All our lives

Chapter 14

The atmosphere remained animated during the next performances, although they did lose most of the electricity that had defined Denbora's recital. Tico seemed to have forgotten that they were supposed to drink only one more beer and then go back to the hotel and Jon didn't remind him. When Dave proposed having another round, they both agreed.

Jon was keeping a close eye on the woman, who had sat at a table and was enjoying the night with a very happy and loud group. Singing and cheering and having too much fun for his taste at that moment. He could not approach her with all those people around. Not that if she had been alone would have been much of a difference. Chances were she was as elusive as her sisters from hell.

"Do you know what happened the last time I witnessed something like that?" Tico asked him.

"Hmm?" Jon looked at Tico, partially oblivious to what his friend was asking. The drummer discreetly pointed to her table, the exact place from which Jon's attention had been diverted. The singer slightly shook his head as an answer.

"I joined you," came Tico's response that startled Jon. He knew the drummer was only trying to be funny whilst admitting she had made quite an impression on him, but given the actual situation, he didn't find anything funny in what Tico had said. If her name hadn't matched those other two, maybe he would have even joked that he could follow her if he wished. As long as he would be back on time for their next concert.

"Trust me, Teek, I was nothing like her!" he said maybe a little too disgruntled, but he simply didn't like to be associated with her in any way.

"I can't tell from your tone if you think you were better or she was," Tico laughed.

Jon forced a smile that could be interpreted either way, letting his friend choose the winner of an unequal battle. He was only human after all. He sensed more movement than usual in his peripheral vision and he turned a little to see the woman getting up from her chair and moving towards the bathrooms. That was his chance. He stood up and Tico didn't ask him where he was going because after all that beer it went without saying where he was heading.

Just like in Vienna he didn't exactly have a plan, a thing that made him feel absolutely uncomfortable. Or maybe the one that was shaping in his mind the closer he was getting to her made him feel that way. The hallway to the men's - on the left side - and women's - on the right side - restrooms was poorly lit and the sign on the men's door was missing. The first time he had come there he had wrongly opened the door next to the ladies' one, so he already knew he had an accessible small deposit room at his disposal.

He didn't think too much. If he analyzed that sick ad hoc plan even for a bit he wouldn't do it.

The woman was right in front of him carelessly and softly singing along with whatever song was played at the time and he took advantage of the fact no one except them was in the hallway. When she got in front of the ladies' restroom, he grabbed her by her arm, a gesture he had probably made thousands of times before, but never that aggressively and definitely not towards a woman, moreover not towards a maybe 5-feet-tall woman that he didn't know at all.

"Qué coño te pasa, tío?" She asked outraged as she tried to pry his fingers off her arm.

He instinctively tightened his grip and dragged her to the next door like she was a weightless doll. A weightless doll with a big mouth, spilling bad word after bad word. If he had understood Spanish, his ears would have bled from her otherwise very melodic expletives, he could bet. He shouldn't have grabbed her arm, he should have covered her mouth first. "Politely ask her to help you, didn't cross your mind?" His morals snarled at him. He was absolutely disgusted with himself, but deep down he knew there was no other way and he simply couldn't afford to let them run away from him just because the idea of being even slightly violent towards women made him sick. He opened the door and pushed her inside, letting go of her arm.