1001 Insomniac Nights

“Okay.” I went to the table to get a dirty glass to wash when I noticed that part of the it had been cleared off, and in the middle of the clean spot was a bottle of pain killers. Its top was off and it was lying haphazardly on its side.

It was empty. Beside it, written in jagged letters, was a note that said, “We’re out of Advil.”

I’ll never forget the first time I saw Brent really try to kill himself. The memory is riveted in my mind, always there, reminding me of what could have happened, no matter how much I try to forget. We had just gotten back home from the bar. I had managed to get Brent to drink [...]

The movie had long since finished and the DVD player shut itself off, leaving the TV with only a blue, empty screen. Holly had dozed off even before it ended, her head cradled by a cushion she had purposely put halfway on my lap. I looked down at her affectionately, then shook her lightly. “C’mon, [...]

Brent looked up at me and gave me an amused, but hollow, grin. “Do you know what today is?”

I thought about it. “Thursday?”

“No.” He almost sounded disgusted. “Why would I expect everybody to be dating?”

I thought about if for a second, then it dawned on me. “Oh….” I realized. “It’s the 14th. Valentine’s Day.”

“Right,” Brent said. He chuckled. “If you hadn’t broken up with Candace already, then she’d be breaking up with you now.”

And so I found myself at Café Yoko’s, alone, and nursing a warm beer. I looked across at the empty seat. It hurt more than I thought it would. But it was hardly doing me any good to sit here, brooding over it. I was just thinking of leaving when a voice interrupted my thoughts. “Let me guess,” she said. “Girl problem?”