I need time to figure myself out.
Harris stared into his third glass of whiskey as the bar crowded that night. His girlfriend's text had come unexpectedly at the same time when his department manager informed him that his promotion had gone to his colleague.
He sighed and took a sip, grimacing as his throat burned. It seemed life had spent the entire month kicking him in the teeth from different corners.
“The whiskey's not doing it for ya?” A young woman in a green sweater slid into the empty stool beside him.
He frowned. “Excuse me?”
She signaled the bartender for a glass of scotch then smiled at him. She was beautiful, her eyes brown and glowing. “You've been glaring at your drink. I assumed the two of you were fighting or something.” Then she chuckled. Harris liked the sound of it and smiled in return.
“Not a bad guess,” he said.
She extended a hand. “I'm Amanda.”
He shook it. “Harris. Where did you come from?”
She shrugged. “I just came in, glanced at the counter and saw you. Now tell me why you look like someone just cancelled Christmas.”
He laughed and felt a little light. “I don't even know you.”
“That's what makes me perfect. If you tell your problems to a friend or family, they worry and interfere. But to a stranger,” she placed a hand on her chest and tilted her head slightly to the side with a smile, "they finish their drink and disappear into the night. Poof.”
He laughed again, pause for a moment and spent the next hour talking to Amanda. She listened without interrupting except to sip her drink and eat fries she'd ordered for both of them.
When he finished with a big exhale, she nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Harris said, his brows raised. “That's it? I just poured my heart out.”
She nodded, chewing her fries. “Now you're done carrying it alone. That's what most people need—someone to listen long enough for them to hear themselves.”
For a moment, Harris had no response. While talking, he realised all the ways he'd messed up. “You're right…,” he said slowly.
Amanda grinned. “Why, thank you. No one's ever admitted that to me.” They laughed just as she checked her watch and stood.
“You're leaving?” He asked quickly.
“I did warn you….stranger, drink and I disappear into the night.”
She took out a few bills from her purse and he shook his head. “Let me pay for your drink.” They shook hands and he watched her walk out of the bar.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "not a bad guess".
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