Saviors (Completed)

13. Hangover And Bagels

The sun shined pure gold, lighting up the sky in a numerous of red shades. It was the kind of dawn you wanted to save for a rainy day. Under its stunning beauty, a path for the day ahead, formed. Outlines of buildings became clearer and clearer and everything turned back to their original color. Dawn washed away all the darkness of the night.

I was a prisoner as soon as a headache struck and locked me up in its dazzling pain. Often I would already have vomited by now, but I held it all in, not wanting to throw up in public. Pain throbbed violently around my skull, nagging from every direction. I wanted. No, I needed a bed and a hell lot of painkillers to survive.

I remembered it like it was yesterday, how I would always wake up and feel the crushing pain. It was annoying. I regretted what I had done, however, nothing could change it now. I had been sober for one year, five months, two weeks and four days and then I just threw it all away because my father demanded me to drink.

I searched my pockets for a couple dollars, hoping there would be enough for some breakfast and some pain killers.

As I took the few dollars up and counted them I decided to head for the painkillers first. I pulled my hood up and kept my head down. There weren't many people out this hour, but a few drove past me and even one walked past me.

I entered the shop and a bell rang through the white room. A lady walked out from behind and smiled as she saw me wander around. "Good morning," she greeted, however, I held my mouth closed.

I looked around the shop, reading the label before moving on to the next medicine or vitamin. As my eyes scanned over painkillers my arms grabbed out, taking them down from the shelf.

Though it still felt like a balloon was being inflated under my cranium, I managed to act decently with the woman behind the white desk.

She reached a bag over the desk, "here you go." She smiled sweetly and as the bag landed in my hand I discovered it was a lot heavier than the painkillers had been. I glanced down in it and beside the medicine, a bottle of water laid and waited for me.

I glanced over my shoulder before I walked away, "thanks." She nodded and waved goodbye as I stepped out in the new sun. I squeezed my eyes, blinded by the sun for a brief moment.

I strolled down the road and further down to a little cafe there always were open in the morning. I pushed open the doors and glanced around. A single servant stood behind the desk and checked a laptop, while a customer said and enjoyed his hot coffee while reading the news.

There was nothing sleek about it, no fancy furniture or elegant strings of sunshine dancing across the floor.

The tables shined like those from IKEA, boring and plain. Grafitti paint framed the walls and light music played from the radio. Cream cheese bagels, chicken sandwiches, and croissants laid firmly packed in a glass box. National coffee, latte, espresso and hot chocolate could be made on the black machine in the background and get poured down in huge white mugs. A small kitchen for sandwich making was placed only a meter from where the servant stood. Ovens for finishing part baked bread were half open, sterilizing refrigerator seals sparkled in the sun. It looked ready for someone to wrap and seal baguettes in plastic, sticking labels on the food after.

I took a seat in the lonely corner and brought my water and pills up on the table. As I opened the box, the servant arrived at my table, with a fake smile whipping down her surface. "What can I get for you, ma'am?" she asked politely.

"Espresso and a cream cheese bagel," I answered without looking up at her but pulling my hood closer over my face.

"It will only take a moment," she said and strolled away again. I sighed loudly and poured down a painkiller together with a sip of water. I leaned back in the chair and leaned my head even longer back, closing my eyes for a moment.