Ann is sitting at the bar when that fucking song comes on. Again. It might be time to find a new place to hang out, but not tonight. Tonight she is here. Once upon a time she would sing along to X on the jukebox, but that was before Joe blew in and blew up her life. The chorus drifts through the room…
”...On the stairs I smoke a, cigarette alone…”
Ann curses under her breath and pushes her dark hair out of her face. The woman sitting next to her mutters a question in Ann’s direction. “Huh?”
The woman looks up from her glass. “You don’t’ like this song either, eh?”
Ann laughs, “Damn straight I don’t!”
It’s the woman’s turn to laugh, “My kid loved this song when she was little.”
Ann gives a half smile and takes another swig of her whiskey. “How can you have a kid who liked something when she was little? You’re still a kid yourself!”
The woman smiles with sad eyes, “Back home we start having ‘em young”. Both women look to their drink and take a long sip.
Ann replies “Right on, I hear that.” raising her glass in a mock salute.
The woman glances sideways at Ann, “What does this hit for you?” Ann pauses.
“…On the lost side of town, In a dark apartment…”
“My husband Joe loved this song. He sang it to me all the time back when he was wooing me. Hits me hard in the melancholy bone, I guess.” Ann looks back to her drink. The woman slowly nods in solidarity.
“…Mexican kids are shootin' fireworks below…”
“I hear that. Some songs are a goddamn gut punch. I don’t get to see my kid too much anymore, she lives with her aunt in Austin now.”
Ann motions to the bartender for another drink, including her new friend in a round. “That must be rough having her so far away from you.”
Intent on her drink, the woman replies, “It’s for the best. I can’t be the person she needs me to be. It would have ended badly for her if she stayed, this way at least she has a chance.”
“…What ever happened I, apologize…”
Breaking the woeful spell cast by John Doe, Ann finally says, “That’s a fierce and brave way to protect your baby, good on you.”
“Thank you kindly. It still stings. Probably always will. Thanks for the drink, the next one’s on me.”
Ann takes a long drink and sighs, “Yeah, I reckon some scars never really heal, do they? I miss Joe every day. This was our place. We met here. Hell, it’s been 10 years this March he’s been gone.”
As the late summer sun slants through the window, both women sit in silence. With equal parts strength and loss, they drink and listen to the end of the song, waiting for the next round.
“…Hey baby, it's the Fourth of July
Hey baby, baby take a walk outside…”