Escaping from Nothing | Chapter 10: Bottoms up
There is something about Mondays. I was stressed out, and it wasn’t even a stressful day.
I went to the same bar I visited last time, ordered myself a bottle of beer and paid the bartender. She soon opened one and put it in front of me.
“Would you like a glass?” She asked.
“I’m alright, thank you.”
She smiled at me and I smiled back. She then hurried off to other customers at the bar.
I enjoy being surrounded by humans. The atmosphere, crowdedness and loud music somehow ease me out, make me feel safe and better.
I don’t go there all the time, but those two weeks with mind occupying events and dreams that I could not simply ignore... I had to find a way, my way, to get out of that state.
I breathed slowly as I poured the bottle of cold beer down my throat.
I have good alcohol tolerance, but I blush easily. People always think that I am drunk, while my mind remains conscious.
I looked over and saw someone familiar at the bar. What I didn’t expect was that the person looked over and saw me too.
I saw the person wave at me, so I waved back, then the person took their drink off the bar table and came towards me.
“Hey! You are Daryl, right?” The person acknowledged, with her bright happy voice.
“Yeah, since I was born, I guess,” I replied, then recognizing her as the model who pitied me with her eyes from the first circus shoot. She is…
She laughed, “Well, I am Kalicia, if you cannot remember me.”
“Of course, I do. You were the model from the circus shot. You must be glad that they paid you better on the second run, since you guys were more enthusiastic,” I smiled politely, trying to hide my embarrassment, stemmed from being terrible at remembering names.
She laughed again, with her beautiful bright smile, “Well, modelling is a tough business. It could be shady with illegal or inappropriate connections and trades. But well, for us, it is simple. Give us an adequate amount of money each hour, and we will do it professionally. But sometimes, the amount of money, is just not adequate, and arguing gets you nowhere. Then, you get too exhausted and frustrated to act professional, since, you know, you are being treated like shit.”
I smiled, “I work with lights, and behind the lights. So, the light won’t hit me the same way it does with you guys. I honestly can’t imagine what it is like.”
She smiled, “Lights can be dangerous sometimes. What are you doing here? It is Monday, isn’t it? I thought light professionals have to work every weekday.”
I smiled, “Yes, we do. I just came here to relax.”
She shrugged, “I am sure alcohol helps you relax to some degree.”
I smiled shyly, “I don’t really like alcohol that much.”
She looked at me, curiously, “Really? Then…”
“I came here for the people.”
She looked puzzled, “To meet new people?”
“More like, to be surrounded by people and feel their energy. It helps me get my mind straight and helps me relax.”
She finally understood, “Oh! So basically, you absorb people’s energy to increase your own, and you relax by being around these sweaty, noisy people and loud music?”
I nodded.
“You are very weird!” She laughed, “I like it though. It makes you different.”
I shrugged and smiled.
“I liked you from the very first time I saw you. You were clumsy yet very willing to learn. You didn’t seem to mind getting scold by that damn director and you did your job very well,” She smiled and tapped on my shoulder to show her support.
I smiled at her, “Thank you for your support. It means a lot to me.”
She smiled, then moved away, “It is great seeing you here. Can I get you a drink?”
I waved, and said, “No, it is alright. I’ll just get some water later. I am not here to get drunk anyways.”
She smiled, waved, and walked away.
I was left alone again, but I was not lonely, with all the people surrounding me. I felt good from being in a crowd, but different people will feel differently.
I guess that is what set apart everyone from everyone.
I got up, smiled at the bartender and left.
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I walked outside and saw a drunk person, squatting and vomiting on the streets. She looked familiar, but she was not Kalicia.
I thought to myself for a second, then recognized her as the girl in the shoot who waited for Niann to leave with her.
She is not his girlfriend. I thought to myself, but then thought, why does that matter anyways? We interacted and it was a good enough reason for me to care for her wellbeing.
I pulled out a tissue from a pocket tissue pack and gave it to her.
She looked up at me for a bit, puzzled. Then she recognized me, but quickly resumed her vomiting.
Her hair was in a braid and she was in shape. She was a model after all.
The bars in that area were all near studios and entertainment companies, so maybe that was why I kept seeing people from the shoot.
I mean, I did not keep seeing people from the shoot. It had only been two…
“Delise!” I heard a familiar voice yelling from behind, with familiar footsteps running. I did not have to turn around to know who that was.
The girl looked up and stood up, watching the man running towards her.
Then she looked at me, smiled, and said, “Thank you.”
She grabbed my tissue and wiped her mouth before the man reached her.
“Are you okay?” He said, worried.
She nodded, then pointed at me.
“Thank you for…” He was confused and did not really know what to say. He looked at me for a bit.
“I just lent her a tissue. It wasn’t much at all. You can take over and take care of her now,” I smiled, at the man who haunted me for the past week or so.
He had no idea, and he never will.
“We were just having a celebration kind of thing, since the circus shoot is published today. I mean, well, therefore we have been drinking…” He said, explaining himself.
But then he stopped, probably thinking that I might not be interested.
I was not that interested as to why I ran into them, but I was interested in running into him again. However, we always met in these unfavourable situations, and it made me feel bad for myself.
Why does this always happen?
Delise smiled at me, then at Niann, and saw Niann looking at me calmly.
I shrugged, “Well, Niann, take care of Delise. I bet she needs someone to take her home now.”
Delise smiled, “It is alright. Anyways, thank you…”
“Daryl, my name is Daryl,” I smiled.
She smiled back. I turned and walked away.
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©Yolanda Yip (Wintsarye)
I went to the same bar I visited last time, ordered myself a bottle of beer and paid the bartender. She soon opened one and put it in front of me.
“Would you like a glass?” She asked.
“I’m alright, thank you.”
She smiled at me and I smiled back. She then hurried off to other customers at the bar.
I enjoy being surrounded by humans. The atmosphere, crowdedness and loud music somehow ease me out, make me feel safe and better.
I don’t go there all the time, but those two weeks with mind occupying events and dreams that I could not simply ignore... I had to find a way, my way, to get out of that state.
I breathed slowly as I poured the bottle of cold beer down my throat.
I have good alcohol tolerance, but I blush easily. People always think that I am drunk, while my mind remains conscious.
I looked over and saw someone familiar at the bar. What I didn’t expect was that the person looked over and saw me too.
I saw the person wave at me, so I waved back, then the person took their drink off the bar table and came towards me.
“Hey! You are Daryl, right?” The person acknowledged, with her bright happy voice.
“Yeah, since I was born, I guess,” I replied, then recognizing her as the model who pitied me with her eyes from the first circus shoot. She is…
She laughed, “Well, I am Kalicia, if you cannot remember me.”
“Of course, I do. You were the model from the circus shot. You must be glad that they paid you better on the second run, since you guys were more enthusiastic,” I smiled politely, trying to hide my embarrassment, stemmed from being terrible at remembering names.
She laughed again, with her beautiful bright smile, “Well, modelling is a tough business. It could be shady with illegal or inappropriate connections and trades. But well, for us, it is simple. Give us an adequate amount of money each hour, and we will do it professionally. But sometimes, the amount of money, is just not adequate, and arguing gets you nowhere. Then, you get too exhausted and frustrated to act professional, since, you know, you are being treated like shit.”
I smiled, “I work with lights, and behind the lights. So, the light won’t hit me the same way it does with you guys. I honestly can’t imagine what it is like.”
She smiled, “Lights can be dangerous sometimes. What are you doing here? It is Monday, isn’t it? I thought light professionals have to work every weekday.”
I smiled, “Yes, we do. I just came here to relax.”
She shrugged, “I am sure alcohol helps you relax to some degree.”
I smiled shyly, “I don’t really like alcohol that much.”
She looked at me, curiously, “Really? Then…”
“I came here for the people.”
She looked puzzled, “To meet new people?”
“More like, to be surrounded by people and feel their energy. It helps me get my mind straight and helps me relax.”
She finally understood, “Oh! So basically, you absorb people’s energy to increase your own, and you relax by being around these sweaty, noisy people and loud music?”
I nodded.
“You are very weird!” She laughed, “I like it though. It makes you different.”
I shrugged and smiled.
“I liked you from the very first time I saw you. You were clumsy yet very willing to learn. You didn’t seem to mind getting scold by that damn director and you did your job very well,” She smiled and tapped on my shoulder to show her support.
I smiled at her, “Thank you for your support. It means a lot to me.”
She smiled, then moved away, “It is great seeing you here. Can I get you a drink?”
I waved, and said, “No, it is alright. I’ll just get some water later. I am not here to get drunk anyways.”
She smiled, waved, and walked away.
I was left alone again, but I was not lonely, with all the people surrounding me. I felt good from being in a crowd, but different people will feel differently.
I guess that is what set apart everyone from everyone.
I got up, smiled at the bartender and left.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I walked outside and saw a drunk person, squatting and vomiting on the streets. She looked familiar, but she was not Kalicia.
I thought to myself for a second, then recognized her as the girl in the shoot who waited for Niann to leave with her.
She is not his girlfriend. I thought to myself, but then thought, why does that matter anyways? We interacted and it was a good enough reason for me to care for her wellbeing.
I pulled out a tissue from a pocket tissue pack and gave it to her.
She looked up at me for a bit, puzzled. Then she recognized me, but quickly resumed her vomiting.
Her hair was in a braid and she was in shape. She was a model after all.
The bars in that area were all near studios and entertainment companies, so maybe that was why I kept seeing people from the shoot.
I mean, I did not keep seeing people from the shoot. It had only been two…
“Delise!” I heard a familiar voice yelling from behind, with familiar footsteps running. I did not have to turn around to know who that was.
The girl looked up and stood up, watching the man running towards her.
Then she looked at me, smiled, and said, “Thank you.”
She grabbed my tissue and wiped her mouth before the man reached her.
“Are you okay?” He said, worried.
She nodded, then pointed at me.
“Thank you for…” He was confused and did not really know what to say. He looked at me for a bit.
“I just lent her a tissue. It wasn’t much at all. You can take over and take care of her now,” I smiled, at the man who haunted me for the past week or so.
He had no idea, and he never will.
“We were just having a celebration kind of thing, since the circus shoot is published today. I mean, well, therefore we have been drinking…” He said, explaining himself.
But then he stopped, probably thinking that I might not be interested.
I was not that interested as to why I ran into them, but I was interested in running into him again. However, we always met in these unfavourable situations, and it made me feel bad for myself.
Why does this always happen?
Delise smiled at me, then at Niann, and saw Niann looking at me calmly.
I shrugged, “Well, Niann, take care of Delise. I bet she needs someone to take her home now.”
Delise smiled, “It is alright. Anyways, thank you…”
“Daryl, my name is Daryl,” I smiled.
She smiled back. I turned and walked away.
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©Yolanda Yip (Wintsarye)
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