How To Stop A Hangover

Genie loves Lance. And he loves her back. But the obstacles that are in there way could be deadly. Only for mature, adult viewers. Or so I would say...

Genie came down to the station with a beer in hand and more in the back of her truck. She had been drunk since that morning. One more giant sip and the beer was thrown over her shoulder, and she grabbed another can—half empty—out of her baggy pants’ pocket. 
        "And this is how you tell me?" Answered a familiar voice. It was Lance. Through her droopy eyes, she saw the features of him she admired most. His thick, curly dark brown hair. His strong muscles that shown as if engraved into his tight shirt. The way his blue eyes glistened in the light of the train station. A small tear swept down Genie’s face, and she didn’t know if she was really sad he was leaving, or if it was just the beer talking. Either way, it seemed as if Lance didn’t notice it at all. 
        Genie stumbled over to where he stood. Lance had his luggage in one hand, and with the other hand, his arm around his new girlfriend Jennifer. "No," she mumbled through her lips—hoping Lance didn’t hear. "This is how you listen." But she couldn’t say that to his f ace. "Lance!"
        "Save it!"
        Jennifer seemed to feel uneasy. Her new boyfriend and his old girlfriend he had dumped only because of Jennifer herself, arguing right beside her as if she wasn’t even there.
        "I still love you!" Genie said.
        Jennifer stared up at Lance. "Do you still love her, too?"
        "No! Uh...no! Of course not!" But the words that he said to protect Jennifer’s feelings only hurt Genie’s. And another tear rolled down her drunk cheek. "Oh! Save it Genie! I know you’re just saying that ‘cause you’re drunk! You don’t even have enough sense in you to realize what we’re saying!" He waited until he knew Genie had a good look him, then he hugged Jennifer tighter with the open arm, and kissed her passionately. 
        Genie took another giant sip and threw the beer can down to the ground. A trail of cans lined the doorway of the station, and splatters of unfinished beer stained the maroon carpet. 
        "I love you," she repeated. 
        "I love you," Lance thought. Then he looked at Jennifer. "I love you."
        "I love you, too," said Jennifer. 
        "I thought he loved me."
        "Train to Milwaukee, last boarding call. Track 6."
        Both Jennifer and Lance grabbed their bags and headed to Track 6. 
        Genie searched her pockets for another beer—preferably one unopened—but her tracks were parched of any. She walked to the track where Jennifer and Lance boarded and took off. She hated to say it, but they did look cute together. Her with her long legs and skinny body. And him with his muscular chest and tense face. The feeling of sadness took over her until she couldn’t take the thirst any longer and went back to her car to get the last keg of beer. 

Back on the train, Lance was thinking of Genie. "I love you," he repeated in his head. He had meant to say it to Genie, but couldn’t once he saw Jennifer’s gorgeous apple brown eyes staring back at him. Jennifer hugged his arm tighter. He wasn’t looking at her now. He barely even noticed she was there anymore. He read the train signs of safety, and advertisements that lined the ceiling. "I love you."
        But this one wasn’t in his head. He flung back around and saw Jennifer huddled close to him and repeating those three suicidal words. 
        "I love you...I love you...I love you..."
        Lance huddled close to her, too. He let her head slide onto his lap and let her fall to sleep until their first stop in Cincinnati. Then he just worked on holding back the tears. Jennifer never noticed. She never noticed anything. That’s what Lance liked about her. He could be himself, because she didn’t notice enough to care. It wasn’t what he wanted in a relationship—just what the outcome was.

Genie ended up getting a taxi because she was too stoned to get her car started. The guy in the taxi had a balanced hair cut. He was very clean—not like you would imagine a guy that drove a taxi for a living. Looked like a doctor or something. But somehow, he managed to still want to talk to the drunk, hopeless girl in the back of his car.
        "So, where ya’ headed?"
        "Home."
        "Just got off a train?"
        "Excuse me? The last place I want to be is coming back from a world outside. I’d rather get away from this hell of a town."
        "Oh, sorry, Miss. Then why were you at the train station?"
        "Same reason I’m drunk."
        "And what would that be?"
        "Do you really have to ask so many f****n’ questions?"
        "Sorry," he said as he wiped his nose with his sleeve. "How long have you lived here?"
        "I don’t give away my age."
        "Ah..."
        "And I thought you said you were gonna stop asking the damn questions!"
        "Miss, please don’t raise your voice at me."
        Genie didn’t respond. She rolled down the tinted gray windows and pushed her head out to feel the breeze. She saw the world on a thread. It looked so pretty, unlike herself. She really was a pretty person when it wasn’t a day like this. She had beach blonde hair and hazelnut eyes and a smile that shown a dimple on her right cheek. This smile shown when she saw the loveliness of the world outside her. It faded as she realized it was for the people who didn’t appreciate it. 
        With her foot, Genie slid the handle of the door down and jumped out of the moving car. A suicide attempt. And it worked. I guess that was one way to stop a hangover. Die drunk.

Lance returned from Wisconsin alone. He had taken the plane this time. He thought of Jennifer. He felt so bad that he left her lying there in the bed without even a goodbye. They were supposed to live together—forever is Milwaukee. But Lance couldn’t take anything but Genie. So he returned home.
        First, he came to the house he had once called his own when he was living with Genie. Deserted. 
        Then, to the Church. It was Sunday anyway, right? No. It was Tuesday. Either way, not there.
        Last, to the school building where Genie had worked as a substitute teacher. He walked into her classroom, and said to the twenty-three fourth graders, "Do you know where Genie is?"
        One replied, "Ms. Lockhart?"
        "Yeah."

        And they all let out a low snicker. 

 

Author's Note

It's romance....in a way. Do you agree?

Reviews

[Bennett Logan]

Dark romance, perhaps... Throwing yourself into traffic out of a moving taxi cab is, indeed, an effective way to stop a hangover, albeit an extremely final solution. I personally prefer Tylenol and lots of water. ;)

That aside, I enjoyed the story.

I like the succinct nature of the story and the characters are pretty believable, but I want to know more about them -- just enough to know what brought them to this point, anyway. What brought about such alcoholic tendencies in Genie? What is she thinking and how did she get to this point? Why is Lance still drawn to her despite her self-destructive behavior? What is he thinking?

From reading, I get the idea that Genie and Lance were once together; if not, then they could have been were it not for Jennifer. The fact that they are not together lead her to the heavy drinking and subsequent suicide. The suicide at first seemed, to me at least, to be a bit too absurd, but the light manner of explaining death as a hangover cure is actually quite funny amid Genie's struggles. This interesting little story has definitely left me thinking. Good work!

Thanks for sending the read request. I enjoyed the story and I'll definitely read more. Keep up the good work!

[Gregory Hill]

Yes, an intresting story, good write. one correction, But she couldn't say that to his f ace. space in face.