3 WW: Effortless, thrash, vindictive

I arrived at the party wearing my best, or rather my only dress. It was black, plain but flattering, or so I thought until I entered the room. There they were, the bevy of beauties – women who made looking like a movie star seem effortless. They moved gracefully to the music, swaying their tiny hips, swishing their golden locks. My eyes moved to the bar where I thankfully recognised Gloria. I waved and she looked at me, her eyes distant as if it took her brain some time to register that it was in fact me, her old friend from college. I walked up to her, tripping over someone’s leg and almost colliding with a cocktail waitress. I recovered, the way you do, in a manner that pretended my little ‘foot-dance’ was intentional. I approached Gloria as she stood up to greet me, arms wide and lips all bright red and glossy. I needn’t have worried about lipstick stains on my face though as her mouth barely touched me as she air-kissed both my cheeks.

“Janice daaarling!” she shrieked. I noticed a slight American accent but could not help wondering if she had in fact ever set foot in the States. I smelt a whiff of her designer perfume as I stepped slightly back, smiling at her, while noticing her flawless skin. Face-lift, I wandered? I was not normally a vindictive person, but this place had that effect on me.

“Martini?” She asked, already signaling for the barman.

“Um, well, I don’t normally drink…”

She wasn’t listening, so I gave up and took the time to look around the room. It was an up-market bar, if you got such a thing. Chandeliers, check floors with red and black walls and couches. Fiddling with my skirt, I sat down rather awkwardly on a red suede bar-stool and tried to look like a belonged. Beautiful people everywhere – socialites, actresses, models and people who pose. I was intimidated. I felt like an antique next to most of them and realized how outdated my plain dress and pumps actually were. My hair, wavy and wild lacked the smooth glossy salon finish that Gloria’s had. My nails were chewed and my make-up minimal. I felt too plain. Gloria handed me my glass and I downed it in one huge gulp. I could feel her eyes on me, but did not care. I felt like I was shrinking as I sat there. Suddenly this was a bad idea and I wanted to get the hell out of this place. I was aware of Gloria’s lips moving, but the music was too loud and I could hardly hear a word she said. I gestured towards the loo and fled towards it. I just needed some space. A few minutes to calm down and get things in perspective. So she was gorgeous, still, after all these years. So what. There was more to life than looks. And she was successful – I had heard. And married, if that egg of a diamond on her wedding finger was anything to go by. I made my way to the toilets and into a stall, shutting the door behind me, while I pictured the shiny rock. So someone loved her. Lots of people loved me. My gay neighbour Stan who made me the best spaghetti every Monday night, the cleaning lady at the florist where I worked who always greeted me warmly, Charlie my cat. I realized the last two probably didn’t count as bribery in the form of money and food where responsible for their enduring love. My thoughts were interrupted abruptly by a loud thud outside the stall door.

“Hello there Simon, surprised to see me?” sneered a gruff voice.

A man? Suddenly I became aware of the strong stench of urine and the fact that there was only one toilet stall. I was in the men’s toilet, I realized with horror.

“Please, please no” begged a second voice, also male and clearly drunk, as he pleaded with the gruff-voiced man.

“You knew the deal. Did you really think I wouldn’t catch you?’

I could feel a cold shiver go down my spine. I slowly lifted my feet off the floor, trying my best not to be noticed. Whatever was going down here was not my business and I didn’t want any part in it. I carefully balanced on the toilet seat, my underwear still down between my ankles, legs dangling now in the air.

“Please, don’t hurt me, I’ll do anything you say” screamed the young man.

“Too late. First, I will take my time and thrash you. Then, well then we will see. You can scream all you like, but the music is loud and I locked the door.”

I gulped. Where the hell was Gloria? Surely she would come looking for me? But would she think to look in the men’s toilet?

I tried to block out the muffled screams and the sounds of someone being viciously beaten to death. This could not be happening. What about a bouncer or security guard or something.? A place like this must have one. Unless of course he was it? He locked the door, which means he must have the key? The horror of this thought seemed to echo through my mind and I could feel the sweat trickling down my back. ‘No, no, no”

From there it all seemed to happen in slow motion. I lost my balance and before I could save it, one of my out-of-date black pumps, fell loudly to the floor.

‘Who the fuck is there?” shouted the gruff voice.