Italics monologue are in between * * as i couldn't edit it in italics.
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"Hey seam! Another round of vodka for me." Regular girl on the corner yells while barkeeper was pouring a cocktail into the glass. It had been one of busiest night,and for a moment barkeeper had caught a breath but his work was still not done. The night seemed to be elongating for him like that corner girl drunkard shrills.
"Hey seam! Don't you hear? Another round here." Girl shouts again hitting her glass hard on the table. Bored;she was rolling her glass on table when barkeeper approached.
"I think you are plastered susie. You are done for the night." His curt reply caught the girl off guard and the rotating glass was stopped at middle of spin.
"I think i am not. I still plan to visit several other places. Last round and i go on."
"No. I am not giving you no more. You are drinking too much nowadays sushie."
"Oh! Stop being a dad and give me another round." The girl laughed maniacally at her own lame jokes. Her laughing stopped abruptly and belched a acrid fume of alcohol and stale peanuts.
*Uhh..what's going on. Maybe i had a little too more. Four shots! Only had four shots! I need more* "I think i need one more. Now!" She pronounced last word high enough to ring everyone's ear. All heads snapped towards her but soon they moved away as they turned, busying themselves into their own conversations.
"You are done sushie. Don't push me to throw you out."
"Uhuh! If i had such a kind hearted person like you earlier in my life, i would not have been this." She threw a sarcastic quip intended to arouse the bartender but he just dissappeared somewhere in his own work.
The bar seemed to be revolving around her head when she felt a hand on her shoulder but she was too hammered to turn back to find out who this person was.
"Hey! Hey sushie!" She sensed a familiar voice but didn't care a bit. The person pulled a chair and sat by her side.
"Hey! It's me karen." The name karen made her uncomfortable from inside out; her countenance grimaced but she ignored the feelings as the person on her mind could not be here.
"I don't know anyone named that." Rude reply pulled a frown on the visitor's face. Two of them didn't exchange a word untill bartender joined the conversation.
"What to serve for a nice lady here?" Seam asked while his hands were busy flaunting some of his bartending skills to impress the new lady.
"Beer for me." The visitor jibed uninterested in any of barkeeper skills. Seam filled a glass of beer and placed infront of lady and tried to spark some conversation with her.
"I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new in town?" "Oh. I don't live here nowadays. I used to a while ago." The conversation died after few meaningless whereabouts as orders came pouring out again and barkeeper was out of sight.
Sushie had placed her forehead on trench of her hands and busy looking at the bright spots of light glinting off the alcohol stained table when she felt that hand again. This constant nudging turned her furious. She turned around swift like a angry python ready for a bite but within the faint light, a familiar face was looking at her. She blinked more than twice to sort out her blurry vision. *"Karen..is this her. Blond hair that smile. Oh god! She is here."*
Tremble rose through her stomach;an urge to vomit came rising up from stomach but she pushed it. "How did you find me here?" The sharp tone added more tension on that languid air around the bar.
"Your neighbor said you could be here."
"Uh.."Sushie grunted as she felt her stomach churning more wildly with onrush of feelings from broken dams of her heart and only a drink could heal her."Let me help you." She pulled the mug from karen's hand and chugged half of it down at a gulp. "Oh...i was dying of thirst." Remaining half was gone in seconds without a drop.
Karen's countenance scowled and wrinkled into creases as many as questions in her mind. *How could she be like this? How....why..*
"What have you done to yourself susie?" She had to let go the restrains on her questions she had till now. But her friend didn't even listen;deaf on emptying her stomach as fast as she had chugged it a while before. Emaciated pale body of sushie felt transparent to karen like a glass, under the reflection of bright light hung right above them. Nervousness or the alcoholic stench shrouding every part of that claustrophobic restroom, karen's lungs gasped with trouble. Neither were the reason, she knew. It was the guilt of asking that question suffocating her at every breath. *Does she have any right asking that question? Were they even friends anymore?*
"It's easy to ask question,right karen? But i am hungry for your answers. I'm in no mood for telling mine." Sushie's answer startled karen from her thoughts. She finished up her business,cleaned her mouth quick,didn't even look at mirror in front of her,and left the restroom shutting door behind her with a thud. When karen reached the stand, her friend was already back on action.
"Do you think you will quench the thirst for answer with that beer? You never will. How long could you do this to yourself susie?"
"Hah. Enlighten me again. But I will gulp these down to death; now i have acquired a taste for bitter things."
"Are you still not done for the night? You look like a mess susie."
"I was. But it's down the drain. I have to fill it up again."
Karen knew she should not get around with these meaningless talk as night was rolling up fast with silence filling that dimly lit bar. "I know a sorry won't do a thing. I was a fool susie but i had to do what i had to. I didn't meant to leave you at once after all those years we were together. I loved you. You must know that i lo.." Susie chortled inbetween snipping the dialogue short like a scissor right into karen's throat.
"What a way to say it. Wow ! If i had been sober, i would have forgiven you." She clapped her hands twice and picked the tankard high up in air as a mock toast.
"But what have you done to yourself? What have you been susie? Seeing you like this breaks me even more." Karen's eyes welled up in tears. She knew she had done a terrible thing but now she felt she had murdered a part of the person sitting beside her. Guilt choked karen once again, her lungs gasped for fresh air outside. She had to get out from bar.She made a huge mistake coming back than leaving susie a year ago. *A huge mistake indeed*. She stood up and clutched her jacket from the edge of her chair.
"Four years karen. Four years of love down on a minute. You are always the first one to walk out right. Now don't ever come back. My life's happier without you." Susie's words created waves and karen's welled up eyes poured out on its impact.
"Hey ladies. I think its about time to wrap up now. Any last orders?" Seam came towards them but sensing something off, he went right back.
"Why are you back now? Maybe a year it has been, i had forgotten about you already. If you are here for forgiveness, know that i have lost faith on humans. Now people say i am to believe on gods that don't even exist." Sushie's voice quivers as the stubborn pain leaked through her intoxicated body.
"I am not here for forgiveness. I know i am no worthy for it. I just came to see you as i am back in town. Sorry to bother you.." Karen walked towards the door intended to leave as she came. Uncertain;why she even bothered to come back after all she had done. "Fool.."she cursed herself on breath.
"Help your friend too on your way out. She's been drinking too much lately." Barkeeper voice startled karen from behind and as she looked sushie was trembling; unable to stand on her feet. The chair on her support was rattling at unison with her hands."Let me help you out." Karen hold trembling cold hands.
Sushie forced her hand out from karen's hold once they were out on street illuminated by a streetlight feet away from them. Staggering on her feet, she says "Goodnight karen. Don't you think your dreams were always better than me? Good decision on your part. Bravo! You were always the wise one.I don't think i need to tell you that. Goodbye! This time i said it first. Goodbye.." Limping on one feet she walked down the sidewalk and slipped into the darkness;where both karen and streetlight felt they will never reach.
Comment if you loved it. I will try to follow up with more stories.
