I found myself in Reggae bar in the Haight. Some Rastafarian had offered me some of his very pungent green bud and I had taken him up on it. In a back alley I had inhaled the cool smoke slowly through the bong, savoring the sweet flavor. Not like that Mexican brown shit I had in Sacramento, a couple of hits and I damn near forgot my name.
Sitting at the bar now I savored a Red Stripe and sucked the salt off of the pretzels sitting infront of me. I needed to eat. Rising from my stool, ok more like sliding I started to head for the door.
“Eh where you going girl?”
“I need food.”
“We got food, sit your arse back down.”
I obeyed, a little to out of it not to sit back down. The bar was closed, had been for a at least an hour. I was one of two females in the bar, my competition was around 50 and her hair in a colorful wrap. She sat in a booth with two men playing dominos and laughing heartily.
A plate of food was set before me and I dug in, the munchies had taken their grip I had a mouthful of hot banana and black beans and it tasted damn good but weeks of not eating right left me full after a couple of bites of jerked chicken and rice. I looked at my plate guilty.
“Can I have a box?”
“Girl you can’t even get two bites intoya, how’d expect to eva grow an ass.”
I turned to find the head wrap woman standing behind me. I took another bite.
She laughed and shook her head. While still looking at me she raised her arm and signaled my friend who persuaded me not to leave. He brought me some plastic gladware and a plastic bag. I dutifully scraped my food into the container and put it into the bag. Knowing the next time it would see the light of day would be in landfill somewhere.
“Thank you.”
With her hands on her hips the woman looked me up and down.
“My names Nadia.”
“Savannah”
We shook hands as she showed me to the door.
“You need to come back and let me read you sometime.”
“Read me?”
“Nevermind child, you just come back.”
With that she shoved me out of the door a single yellow cab sat in front of the bar, I looked around suspiciously. I climbed in and gave directions to my apartment, as we neared I caught site of something I couldn’t quite believe. The sun, it was barely cresting over a distant hill.
Jesus, how the fuck long had I been in that place?
I tripped into the apartment after fumbling with the door for nearly 5 minutes. I hummed my way to my room stripped off my clothes and climbed into my bed. I had forgotten the damn food in the cab.
1:28 PM
I woke up sideways on the bed again. Before I opened my eyes I thought something had woken me a slow “swoosh”. I cracked one eye and found Priscilla pulling open my Goddamn dresser drawer.
My adrenaline immediately kicked up, and I jumped of the bed snatching her hair again in what I am sure was a painful ball.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
I yelled for Jane. She appeared in the doorway before I realized that something was not right. It was Monday.
“Answer me what the fuck are you doing?”
Rather than fighting Priscilla had frozen, taking the abuse.
Jane reached out her hand trying to subdue me.
“Now, now…calm down, just wait here.”
I threw Priscilla against the wall, she tripped lamely.
“Did you fucking set me up?” I was calm now, so calm I was scaring myself.
Whatever I looked like to them it must be frightening they were both staring at me wide eyed.
We were just trying to see what you took.
“What the fuck, are you my mother, I didn’t get home until 5:30 this morning, I’m was tired.”
Jane put her hands out, “5:30 yesterday, you got home at 5:30 yesterday.”
“What?”
I heard myself nearly shriek.
Priscilla rubbing the back of her head spoke, “you have been out cold—you sleep walked into the bathroom last night and we haven’t scene you since.”
“Shit”
“What did you take?”
“Mary Jane and Jerked Chicken.”
Jane looked innocent “ I have never heard of that?”
“Marijuana” I said sitting down on the bed.
Jane frowned, “no I mean jerked chicken, is that a designer drug?”
Priscilla frowned. “I think she means she ate jerked chicken.”
“Someone must of slipped me something.”
“I’m sorry about pulling your hair…again.”
Around the same time of my apology I realized I was wearing a pair of panties and nothing more.
“Fuck, thanks for your concern.”
I laid back on the bed trying to figure out what I was going to tell Don.
Priscilla walked out of the room and Jane followed, before she closed the door she paused.
“I called in for you last night, I told Don you had a high fever and looked like hell so I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“Thanks”
I dug out the phone I had been given, I had three missed calls.
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