ONE NIGHT, ONE LIE

Chapter 2

I stumbled up the stairs of the building where my apartment was. It was rickety and old, the wood creaking loudly under my every step. It was impossible to walk on these stairs quietly, so I didn't even bother to try. If the landlord ever cared, he would've fixed it.

I had decided not to go to the bartending job tonight. I had called my boss and took a day off from him, so I should be free from there for at least a night. The act of placing the call and canceling my shift twisted something deep inside of me. It was unpleasant. I had spent so long working and working just to scrap enough money to survive and help my father at the same time, that the thought of canceling work was almost enough to give me stomach ache.

Numerous times, I had thought of turning down the invitation that Ana had given me and then just go home and sleep the sleep of the dead. Everytime I looked at her hopeful face though, I always lost courage. So, at the end I cancelled my bartender shift and rushed home after my afternoon janitor shift to dress while avoiding my landlord.

Unfortunately, I wasn't exactly as successful as I thought in the avoiding part.

Speaking of the landlord, my fave paled when I saw who was standing in front of my door as I got to the floor where my room was located. The landlord was there, banging on the old and molding wood on the door without a care in the world, as if it didn't concern him if the door flew off its hinges.

I stepped into the hallway, and the sound of my footsteps notified the man, who turned immediately to the direction of the noise. The moment he spotted me, his face grew ruddy red and blotchy.

“You!” He snarled and walked towards me. I blinked in surprised and instinctively stepped back.

“What?” I asked in irritation. I had never really liked the man in the first place, and that moment it was hard to let go of my dislike for him. “What did I do?”

“You still haven't paid the f*****g rent, that's what! When are you going to give me my money!” He yelled, waving his hand angrily. I felt anger come over me too at the man’s greed.

“I told you that I’d pay it!” I yell back. “Can't you have some patience for god’s sake?”

“I’ll have patience when I get my hands on my money!” He snarled, then pointed a wobbling, red finger at me. “I'm watching you. If you wanna skimp on my money, I'm kicking you out!”

“What?” Did I hear that right?

“I've had enough of you delaying rent every god damn time. I'll give you till this time next week. If I don't have my money by then, you're out.” He pronounced.

“No.” I muttered, shocked almost into silence. “Please! Okay, I'll get the money, I swear. Just don't kick me out.”

I was crying, I realized. Hot tears ran down my cheeks as I begged this absolute waste of space. I didn't have a choice though. It was either beg, or live in the streets.

I watched the landlord turn and walk away angrily. I felt empty. I didn’t know what to do. I entered my room, which was a small apartment that barely qualified as living space. It was shabby, but it was all I had, all that I could afford.

I didn’t have the money to pay for exorbitant water bills, so I didn’t have a shower that evening even if I wanted to. Years ago, when we were still rich, I would have my bath at least two times a day, sometimes three. Nowadays, I only had my bath once.

I walked to my closet and threw it open, staring at the old and faded clothes inside. I was indecisive; I didn’t know if I should accept Ana’s invitation. Yes, I had said that I promised I would show up, but that was before the landlord had come and reminded me why I was working so much jobs in the first place. I should’ve been working in the bar right now, instead of going for a party. My chest tightened with guilt at the thought that I would be enjoying myself for a night while my father continued to wallow in prison.

But didn’t I deserve this night? Just once. I had already given everything to my father. I didn’t want him and my money problems to take this from me too. Ana was right. I needed one night to unwind, and I would get that night.

I pulled out an outfit that wasn’t too bad. It was one of the few remaining outfits that I kept from when we were still rich. I had sold most of the others to make ends meet in those early days after Dad’s arrest.

I pulled on the outfit, washed my face in the sink, and applied the make-up of questionable quality that I had when the face dried. Staring at myself in the reflection, I fluffed my hair a bit. As I moved to apply some eye-shadow, I paused.

I wasn’t going to the party to attract someone. I was just going there to relax for a bit. So there no reason for me to spend my time making myself the prettiest I can be, right?

I sighed and finished my preparations. When I was done, the sun had already sunk beyond the horizon. I left my apartment and made my way to the address where the party was being held.

“You came!” Ana exclaimed with excitement as I walked into the room where the party was being held. I had called her from home to tell her when I would be coming, so she had been waiting for me somewhere close to the entrance of the room.

“Come on!” she grabbed my wrist and started dragging me towards the dance floor. “Let’s dance the night away.”

“Ana.” I pulled my wrist from Ana’s fingers. She looked back at me in confusion. “I’m not in the mood right now.”

I had to shout over the sound of the loud music so that she could hear me. When she realized what I was saying, she looked closer at my face and placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Is everything alright, El?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.

For a moment, I debated telling her about the landlord, and fact that around this time next week I would probably be homeless. The words were almost spilling from my mouth, but at the end of the day I forced them back and decided not to say anything.

“Don’t worry!” I yelled. “Just have fun! I’ll get back to you in a minute, I wanna get a drink.”

I don’t think she believed that everything was fine, but she hugged me and let me go none the less. I made my way to the bartender and sat on a chair.

“Three shots. The strongest things you’ve got. I don’t even want to think right now.”

Yes. I didn’t want to think. I wanted to forget this night. I wanted to forget my father, forget my landlord, forget the last six f*****g years. If I could forget my entire life, that would even be better.

When the first shot landed in from of me, I downed it immediately, savoring the way it burned as if ran down my throat. My chest warmed immediately, filled with heat. I felt my mind begin to get fuzzy, my thoughts gradually disappearing under the weight of the alcohol.

After taking the three shots, I ordered another three. When I had taken those ones too, I was well and truly drunk. I was also feeling pressed; I needed to use the bathroom.

I looked around the hall filled with dancing bodies, looking for Ana so that I could ask her for directions to the bathroom. But the way my vision was swimming made it hard to focus on anything clearly, so I couldn’t find her in the crowd.

I decided to try to find the bathroom by myself. It couldn’t be that hard. Just look for another door and it should take me there, right?

I stood up from my seat and started stumbling my way across the room. Some men, seeing me standing and walking about, probably thought I wanted to dance or something; they were touching me everywhere, speaking to me with voices I could barely hear over the buzzing in my ears created by the alcohol. I laughed when one of them said something funny; I don’t know what he said, but it was funny.

I finally stumbled out of the room and walked for a long while. Then I saw a closed door in a hallway; this had to lead to the restroom, right?

I leaned against and opened it, and then I walked into a room that was dimly lit.

“Oh? So you’re finally here.” I heard a voice say, and I looked up to see a half-naked man sitting on the edge of a bed. The half-naked man stood up and started walking towards me.

“I’ve been waiting a while. Let’s get this over with.”