A Long, Long Road Part 2
Must be drowned or it soon might explode,
So make it one for my baby,
One more for the road…
A long, long road
—Arlen and Mercer
I do futile things like walking aimlessly in the rain or seeing a shrink in a vain attempt to assuage my pain.
Tonight, I’m at the rooftop bar in the Park Hotel trying to drown my sorrows with drink, but more specifically, to exorcise the memory of Elaine.
Her ghost haunts my dreams with endless ruminations about what might have been.
“You getting out of the rain, or getting rained upon?”
I look up to see a beautiful girl smiling at me. I’m at one end of the bar and she’s sitting right around the corner, so that puts her directly opposite me.
She reminds me of Kristen Stewart from the Twilight saga, and I got to admit—it’s a reflex, but I rub my throat. I’m no Edward Cullen—she’s no Bella Swan—but apart from that, we’ve got this mystic vibe going.
It’s weird. There’s this TV image of her fading in and out—or at least that’s how it appears to me.
I once dropped acid in college and watched a female news anchor on TV, and that’s the same effect—glance away, and the face persists, like an after-image, but still talking.
“Why don’t you buy me a drink and we’ll chat about it?”
“Sure,” I tell her, “But first move over here beside me and tell me what you’re drinking.”
She gets up and slides onto the stool beside me. “A strawberry gimlet,” she smiles.
I’m thinking this is a hell of a lot better than talking to Joe and maybe this girl might just quench this torch I’ve been carrying so long.
“I’m Charlotte,” she says.
“I’m Paul. Pleased to know you.”
Joe has a puzzled look as he drops the two drinks—a double rye on the rocks and the fruity concoction I’m sure he doesn’t make that often.
Suddenly, there’s a mighty crash of thunder and the lights go out.
A groan arises from the crowd but Joe calls out, “Don’t worry, folks, we’ve got lots of candles.”
Within minutes, the bar is aglow and we have our own sconce flickering before us.
Charlotte giggles merrily. “I love the ambiance—somehow it seems appropriate.”
I couldn’t agree more. Her backlit hair enchants me as her face momentarily catches light and then recedes into shadows. She’s so mysterious and alluring.
And I’m intoxicated with the mystique of the storm, the magic of the moment and the fascination of her charm.
Suddenly, the heaviness that’s weighed on me the past few months is gone—lifted suddenly like an oppressive smog.
The change of mood like a change of weather has banished the fog of grief.
I don’t know who the hell this girl is but she’s lifted the lid off the bubbling cauldron that’s been stirred within me by memories of Elaine, and now that it’s gone, I can breathe easy again.
I really liked the atmosphere of mystery and sensuality that is perceived in this part. Charlotte, a beautiful and strange woman, has come to relieve Paul. There is an attraction at first sight, but perhaps it is ephemeral.
Each Initial attraction is ephemeral and fleeting and only time determines if it is real. Thanks, @aurodivys
Hello @johnjgeddes, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!
Thank you!