The Stray
I struggled not to visually roll my eyes or audibly sigh at what the woman was saying. Despite the bar being full on a Friday evening, and a large collection of voices being all that I could hear, somehow her whining tone seemed louder than anyone else’s; despite not yelling or straining her words. This was the last thing I wanted to do after a full week of work. With the weekend fast approaching and my entire frame aching, all I wanted was to return to the comfort of my home, curl up and read a book, or maybe watch a few movies. I wanted to push out the rest of the world, avoid any forms of human connection and just…relax. As I was leaving work, my plans were interrupted by a text from my oldest friend, a woman who I had known ever since we were at school together, Melanie. She was drunk, already intoxicated by the time I had reached the bar. She had texted me the address with almost no choice but to spend the evening with her and listen to her sorrows. ...