Whiskey Sour

Faye

   I put my drink down and headed quickly for the bathroom, not allowing myself any time for delays. The second my hands hit that greasy, unforgiving floor, everything I had eaten within the past couple of hours had went hurdling inside the toilet. I was grateful that I even made it to the toilet this time, unlike the last two times I tried to drink. I held my hair back as far away from my mouth as I could, and after my stomach had gotten rid of every ounce of food I had left, I stayed there on the ground and just continued drive heaving until everything finally stopped.
   There was a soft knock on the door of the bathroom stall behind me, and my close friend Virginia, whom was the one responsible for sneaking me into bars like these ones, spoke to me. "Faye, sweetheart, are you alright? Can I come in?"
   I didn't even answer. I just sat on the bathroom floor and stared at the toilet. The door creaked open behind me, and I heard Virginia's heels clack along the tile as she took a step towards me. With a gentle touch, she stroked my hair and helped me to my feet.
   "I need to stop drinking those. Hard liquors like that just never settle well for me." I wiped the corner of my mouth and turned to leave the stall, brushing past Virginia as she reached over to flush the toilets' contents down the drain. I hurried to the sink and washed my hands. The bathroom here was disgusting, much dirtier than any of the others the two of us had been to. The smell of vomit and dirty mop water filled the area, and you could tell that a bunch of other girls felt the same way about the smell, because the faint scent of various kinds of cheap perfumes lingered, as well. My stomach continued to churn, and I couldn't tell if it was because of my drinks or my nose.
   In the mirror, I scanned my body. My dark brunette hair looked almost unaffected by what had just happened. All it took was a quick twirl and fluff, and my curly luscious locks looked just as good as when I first showed up here. My skin tight black dress had a few stray strands of hair, who belonged to Neptune only knows, that I picked off and casted to the floor, annoyed. Other than that, I looked good as new, almost as if I hadn't just thrown up.
   Virginia walked up behind me and smiled. "Are you ready to head back out there? I really think that one guy from Texas is interested in me, and I want to reel him in before he leaves."
I laughed. It was just like Virginia to be interested in that sort of thing. She came to bars looking for the kind of love that only lasts a night, and I didn't judge her for it. She had nothing to lose. Her only chance at true love was with her ex boyfriend, but even he could only deal with her for so long, and dumped her sorry ass just days before their two year anniversary. Poor Virginia was devastated, and quickly turned to drinking. Not long after that, she discovered how easy it was to find what she was truly after without having to worry about the commitment. And to make things even better, half of the time, she didn't even have to pay for her drinks.
   I started tagging along with Virginia only recently. Being only nineteen and not legally old enough to be in places like these, it took a long time and a lot of flashing to get me where I am. I did not have to worry about my parents finding out, because neither one of them gave a damn. I could come home boasting about committing a murder and neither one of them would bat an eye.
   Virginia left the bathroom and I followed, just a few steps behind her. Our heels' clicking synchronized as we strut across the bar back to our seats. I struggled to keep my eyes forward when I knew that so many guys were checking us both out right now. Guys always checked us out.
   When Virginia saw the Texas boy still sitting at our table, she grinned and turned back towards me. Slipping me a twenty dollar bill, she whispered, "Go sit at the bar for a little while. I am going to keep talking to this guy and I need some privacy." She winked one of her big brown eyes at me. I laughed and shook my head, but parted ways with her and walked to the closest empty seat at the bar.
   The bar tender walked up to me, and slipping the bill on the counter, I asked for a screwdriver. He nodded and left to get my drink. While I sat there alone, I overheard Virginia's laughter as she flirted up a storm with the little cowboy. He was handsome, I'd give him that. He looked nice, but not your ordinary 'hold the door for the lady' nice. Not the gentleman type. No, he seemed more like the 'I will do whatever it takes to get you in my bed and then pray that I wake up alone the next morning' kind of nice. Which is why once again, I knew he was perfect for Virginia. Because she was that same kind.
   My mind slowly drifted off for the next couple of minutes until my drink finally arrived. The idiot behind the counter didn't even ask for my I.D., but I didn't complain. It only made my life easier, And probably his, too.
   A tap on my shoulder startled me, and I quickly swerved my head around to see who caused it. Virginia was standing behind me, a wide smile on her face, and her hand wrapped up in the hand of the cowboys. She had struck gold.
   "Hey, I am going to go home with Darren here, okay Faye? Will you be alright here without me?"
   I wanted so badly to say no. I didn't want to be left alone with men I didn't know, but I could tell that Virginia really wanted this, and I also knew that if I ruined it for her, the odds of her sneaking me in here again would be slim. So reluctantly, I nodded.
   Virginia squealed and hugged me briefly. "You're the best! Here, have another fifty bucks to get a couple of shots and then call a cab home. I'll text you later, girly!" She handed me another bill, and walked out. She seemed to have been made of money every time we came here, and I didn't know how she ever came across so much, but when it came to that crazy young red head, some things were better left just unanswered.
   Once again, I was alone.
   Twirling my index finger along the rim of my glass, I scanned the bar. There were quite a few people here alone tonight, mostly guys probably looking for the exact thing that cowboy is getting with my best friend, but none of them looked even close to my age or attractive.
   I caught myself mid-thought and chuckled. Of course no guy here would be close to my age, I am only nineteen. Virginia could find guys easily because she was twenty three, and there were other guys in their early twenties showing up.
   I wondered if it would be smart for me to do the same things she does. I wasn't eighteen anymore, so it wouldn't be illegal and nobody would get in trouble, so I saw no harm in it. Once again, I scanned the room, this time, taking closer looks at all of the guys that sat alone. I didn't know what I was looking for in these men, and the thought of going home with somebody I did not know frightened me, but it was an experience most everyone had at some point in their lives, right?
   I made eye contact with one lonely guy across the bar from me, and smiled. Was this what I was supposed to do? It must have been, because within a few seconds, he winked at me and stood up from his seat. My heart raced as I watched him make the brief journey from across the room to the barren seat next to me. He sat down, smiling, showing off his bright white teeth.
   "Well hi there. What is a pretty little thing like you doing here all alone?" His voice was smooth like silk, and his smile, as sweet as honey.
   I stared into his glowing blue eyes and almost lost my words. Suddenly, all of Virginia's tips I thought I would never use came rushing back to me. I bat my eyelashes and smiled. "I have been waiting for somebody like you to come along, handsome." I purred. It was hard for me to sound seductive. I was young and not at all experienced. And without Virginia here to egg me on, I had no clue how mature I sounded or if I was doing anything right. The hardest part about faking your age is acting like it. Looking the part is easy with enough make up, but understanding how to speak and what to do was a whole different ball game.
   He seemed appealed by my comment and let out a small chuckle. "You're a charmer. What is your name?" He asked me.
   "I am Faye." I said. He took my hand and kissed it, refusing to break eye contact with me. His eyes were mesmerizing, the most beautiful shades of light and dark blues contrasting each other in a perfect, gradient look.
   "Faye? What a unique and magnificent name! Well Faye, I am Robin. May I buy you a drink?" He turned to the bartender before I had a chance to answer. "Two martinis, please," he said, and I turned my nose up in disgust. I did not like martinis, and quickly corrected my order.
   "Actually, I will take a whiskey sour, please." I said, my voice low and shy. Robin looked at me, a shocked expression written across his face, but he just laughed and nodded. I smiled and looked back at my screwdriver, which was just about completely empty at this point, and continued running my finger around the rim.
   "You know your drinks. I am impressed."
   I shrugged. "Yeah, I have been going to bars for a while now. I just kind of learned what to get and what not to get." My mind flashed back to half an hour ago on the bathroom floor, and I questioned whether or not I could keep down a whiskey.
   My drink arrived, along with his girly little martini, and he lifted his glass to mine. "To a good night of fun," he toasted, and we clanked our glasses together. His martini sloshed a bit on the counter and he cursed beneath his breath. Robin looked so embarrassed as he wiped it up, and he apologized to me for being such a klutz.
   As he wiped off the bar, I took the chance to get a really good look at him. He couldn't have been any older than twenty three, which seemed okay with me. I wasn't willing to go home with some forty-year-old grandpa. His hair was a very dark brown colour that almost looked black in the low lighting. It was sloppy, but in a cute, flirty kind of way. His face was well structured and slim, and his jaw line and upper lip was peppered in a light, stubbly beard. And his lips, which aside from his eyes, caught most of my attention. They were so perfectly shaped and coloured. I felt the urge to kiss him, but quickly turned myself away before doing so. Virginia would have labeled that as a huge red flag. I could not look desperate.
   When he stood to readjust himself on his seat, I could see his muscles flex and shift beneath his somewhat skin tight grey t-shirt. I think he did that on purpose, when he stood up and readjusted himself. He wanted me to see his muscles, and I wasn't going to lie, I was impressed.
   As we made small talk, I searched my memories for more tips Virginia had given me on picking up guys in bars. I don't know why she ever told me them at the time, because she knew I only went to bars for the drinks, and not to pick up guys. Quite frankly, most of the time she gave me tips, I felt like she was only truly doing it to remind herself of what to do, and not me. Now, parts of me wish I had listened better to what she had to say. I could only work with what I remembered. It was all the obvious stuff. Don't act desperate. Don't move too fast. Make them pay for your drinks. Never offer up too much personal information. Sometimes I wondered if she was ever worried about getting drugged by one of the guys she flirted with. It wasn't an uncommon thing to hear happen, though living in this small rundown city of Suwanee, Georgia, you never heard much chatter about crimes like that. Mostly, people just kept to themselves and never really bothered anyone. It is such a big thing to leave people alone down here that I didn't even learn my own neighbour's name until two years after living next to her.
   "So," Robin said, "how old are you anyways, Miss Faye?"
   Shit.
   "I am twenty two, and you?" I said, boldly lying. I prayed he couldn't see through my bull crap.
   "Twenty three. I got you by one year, haha!" Robin exclaimed. I laughed nervously. He was a lot older than me. Was I doing the right thing? Was it too late to back off and call a cab?
   There was a few seconds of awkward silence, and then Robin spoke up again. "So, what do you say we take this elsewhere? We can go back to my place if you would like." Robin grinned, his hand brushing against my knee. My heart dropped. What was I doing? I needed a chance to clear my head.
   "Uh, let me go to the bathroom real quick. And then maybe we can go, but I am not sure yet." I jumped out of my seat and retreated back to the familiar foul smelling room. I walked in as a different woman was walking out, and as the door closed behind me, I peered back at Robin. He sat in the same place he was when I left him, looking confused, almost as if he did something wrong to scare me off.
   I felt terrible. How socially acceptable would it be to just ditch this guy and leave? After all, he did buy me a drink, and I know I was definitely leading him on to think that we were going to do something more. Was I supposed to go with him? Was it okay to say no?
   I peered back at the same bathroom stall from earlier. Could I fake being sick? I knew how to make myself throw up. It wasn't hard. But what if I mess up and he calls me out on my bluff?
I wanted to cry. How did Virginia do this? She made this seem so easy. Hell, we went to bars at least three nights a week, and she always left with someone new. Maybe she is just less fearful than I am. After all, it was her idea to sneak me into bars underage in the first place. It was her idea to get me fake identifications. All of these things were her ideas, and she never thought twice about what she wanted to do once she decided to do it. I had to be more like Virginia. I had to take risks.
   I looked at myself in the mirror. My make up was carefully applied to give me just a slight older look, and the way I dressed screamed fearless early twenties adult too, not illegal teenager scared of her own shadow. My lipstick was slightly smudged on the corner of my lip, and I kicked myself for looking so stupid for so long in front of Robin. Fixing up my hair just a little bit more, I took a deep breath and reached for the door handle to leave. I thought about my parents. Would dad be upset about this? Probably not, to be honest. I could be gone for three days tops before he would even begin to question my whereabouts. And my mum? She might be a little bit quicker to notice, but she would probably praise my absence long before she worried about it. My parents don't care about me. That is why I am nineteen years old and in a bar after all, right? Besides, I would be home before noon tomorrow, so it would almost be like I was never gone.
   When I returned to the bar, Robin perked up. He handed me my drink and pulled my seat out for me to sit down. What a gentleman. I thanked him and took my seat, sipping on my whiskey sour and feeling my tongue cringe at the flavour. Robin sat down beside me like he did before and again, I found myself getting lost in his huge blue eyes. He was so handsome, even for a twenty-three-year-old. Time and time again, I kept forgetting how much younger I was from him. Was this wrong?
   Robin scooted in closer to me, a quirky little smile inching across his face. "So what do you say, Faye?" I giggled at the little rhyme he made, and bat my eyes at him. "Can I take you home with me tonight? I don't want to leave here lonely and you have everything I am looking for in a woman."
   This was it. The big moment of truth. I gulped, and nodded.
   Within seconds, Robin had the drinks paid for and had me walking out the door and towards the parking lot. I felt so nervous, and with nothing but booze in my system, I couldn't help but feel a little queasy on top of it.
   As he guided me through the lot, the queasiness escalated to drowsiness, and instantly I knew something was very wrong. I stopped walking and shook my head. "On second thought," I groaned, "I am not feeling too well. Maybe I should just go home." I clenched my stomach. It started making weird noises, and I felt more and more light headed as the seconds ticked by.
   Robin supported my weight with his and smiled sweetly. "Nonsense, beautiful. You will be alright, I promise."
   I stumbled forward a few steps and then stopped again. "No, I am sorry Robin, but I really need to call a cab. I do not feel well." I was almost shaking. Why was he so against me leaving? Did he do something to make me feel this way?
   My heart sunk. I asked once more, praying he would comply. "Robin, I need to go home."
   He looked miffed, or at least that is what I could tell, but my eyes had gotten so droopy that it was hard to make out definite things. My knees gave out from under me, and I collapsed into his arms. He held me up and nodded. "Okay, okay, it is clear that you aren't well. I will take you home. Just give me your address and I will have you there in no time at all."
   A huge sense of relief brushed over me. Like that kind of relief you feel when you take that first huge gulp of water after a good run, or that relief you feel when you go to the bathroom after a long movie. I continued walking with Robin to his car, and had to take a few breaks along the way to regain my composure. I didn't know why I was acting so weird, but I felt like I had little control over it. This had never happened to me before. Perhaps it was because I kept drinking after throwing up? I found that I tend to blame a lot of my problems on the alcohol, which is ironic because the only reason I drink is to escape all of the other problems consuming my life. I guess drinking does more harm than good for me.
   Robin stopped me in front of a large black pick-up truck, and opened the passenger side door. He cleared some old papers and cans out of the way, throwing it all in the backseat (out of sight, out of mind), and then hurried back towards me to help me into the seat.
   Almost instantly, I felt tired and started drifting off into a deep, unrelenting sleep. I heard Robin get into the truck and start the engine, and I remember hearing him tell me to just close my eyes and relax, but everything sounded so distant and hazy, that it took me a long time to even register what was being said. I leaned my head back against the headrest and let my forehead rest against the cool glass of the window. My mind wandered into far off lands before finally giving up and causing me to fall asleep. My last thought that I could remember frightened me.
   I never gave Robin my address.