Mask

Mask.

I was just, at this point in my life, like a boy finding his strength, his voice, picking his battles and exchanging glances with every lady that stared, and they stared, but this time, I am the lady.

It has become a daily routine, as part of my figuring out life, I also have to figure out how to deal with the attention from everything and nothing, most times neither needed nor enjoyed, but always ignited a curiosity in me.

It was on a Friday and at my favorite place to be, I had taken the first bottle of my favorite beer and felt all my muscles relax and my spirit calm. My nerves were on fire, but it was a good fire, the kind of fire that burnt away your worries and its smoke floated and disappeared into the air with everything that seemed to remind you that you were in a fucked up world.

Finally, I took the much-needed breath, one that came once every Friday, same time and same place, oh, and before I forget, the same bottle, and I, about to order the second bottle when I heard his voice, though loud not much could be understood from all his rambling. The rambling was confusing, but somehow, it excited me. I'm one to always mind my business but today, I decided to intrude, to enjoy for the first time, the regular man threats to a pretty woman. I swung my seats backward and faced the drama squarely, oh, what a sight to behold, I sipped my beer as it further relaxed my muscles, and with a deep smile, I watched on.

I heard some name-calling and a few threats to confirm there was a misunderstanding but surprising, she neither spoke nor moved, all she did was smile and not awkwardly like someone being embarrassed. She led him on with a smirk she had on, not too dreaming but frantic enough to cause any man to go wild with desire and at the same time, anger, anger that he could not have her, not today, not ever.

My first thought and conclusion were "yeah, she is a bitch."

There is no way someone in that situation can be that calm and even smile, she basked in the glory of his annoyance, she enjoyed that she tore at his skin, I could genuinely feel her sarcasm. To her, the joke is on him, all he did was make a fool of himself, he shouted and beat his chest like a monkey hungry for something. His eyes at this point were bloodshot red. I could sense he wished he could hit her, but there was no correlation with a man like himself, dressed in a well-tailored black suit, parading himself as an accomplished gentleman, and hitting a woman. So instead, he just cursed her under his breath. I smiled and tried to take a sip of my beer only to look down into an empty bottle. I frowned and waved to the barman to bring another beer without moving my eyes away from the scene, I could not afford to miss any action.

I thought I had seen it all until she turned and ordered another glass of hot drink as though the man was putting on a show and she wanted a snack.

"Unbelievable!, I thought to myself, I'll be Damned!" It seemed the drama had attracted the whole bar, everyone was betting on an eventual reaction from the lady in red, but I was her enough to know what she would do, so I smiled and continued to sip my beer.

And then I felt the awkward silence that always followed a display of violence, I had to step in at this point.

I didn't know it, but my feet were walking before my thoughts registered their movement and within seconds I was introducing myself to the surprise of the bartender and other people around but not her, she's wasn't surprised at all like she knew this moment was going to happen like she knew I was gonna walk up to her and smile, and smile I did. She looked at me like all her attention was just on me, it was lethal and addictive.

Then she introduced herself and then introduced the angry gentleman as if to bait him to make more fool of himself, but this time he got the message, he picked his phone and walked away...