Matthew Kwasnicki
August 21, 2016
She woke up on a hard futon with a splitting headache. How did she get here? She remembered leaving the club with her girlfriends and hopping in a cab, but the details after that were a little fuzzy. Did she pass out in the cab? Who’s place was she in now?
She was relieved when she noticed all her clothes were still on. She stood up slowly on slightly stiff legs and looked around the room. The layout of the place reminded her of the apartment she had with her ex-boyfriend. There was even the same disgusting carpet and rancid smell wafting from outside. Could it be the same building? As she started walking towards the window to investigate further, her host appeared behind her from the kitchen.
“Oh good you’re up. You must have had quite a night.” He was freshly dressed and carried two cups of coffee. He looked vaguely familiar, but she wasn’t sure if they knew each other.
“Where am I? Have we met before?”
“You don’t remember, Amanda? You lived above this apartment with Mark and I am Jacob.”
“Oh, yes. Jacob,” she said hesitantly. She was confused and felt uneasy. They had only ever said a few words in passing. And she wasn’t sure they were formally introduced. “But why am I here?”
“You were passed out on the stairwell outside. I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn’t budge. I thought it be more comfortable for you to sleep it off in here.”
Somehow, she didn’t fully believe his story. “How did you know I would be ok?”
“Well,” he took time to collect his thoughts, “you had a pulse and didn’t have any visible injuries. I could smell the alcohol. I’ve been there. All you needed was some rest. Would you like some coffee?” He held one of the cups out in front of him.
“No thanks,” she said. He seemed friendly enough, but she still couldn’t trust him. “I better be going.” She looked around and picked up her phone from the table. “Have you seen my purse?”
“Sorry, you didn’t seem to have one.” He put his finger to chin. “I’ll go check outside.” He left the room.
She was getting flustered and needed to sit down. She tried to piece together what she could to explain her situation. She had more questions than answers. Why was she in the building? Both Mark and her moved out months ago. Why was Jacob so comfortable with her? She barely knew him. Where had she left her purse?
Then her phone rang. It was Mark. She hadn’t talked to him since they split up. Why was he calling now? Does he have something to do with this?
“Hello? Mark?”
“Are you ok, Amanda?”
She didn’t want to share too much. “Why are you so concerned? Why wouldn’t I be ok?”
He sounded agitated and spoke with shallow breaths. “You said you wanted to see me. I was expecting to see you a few hours ago. I tried calling you a few times but you didn’t answer.”
She didn’t understand. Why would she want to see him? She had a good night and was on her way home. “You’re joking, right? Why would I want to see you?”
He paused and responded with anger, “I don’t know why.” He groaned. “You need to get your shit together! Stop fucking with me!” He hang up.
She was shocked. He had never talked to her like that before. Had she really wanted to see him? How many drinks did she have?
Jacob came back into the apartment with her purse in hand. It had been left near the entrance of the building. She was grateful. She thanked him for everything and left quickly. She didn’t want to prolong her embarrassment any longer than necessary.
As Amanda walked home, she tried to make sense of all that had just happened. All she could do was shake her head and vow to be more responsible in the future.