“Honey?” I heard faintly in the black abyss of my mind. I tried to respond to my mother’s voice but I was in too deep to get out. My voice was trapped inside this vessel I call a body.
I heard the voices of strangers conversing,
strain in their voices.
They kept calling my name.
“Anavrin,” they called, “Anavrin, wake up!”
I couldn’t answer.
I tried pulling myself out of this darkened
place using my mother’s cries as a ladder of sorts.
The cries became louder as I climbed up the
ladder.
The louder the cries became the more I
climbed.
Soon those cries were so close I could see
the letters form into words I could almost grasp with my shaking hand.
Suddenly I was blinded by a bright white room.

The strangers in the room surrounded me,
their faces painted with emotions of shock and relief.

“Anavrin!” my mother cried as she embraced
me in her warm arms.

“Hey Mom,” I said with a smile.

I began to giggle a bit because it all
seemed a bit too dramatic.

“Ms. Morrison, how are you feeling?” the
stranger in a white lab coat asked.

“Fine, but where the hell am I?” I asked.

“You’re in urgent care,” he explained, “you
collapsed on your door steps a few hours ago. Your neighbors heard you cry for
help and they explained that you had mentioned having massive abdominal pain.”

“What? I don’t remember doing that at all,”
I said.

“Interesting. Were you aware that you had a
massive amount of drugs in your system? Do you recall ever using any form of
LSD, Ecstasy, PCP, or Marijuana?” He asked.

“Not that I remember. I smoked a couple
joints maybe five months ago but I haven’t since,” I assured him.

I glanced over at my mother who didn’t seem
too pleased about my short-lived affair with Ms. Mary Jane. The doctor continued
to ask questions, but unfortunately I didn’t have any answers.

He decided to give me time to rest and maybe
eventually I’d recall something. My mother refused to leave my side but I
assured her I’d be fine. She made me promise I’d call her if I ever needed
anything. With tears in her eyes, I watched her leave the room. Her
voice shook as she waved goodbye and whispered “I love you.”

I was alone.

I tried to remember how I got here but it
was all a blur.
I rummaged through memories, trying to have
some recollection of anything that might have brought me here.
I shifted my eyes across the barren room. The rhythmic beatings of the machine behind me were the only sounds making this place feel alive. I scanned the room for a clock. 5:14 A.M. Tuesday, December
12, 1995, it read.
It was still Tuesday. A day had yet not passed by.
With that in mind, I forced myself to remember what I had been doing last night.
It wasn’t long until the image of him flashed into my mind.
But who was he? I closed my eyes and let my mind strap me in as we embarked on this trip down Memory Lane.

It was the first party I ever went to. Needless to say I’m not the “party type”, but my best friend Lorena convinced me to tag along. The red cups, the busy couches and rooms. All things that made me think, “God, what has happened to humanity?” The smell of cheap perfume and perspiration engulfed the crowded room, overwhelming my nostrils. Lorena told me to let loose and just have fun and that she’d be dancing if I want to join her.
“Nah, I’m good,” I said, “I don’t think I
want to get ‘grinded’ on tonight.”
She laughed and said to call out for her if
I ever need her.
With that, she disappeared into the mass of
limbs dancing off beat.

I squeezed myself past the sticky shoulders
and arms, fighting my way through the bundles of people in hopes of spotting a
familiar face. When that failed, I went out into the yard and laid down on a
lawn chair. The cool fabric put me at ease. I closed my eyes and thought to
myself, “What the hell am I doing here?”

As I began to drift off, I felt a soft tap
on my shoulder.

I looked up and to my surprise I found
myself eye to eye with a sweaty guy reeking of narcotics. His green eyes were
bloodshot and he had the dopiest facial expression you could ever see on a face
like his. His narrow facial features screamed junkie and I was immediately on
guard.

“Hi?” I said to the man as I stood up.

“Hey,” he said with an odd smile on his face.


“I think you’ve got me confused for someone
else here, buddy,” I said not knowing what to make of his smile.

“Oh no, I’m not confused. I was just
wondering what it take for a girl like you to dance with a guy like me,” he
said.

“Ha,” I snickered, as I thought to myself at
how unbelievably corny he sounded, “I don’t dance, man.”

“Well, would a girl like you at least talk
to a guy like me,” he said innocently, “and maybe even share a drink or two?”

“Hmm, depends. What’s the drink?” I asked.

“Whatever you want Sweetheart,” he said, “as
long as I get to talk to you. Deal?”

“Deal,” I answered.

The smile on his face widened and I watched
as he disappeared through glass doors into the pack of animals destroying that
poor house.



A few minutes passed by and I began to
wonder if he had forgotten. I wouldn’t have been surprised since he clearly
took one too many rips down in the basement. Just as I had begun to walk over
and look for Lorena, he came through the steamy glass doors carrying two cans
of pop.



“Sorry I took so long,” he said, “they’re
animals in there.”

“S’alright.” I laughed, “I feel bad you had
to go in there in the first place.”

“It’s all worth it,” he assured.

We looked at one another and I couldn’t help
but notice that he wasn’t that dopey looking.

His shaggy hair framed his face quite nicely
and I guess that’s what gave him the look of innocence.



“So,” he began, “what brings you here
tonight?”

“My best friend, followed by my pitiful
yearning to find something to occupy my time with,” I said.

“Well thank your friend for me later because
I’m really glad I got to talk to you tonight,” he confessed.

I could feel my face get warm. I never did
learn how to take compliments without my face becoming a rose.

He touched my cheeks and his cool hands felt
nice.

I smiled at him and apologized for my
childish reaction.
He said he thought it was cute.

The rest of the night went on and we talked
for what we thought had only been a few minutes, but the sudden silence from
the house told us otherwise.
We walked into the house and looked for
Lorena.
She told me that she was going to spend the
night here and that I was welcome to stay.
I looked over at the green-eyed man and
frowned comically.

“I’ll give you a ride home,” he told me.

“Thank you,” I said.

On our way to my house, we stopped by a
coffee shop.

“Seems as though we only talk when there are
drinks involved,” he chuckled.

“Suppose that’s true,” I smiled.

After I ordered, I excused myself to go to
the restroom. Upon my return he was taking a sip of his coffee, looking out the
window.

“Everything alright?” I asked, as I stirred
my coffee and took a careful sip.

“Oh, yes. I was wondering if you’d like to
go explore Central park with me,” he said.

“At one in the morning?” I said shocked.

“C’mon,” he begged, “It’s New York. It’ll be
fun, I promise.”
His smile tantalized me. I took a few more sips of my coffee and took him by the hand.




All the
lights and buzz of the city made me feel great.

I wasn’t sure why but it was as if suddenly
I was a completely different person.

Everything seemed so bright and colorful and
I felt alive.

He held tightly to my hand and guided me
across the street.

The wet grass on the Park made my feet
tingle.

I giggled to myself at the image of little
pixies hiding in the grass and tickling my feet devilishly.

We sat underneath a massive tree, which was
covered in glowing Christmas lights.





“Anavrin?” he asked.

“Yes?’ I said.

That’s when he leaned in and kissed me.

His sculpted lips warmed mine and the taste
of coffee lingered on his tongue.

His hands were cold but they felt right on
my warm torso…





I opened my eyes and began to cry.



Everything
seemed to happen so quickly.



I don’t
remember ever giving him my name. I don’t recall him taking me home, even.



I pushed
the ‘ASSISTANCE’ button on the wall of the room and a nurse soon walked in.

“Ms. Morrison, are you alright?” she asked.

“No. Not really,” I said, “I need to talk to
my mom and the doctor, please.”

She left the room and shortly after my
mother and the doctor came in.

“I remember,” I said rapidly, “I just don’t
know who the guy is. I never got his name!”

I explained the story to them both and when
I finished explaining, they looked at me in dismay.

“Anavrin, are you sure?” my mother asked, “because
last night you were home asleep and Lorena was at our house. She was spending
the night there, remember?”

“No, mom.” I said, “We went to a party and
that’s where the green-eyed man and I met! Ask Lorena she’ll tell you!”

“Honey, she’s out in the waiting room. I
woke her up and we took you to the emergency room ourselves,” she assured me.

“Mom, no! I was drugged! By the green-eyed
man!” I shouted barely holding back the angry tears.

“Honey! Honey, please don’t shout,” she
pleaded, “Maybe you just dreamt all that happened. Maybe you walked in your
sleep and that’s why you were outside. You were in your jammies, you know.”

I looked at the doctor and he nodded in
agreement.







That’s when
the door slightly opened and he peered
in and smiled.

What was going on?

Who was he?