Break First

Standing At The Bar

It's a hot humid night as Faith walks up to the bar at a trendy new place in Nashville. It's her first time out since splitting with Tim, her fiance. She resisted her friend's invites at first, but they persisted and finally got her to come out with them. Her long time friend, Gaye, is in town and she insisted that the best way for Faith to move forward is to get out and meet someone new. After overhearing some people in the bar saying they had seen Tim walk out onto the dance floor, Faith gets up from the table and makes an excuse about needing a refill, even though she hasn't yet touched the drink she bought when they first came in. She casually scans the room and then quickly looks away as she sees Tim being led by the hand by a petite brunette in black knee high boots and a skirt that is way too short. She feels her heart race and her stomach clench and from what seems like miles away a voice keeps saying, "Miss? Can I help you? Miss?" Faith snaps out of it and fakes a laugh as she speaks to the bartender, "I'm sorry, silly me, I just wasn't paying attention. Can I have a gin and tonic please?" The bartender quickly fills her order and Faith slides some cash across the bar before returning to her friends. Gaye looks up and says, "What do you need another drink for, you barely touched this one?"

"Um, i don'y know," Faith says, trying to shrug it off. "That one was just too watered down."

"Oh darn," says Gaye, "I thought maybe you got up to go flirt with the bartender." She laughs and nudges Faith's shoulder. "He is cute, you know! He reminds me of Bobby Turner from high school."

Gaye and the other girls start talking about boys they used to have crushes on as Faith nods and pretends to pay attention, but she just can't stop thinking about Tim. She should be here with him. He should be beside her right now holding her hand and making her laugh like he always could. Instead, he's with some trashy girl on the dance floor who probably only wants him so she can brag to her friends how she banged a famous country star. Faith's blood starts to boil imagining Tim with another woman, when suddenly her friends get quiet and she looks at them questioningly. "What?" She says holding out her hands.

Gaye reaches over and puts her hand on Faith's forearm and says, "Don't worry. I'm sure he won't bother you. He should know by now that you're over him."

Faith follows their gazes to the dance floor then looks back at them with a fake smile and just shakes her head. "it's okay girls. That man is nothing but a stranger to me." The girls laugh and cheer, raising their glasses. "Atta girl Faith! Who needs him?!"

But all she could think was how she DID need him. He was her everything.