Night's Beginning

Photo credit: Robsalot (that's me!)

New city, new apartment, new job; Gigi hated change, and yet here she was. The first day at her new place of employment wasn’t horrible, but as she stepped out of the climate controlled office at the end of the day a sense of dread came over her. There was nothing left to do but go home to her tiny apartment, all alone.

The 51A bus pulled up to the corner of Park and Santa Clara, and Gigi tumbled off onto the busy sidewalk of the downtown shopping district. She strode quickly down the sidewalk toward home, dodging happy couples striding arm and arm as they headed out for dinner. She resisted the urge to body check a couple that had stopped directly in her path, instead quickly ducking past them she found herself in the doorway of a rather dimly lit bar.

“Lost Weekend Lounge” the sign over the door read, and though she never would have considered going to a bar on a Monday night in her past life, the thought of her empty apartment filled with boxes waiting to be unpacked was enough to lure her inside. Without thinking she found herself seated on a leather bar stool, cool glass of liquid relaxation in her hand.

As the weeks passed by she slowly settled into the routine of her new life. Work was work, home was home, but that little bar next to her bus stop became her refuge, it’s patrons her friends, it’s bartenders her family. It was her place to go when she had no one else, and she felt it had saved her.

Gigi’s parents had scarcely heard from her since she moved, and they were starting to get worried, especially since it had been more than a week since she had returned their last call. Even more troubling, they had called her office to see if they could find her and were told that she no longer worked there. They refused to give any more information. Gigi’s parents knew what they had to do next.

They showed up at her apartment bright and early on a Saturday morning but when their knocks at her door failed to produce any results they went and found the super. It didn’t take much convincing for him to let them in, after all Gigi was almost two months behind in rent. Nothing could have prepared them for what they would see on the other side of the door though.

The apartment was pitch black, curtains drawn against the bright morning sunlight. Once their eyes adjusted they saw her, a figure hunched in the middle of the room, surround by empty liquor bottles and still packed cardboard bottles.

Her dad spoke first “Oh my god, Gigi, is that you?”

The figure at the center of the room stirred, fell backwards, and rolled to face the door. Her puffy face brightened at the sight of her parents and she slurred “Mom, Dad, hi, welcome to the Lost Weekend Lounge!”