding a roll of paper, filled to the rim with a smelly green plant.

Chenè's eyes widened with bewilderment when recognition hit.

Lidia passed it to her with a sincere look.

"Let the human in, girl"