Good Times Are Now

7 - Alive

Chapter 7
Alive

     Alive.

    She didn't know the true meaning of that word until tonight.

    Hours and hours passed by during their pub crawl, but Maya couldn't fathom how the night could seem so young, yet so eternal at the same time. In between pubs, they'd dance on the street to nothing but the sound of London late night traffic, and then when they'd step into the next pub, it felt like rushing through a new portal. Roger had mapped out their route very strategically, perfectly timing their arrivals to when bands would start their gigs at other pubs. In doing so, they'd immerse themselves in unfamiliar rock music each time they moved on to the next stage of their pub crawl.

Tim and Mary ended up peeling off somewhere down the road. Mary, although she seemed to have had fun, clearly was spent for the night and luckily her flat was in the midst of the pub crawl route so Brian could see her home safely before rejoining the group. Tim was thriving in the night as much as any of them were, but drunkenly mumbled something to Maya about needing to meet up with another band, though she couldn't comprehend him very well. 

At this point, Maya, Freddie, Rosemary, Roger and Brian had lost count of how many pubs they had gone to, but they were nearing the end of the route as they were now at the last one. Luckily, it was just round the corner from their flat, so Roger really did plan out their path well.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Brian said a little louder, snapping Maya out of her daydream. He was slightly disgruntled to see that Maya zoned out of their conversation.

"Coma." Maya quickly responded. "I feel like I'm waking up from a coma." Her face screwed up as she grew uncertain of what she was saying. Thoughts always seemed to make more sense when they weren't said out loud. But Brian's slight frown had scared Maya into abruptly blurting out what she was thinking.

Brian looked to Freddie hoping for some clarification, but Freddie, just as bewildered, looked to Maya. "Do elaborate, darling."

Maya bit her lip, pausing for a few seconds, trying to recall her train of thought. "It's like... I don't remember what my life was like before tonight. As if I've been in a coma all this time." She looked to Freddie and he smiled understandingly. She finally got it. She needed a reckless night out away from everything at home to see herself with a bit of clarity.

The rest of the group probably couldn't comprehend how one night of drinking and dancing could be this profound. But it was much more than that to her. She was doing something for herself for once, trivial as it was. But now, she wanted to do much more for herself. Maya knew what she wanted for a while now, but waited until the night proved its worth in acknowledging it. "Freddie... I want..."

Freddie perched up from his seat, an knowing and encouraging smiling etching from ear to ear. "Say it."

"I want to move out. I want to just get away from home and start something, I don't care where. And I want it now."