painful reminiscence

Low melodramatic rocky blues boomed softly in the scanty bar, the dim purple lighting hue reflected gloominess in the room as well as in the glass cup filled with white wine on the bar top. It seemed just the right place to ponder about one's sorrows.

It was as though movie reels were being played in her reddened and moist eyes the way they glinted as she stared in a loss ahead without focus. Val's gaze was latched onto her past. It had only been sweet and lovely up until few hours ago. Those butterfly flutters that used to exist in her stomach now ached and caused her discomfort.

She had been a fool and a sucker for love, and had been made a jester for being devoted to marriage.

Val could vividly remember the first time that bastard of a husband broke his vows... It was a day that everyone had their rests at home after the long hours of almost endless work throughout the weekdays.

Mark had just gotten promoted at work and they had decided to celebrate it in their home, being a Saturday when everyone had time. They invited co-workers, friends and their neighbors to the party, so it was quite a day averse to rest for Val.

She had to keep the guests welcomed while her husband had gotten himself drunk along with his peers when suddenly, he was nowhere to be found in the party. Even Valerie wouldn't have noticed given all the work she was busy doing.

It was until one of his drunk friends had come to ask of him that she realized that he was missing. Not that Val had been worried about him being missing, but when another of his co-worker told Val that she saw her husband go upstairs along with some figure whose identity couldn't be made out, she became skeptical.

Although, Val didn't give too much credit to what Mark's coworker had told her, considering the lady was also full as a goog. Nonetheless, she had still went to check on him.

'He was probably drunk like the others and was heady.' she had thought as she headed upstairs.

However, reaching their room upstairs, on the bed they both shared, she met the horrifying sight of her husband lying atop another woman. Putting it about her raw!

Each thrust of his hips, as if contrary to the pleasure the other woman derived from it, pierced Val's heart and broke it more and more and more as she watched him do it. She had never cried as much as she did that evening, and she could swear that till this day the floor of the balcony still had some tear-stains.

"Bastard!" Val clenched her jaw tight at the horrific memory of how he had groaned and grunted in ecstasy that night.

"I'm so sorry Valerie, It was the drink. I could swear that it was you that I had slept with last night. I really didn't know..." The excuse he had given echoed in her head like it had all just happened yesterday, and it pained her that all she could do now was merely scowl in hurt. Val was even more angry at herself for having ever stood around to listen to Mark. But then, lies were often believed to be true when one was in love.

'What was it that he had that I couldn't have left him for, what was the reason? Was it that I loved him that much?' Her scalps itched and her heart burned furiously at the thought of her harboring any love for Mark. She only calmed after taking a shot of the wine in front of her.

Clank!

'I didn't love him! I had only been blinded by the comfort of marriage!' she tried to convince herself. Ever since she got married she had stopped going out with her friends and had little contact with any of her closed ones. It was all work, and her husband. Nothing more...

Just earlier today, Val was about going on the same daily routine after having been denied an early morning action by Mark with the usual excuse that he'd be late for work. She had prepared to do the same and leave for her work when she received a note on their doorstep. The person had left it there after ringing the doorbell.

Apparently, after the first time Mark had cheated on her, and in spite of all the promises that he had made after then, and regardless of how much loyalty, love and time that Val had devoted to their relationship, despite all of this, she found out that he had never really stopped being a dog that he is. A man whore who chased after every lady he sees on the street.

Val was stuck between her emotions, and had left their home to properly drown in her sorrow here at a bar. Her whole love life that she so much took pride in turned out to be nothing but worthless after all. She had been used, both physically and emotionally...

Where was she to go when all of her dignity as a faithful wife had been stepped on and thrashed by the same man that she gave all her loyalty to?

Nonetheless, Val had made a decision when she left. She was never going back to him again!

She had stepped out of the house leaving behind her engagement ring atop the pictures of him cheating that was in the envelope sent to her just this morning.

"Love, these pictures aren't true, they're all fabricated lies..." She knew that was what he would have said if she had stayed to question him. But Val has had enough, not anymore!

She was tired of hearing all these excuses. She was done believing his bullshit and his truth that were nothing but factual lies. She was going to move on, but where to...?

Val was down in the dump. She was a complete mess that her husband had made her.

"Anything to quench your thirst maybe, sir?" The flat voice of the bartender resounded and it wasn't until then that Val noticed that someone was now sitting beside her. She couldn't care any less about it anyway.

"I'll have what she's taking" the man next to Val said in a tone that was a bit gloomy.

'looking to flirt. Another man whore... All of this gender couldn't be any lesser scum!' Val was so furious and irritated at literally everything. She just couldn't believe she had fallen so hard into Mark's play as such.

Did she just flare her nose?

"And have her glass refilled as well..." The man said again. And this time, Val couldn't help but raise her gaze to meet the stranger's.

"Hey. You don't mind that I drink along with you, right?" He kindly asked seeing that Val seemed to have a misconception about him from her expression.

Valerie moved her gaze to the bartender who was busy filling the wine glass in front of the strange man and watched as he filled it with white wine from the bottle he held. She continued to observe him as he moved to her glass next and did the same.

"Thank you!" The man said to the bartender with a gesture of appreciation and a forced smile. He reached for the glass and took a few sips after moving the glass in a circular motion for a while.

Val reached her hands out to grab the glass on the bar top in front of her and took it in 'gulps' instead.

"You know... Just as it is easy for some to trust, it seems even easier for some people to betray" The man said with his gaze still fixated in his drink. His expression was a bit solemn and conveyed that he was hurt.

It was as if the true event of what he just spoke of was being replayed in the drink slowly as his eyes glinted in memories.

"That's why they always say, never give all you've got or you risk it all being taken away..."

Val couldn't help but find the man's word soothing. Contrary to being wary of the man's coincidental situation with hers, she put aside the differences, unable to disagree with the stranger's words.

"...Leaving you empty" Val finished with a lot of complication flashing in her eyes. She quickly took the glass and gulped down more of its content. One would think she was a heavy drinker but it was even easier to tell that she had long gone past her limit.

Clink!

The bottom of the strangers glass hitting the bar top resounded as the man's confirmation of Val's statement. "Pardon me rambling on my shit. Been going through a lot lately" the strange man begged shortly after.

"I don't mind, stranger. Just exactly what I needed to hear" Val stated in a slur as she raised her gaze to say. She grabbed the glass yet again and downed more of its content.

"A man?" The stranger asked. Val frowned and was almost offended that the man was prying into her personal life but seeing how he flashed his ring finger at her with his gaze on her ring finger which still had a 'mark' on it, she understood that he meant no harm and was only looking to have a conversation.

'He must have noticed the ring mark. It's just a small talk with a stranger anyway...'

"Yeah. Five years devoted and stupid..." Val retorted in disdain. She never put her glass down again.

"Three years..." He said caressing the ring on his finger. " She had a child for the other guy..." He finished with a painful smile.