Lucid Vows

CHAPTER 1: Crocheted Lives

The old wooden door, with its peeling paint and tarnished brass handle, creaked open. The dim light from the streets slowly illuminated the old building. A young adult man stepped over as he scanned the place. Feeling through antiqued tables and chairs as he went for the power supply in the room.

The old lights gradually gained their own luminescence as they started to light up the place without the help of the lights from the street outside. The man then hung an old sign saying “OPEN” at the door.

Dimly lit by a soft, amber glow, it held an air of nostalgia, as if time had come to a standstill within those walls. The scent of aged wood and well-worn leather filled the air, welcoming him back to a world that had become more familiar than his own home.

“Just the usual night, I guess” the young man sighed as he walked towards the bar top.

Exhaustion from his student life during mornings can be felt through his deep sigh. But the glow in his eyes was more illuminating than any other light bulbs within the bar. The bar was his refuge, a place where the weight of the world lifted, even if only for a few hours each night. It was a place where strangers became friends, where stories flowed like the finest wine, and where the troubles of the day melted away like ice in a glass of bourbon.

"Nine o'clock huh, guess that’s a few hours of peace coming right up" he murmured, glancing at the wall clock, preparing for the arrival of the familiar faces that graced the bar. He readied himself for customers, who often brings a story of their own, and of course, money for their drinks.

The paper on the calendar rustled, “Sept. 16” it says, as people gradually poured into the establishment, people would be an exaggerated remark, just the few regulars that patronized the bar came in.

“Hey! Darien, the usual please!” Yelled by a bearded man. He looks scary, with his large frame and a budding tummy, he looks like one of those tavern guys with axes from medieval movies.

“Coming right through Kiko!” Darien happily replied, as he went for two beer mugs at the drawer.

Francis, a friendly neighbor of Darien, is a regular in this bar, often called Kiko by his peers and friends. He may seem like a scary patron, but he is a caring friend to everyone, sweet as you may.

The night went on as usual. Laughs about the embarrassing moments on one table, stories of feats on the other, and of course, the story that never gets lost in a bar, the story of love, heartbreaks and regrets.

Darien is a man who has heard various stories. You could say that these stories were his dessert after dinner. He finds solace in the stories shared by other people, as if he is on a journey into different perspectives of life.

But behind Darien's welcoming smile lay his own tale. A fledgling boy who was orphaned when he was 15 due to a car accident that took his parents away. Living with his uncle, he strives hard to pay back their kindness for taking him in into their family. He had weathered the storms of grief and loss, each death etching a scar upon his young heart

For death has been a huge part of his life, from the death of his grandmother when he was still an infant, to the death of his very close grandfather when he was 6, the death of his loving grandmother when he was 10, and the disease that took his last grandparent when he was 13, until the very recent, 6 years ago, the death of his parents.

The weight of these losses lingered, leaving an indelible mark on his soul. Yet, amidst this sea of grief, he remained tethered to the hope of family, a longing for a love that had been snatched away too soon.

He only has his brother now, an older brother that works overseas for both of them. He is in constant longing for a family love that he covers with his studies and work.

An extreme regime, you could say, waking up at 7 in the morning, going to his university at 8 and going home at 5, sometimes 7 in the evening. Preparing his homework and projects until 9, opens the bar, and closing it at 12 AM. It is amazing to think that he has done it every day since he was 19 years old.

As he polished glasses and poured drinks, the first stranger of the night walked in—a weary young woman in her mid-20’s, her countenance etched with a palpable sadness that seemed to permeate the very air around her.

“Mojito please.” The lady ordered.

He prepared the cocktail with care, hoping to offer her a momentary reprieve from her troubles. As he observed her, he sensed the weight of her burdens, an intuitive understanding of her inner turmoil. The cocktail was made with sugar, lime, mint, rum and soda water for the lady hoping to clear her mind by invigorating her senses. He then started polishing few glasses. He can grasp the sadness in the lady’s eyes as she scrolled through her phone restlessly.

Darien has good eyes for people. Most of the time, about eighty percent, he always gets the right answer on people’s feelings and the root of such emotions. And this time, he has deduced that it is a problem with a friend. It may seem like a love problem, but based on the clothes the lady wears, she just came from work, a hardworking person, he presumed, due to the things she brought with her. A Capricorn or Virgo, high chance. He thought, therefore, low chances it is about love, rather, it is about friendship.

He would often associate his observations with different zodiacs because he feels that star signs are the default settings of human beings, which only vary through different life experiences.

“Seems like clouds are looming over you.” Darien casually spoke out. The lady placed her bag on the table, breathed out a very heavy sigh as if letting out all the burdens she had been carrying a while ago.

“You can tell me about it. Sharing burdens lightens one’s mood, you know?” Darien coolly said as he finished polishing the second mug.

The lady stared at him with a puzzled look, she seemed to be studying the man as if he was joking. Opening up to a stranger? That’s like a very new thing for her.

However, Darien’s calm demeanor inviting her to unburden herself, to share the weight of her troubles with a stranger, felt oddly familiar. He had an uncanny ability to draw people in, he had this aura as if he is a very safe person, a place where you can say things without filter, create a space where confessions flowed freely, a testament to the refuge the bar offered to those seeking solace. A tree in a sense.

"By the way, I'm Darien, a 21-year 21-year-old working student". He introduced himself to start a conversation.

"Oh, I'm Louissa, an office worker at this-" as she pointed to the tag on her bag that said Geological Research Institute.

"I'll try to guess, perhaps work related?" Darien guessed, since he had already theorized that this woman had no time for love.

The lady looked at him with a puzzled look. Maybe pondering why she would open such a topic, but somehow, she felt compelled to share her burdens with this somewhat oddly familiar guy.

“Yeah, my friend and I got into a misunderstanding.” The lady depressingly replied.

Right on the money. Darien thought as he congratulated his guess that he was right, it was about friendship.

While Darien wipes some mugs, she looks at the lady as if urging her to share more about her problem.

"Yesterday, I was drowned with my work when she surprised me for my birthday, but albeit of her efforts, I shouted due to the frustration on my work" sadness can be felt through the waves of her voice.

"That hurt her feelings for sure" Darien remarked with satisfaction in his mind, for he had hit the right mark. 'A Virgo indeed'.

"That's why I want to fix it, she's the only friend that understands me for who I am, but I'm not an expressive person" she lamented about her own misfortune.

"Well, for starters, you should contact her and make sure you have a clear mind as you do it" Darien advised Louissa.

The night went on as they talked about ways of how to fix their friendship. More customers exit while fewer enter.

As the night neared 12 midnight, Louissa stood up with a lighter heart, "Here Darien, a tip for everything you've helped me." she gestured for a tip as she picked up her bag and exited through the door.

“No need for that though, I’m already satisfied knowing that I’ll be of help on fixing your friendship” Darien tried not to accept her tip. However, knowing her personality, even for a short period of time, he remarked that she is a kind of person that won’t allow to take free things, even advices, from other people without returning favors.

“Nope, sorry but this is my way of saying thank you for all your help” Louissa insisted as she placed her tip into the jar.

When Louissa was exiting and opened the door, a new customer went in "Oh my, thank you for opening, miss". The lady thanked Louissa and smiled, at which Louissa returned the kind smile.

The smile seemed like a tsunami of nostalgia, like a wave of memories crashing into Darien's heart.

"Jellybean", an inaudible sound came out of Darien's mouth, whispering mixed feelings.

But when he blinked, he was washed away with reality, that the owner of the name he mumbled was not even there, and the lady in front of him was a whole 'nother person.

However, Darien's heart says otherwise, he feels like he has known this woman for a long time, he met her, talked with her, laughed with her, and may even have loved her.

"Excuse me sir, still open for last order?" The question once again pulled Darien out of his thoughts, as he scanned around the bar and saw that aside from Kiko sleeping at one table, there were only the two of them there.

He then checked the time, "11:53".

"Well, we're technically still open, but can you enjoy your drink within 7 minutes?" Darien told the lady.

"Then I'll take it out in a disposable cup or a plastic bottle" the woman shrugged and gestured for Darien to start getting her order.

Even this action reminded him of someone, an aura with a natural bossy energy. Darien smiled as he started to remember. A smile with both gratitude and longing.

"You know what, take your time, sit down and let me get you your drink." Darien remarked as he led the lady to take a seat at the bar top.

"I want a gin cocktail, but it's up to you what mix you'll get me" she told Darien while playfully smiling at him as if challenging his experience and ability to read people.

Darien then started to mix a variety of ingredients, "Nice place, by the way" the lady told him while Darien kept on concocting the drink.

It has been quite a while since Darien last made a mix that's all guts, no measures, just pure instincts.

The finished cocktail was green, from dark olive green at the bottom to light mint green at the top, with mints, of course.

"Fantastic! It's pleasing to the eyes mister!" The woman exclaimed with excitement as she took a sip of her drink. "And it tastes great too!" She happily said as she made a cute little dance with her shoulders.

Nah, I guess it ain’t her, she’s cutesy, while jellybean is cool. Darien thought to himself as she looked at the girl.

Instead of looking like a creep from all the staring, Darien decided to take this time to start cleaning up while waiting for the lady to finish up.

By the time he was finished cleaning, the lady stood up, grabbed a half-finished bottle of whiskey as the table, and placed her supposed payment for the cocktail and whiskey.

“Yo mister, here’s the payment, thank you for the drinks!” then she straight up and walked to the exit.

Didn’t even get her name. Darien thought while feeling dismayed by the sudden goodbye. He then nudged the sleeping Kiko with a bit more force. Maybe due to his frustration about missing out a very cute lady.

As he was closing the bar and locking its door, she found a keychain at the entrance and picked it up. It was an octopus crochet with cute black beady eyes.

“I guess it’s a nice way to end this day, a cute gift from the universe in the shape of my favorite sea creature” Darien smiled from the little keychain that he found.