A young man sat in a dimly lit bar nursing a half-empty glass of whiskey, his face a visage of pain and sadness the likes of which have never seen his face. The joint itself was completely empty, save for the man and an older bar tender who was behind the counter studying the young man as he drank himself away. In the far corner of the room an old jukebox sang away, crying out a haunting melody about a lost love, the music hanging over the bar like a dark cloud. It wasn’t long before the man had tilted back the glass, draining out every last drop of the poison within it and setting it on the table. “Another,” he said, reaching into his wallet that sat next to him on the counter and placing a few dollars on the counter and pushing them towards the old bartender. The young man didn’t care how much the drinks were costing him, he only had two things on his mind at that moment; that glass of whiskey and her, and he was hoping the first idea could drown the second one into oblivion. The bartender looked at the money for a moment then reached behind him and grabbed a bottle of Jim BeaM and started to pour the young man a glass, but then stopped right before the vile elixir spilled out of the glass jar and into his cup. “I’ll fill you up again, but on one condition- you tell me know a guy like you, still young and with your whole life ahead of you, gets into this kind of state.” He said, his weary eyes finding a little bit of fire they hadn’t seen for years.
The young man just starred at the old man for a moment, but then shook his head, agreeing to the terms. The bartender filled up the glass and the young man slowly took it, taking a sip before setting it back down. There was a pause, and then the bartender spoke once more. “What’s your name son?” the asked the drunken man, who had about the saddest look on his face he had ever seen. “My name’s Julian” the young man responded in a slurred voice. “So how did you get this far down into the valley?” the old bartender asked, leaning up against the other side of the bar that the man was sitting on. “It’s a long story…” he slurred back, taking another sip of the whiskey. The old man immediately grabbed a stool that he kept behind the bar for when his feet started to hurt and pulled it to him, sitting down opposite of the man behind the bar. “I got nothing but time.” He said, used to hearing sob stories from drunken fools who try to come in and drink their troubles away like this man was trying to do now. Julian let out a long sigh, and then looked at the old bartender with glazed eyes as he began to talk. “It all started about a year and a half ago, or maybe two years; it’s hard to remember…”
“I was at a party that some of my old friends had invited me to, and hell I even remember the date; July 17. The party was starting to wind down and everyone that could still drive straight was starting to gather everyone up to go home. I was just wasting a little time and trying to clear my own head when suddenly I looked across the room and there she was. She was sitting in the far corner by herself, and I learned later that she was waiting for her ride to show up to take her home. I had a little liquid courage going through my system so I went on over, plopped down next to her in a seat and we started talking. Well to make an even longer story short, he hit it off big and I left with her number. I didn’t realize it at first, but after talking to her for a while I started to figure out real quick that this girl was about as amazing as they came. She was gorgeous, witty, funny, incredibly nice and loving, and was basically everything I was looking for in a girl. I was crazy about her and she was crazy about me; everyone thought we were perfect for each other. Those months that I spent with her I can honestly say they were the happiest months of my life without a doubt in my mind.”
Julian stopped there for a moment and reached out for his glass of whiskey and took another drink before setting it back on the counter and continuing with his story. “We dated 8 months, and one night I figured that she was the one for me. So, the very next day I started talking with a few of my really good buddies, and they all agreed with me, and latter on that same day I went out and bought a diamond ring. It was amazing, and was almost as pretty as she was. It was a few weeks later me and her went out to the nicest restaurant in town, and we were all dressed up and everything. I had talked to the manager a few days prior and everything had been planned- the little band played the instrumentals to all of her favorite music, we were given the best service anywhere, and the night was just perfect. A guy couldn’t ask for a better night than that one in the restaurant.”
“Well after we got finished we went out onto the small patio that was connected to the restaurant and were looking up at the moon and the stars. Everything was going just as planned, and that ring was burning holes in my suit pocket. After a while I simply couldn’t take it anymore and I got down on one knee right there and pulled out the ring… and I asked her to marry me.” Julian stopped, his face sinking a little and looking like his soul had just been sucked out of him. He took the half full glass of whiskey and knocked it all back at once, drinking all of the poison in one gulp. He brought the glass back to the counter, making it hit a little harder than he probably should of. “Then everything went straight to hell. She started to cry, and then just left me there. She ran out of the restaurant and I never saw her again. Never heard a word from her or anything- it was like she disappeared off the face of the earth.” Julian said, now looking down at his empty glass, a deep sadness in his face.
The old bartender looked at the young Julian, a sort of sympathy in his eyes. He had to admit, he had heard a lot of stories of love lost in this bar, but that one was pretty rough. “I’m sorry to hear that son, I really am-““No, you wanted to hear the full story, and I’m not done yet.” Julian said, cutting off the old bartender mid sentence. “That’s not why I’m here drinking myself down the drain. That day still haunts me, but it’s not why I’m here. I’m here because today I heard from an old of friend of mine who is still in contact with her that she got a new last name today. That’s right; some other guy got the love of my life… I guess I wasn’t good enough, but he was.” Julian said, still starring down into the empty glass with hollow eyes.
The young man let out a long, pain sigh before slowly getting up from his bar stool and grabbing his wallet off of the counter, tucking it into his pocket. He started to walk for the door, using the various tables and chairs along the way to stop from falling over on the empty bar room floor. As he approached the glass door, he stopped just short of it, looking outside. Out in the streets it was pouring down rain, and looked like the flood gates had opened up in heaven. “Even the skies cry…” Julian mumbled to himself before opening the door and stepping out into the rain, turning and heading down the poorly lit sidewalk away from the bar, leaving the old bartender there alone. “There just isn’t a happy ending for some people...” the old man said to himself as he closed down the bar for the night, turning the lights off one by one as his mind played the young man by the name of Julian’s story over and over again.
And that old jukebox cried on, its song just as sad and lonely as the one that played in the young Julian’s heart…
The young man just starred at the old man for a moment, but then shook his head, agreeing to the terms. The bartender filled up the glass and the young man slowly took it, taking a sip before setting it back down. There was a pause, and then the bartender spoke once more. “What’s your name son?” the asked the drunken man, who had about the saddest look on his face he had ever seen. “My name’s Julian” the young man responded in a slurred voice. “So how did you get this far down into the valley?” the old bartender asked, leaning up against the other side of the bar that the man was sitting on. “It’s a long story…” he slurred back, taking another sip of the whiskey. The old man immediately grabbed a stool that he kept behind the bar for when his feet started to hurt and pulled it to him, sitting down opposite of the man behind the bar. “I got nothing but time.” He said, used to hearing sob stories from drunken fools who try to come in and drink their troubles away like this man was trying to do now. Julian let out a long sigh, and then looked at the old bartender with glazed eyes as he began to talk. “It all started about a year and a half ago, or maybe two years; it’s hard to remember…”
“I was at a party that some of my old friends had invited me to, and hell I even remember the date; July 17. The party was starting to wind down and everyone that could still drive straight was starting to gather everyone up to go home. I was just wasting a little time and trying to clear my own head when suddenly I looked across the room and there she was. She was sitting in the far corner by herself, and I learned later that she was waiting for her ride to show up to take her home. I had a little liquid courage going through my system so I went on over, plopped down next to her in a seat and we started talking. Well to make an even longer story short, he hit it off big and I left with her number. I didn’t realize it at first, but after talking to her for a while I started to figure out real quick that this girl was about as amazing as they came. She was gorgeous, witty, funny, incredibly nice and loving, and was basically everything I was looking for in a girl. I was crazy about her and she was crazy about me; everyone thought we were perfect for each other. Those months that I spent with her I can honestly say they were the happiest months of my life without a doubt in my mind.”
Julian stopped there for a moment and reached out for his glass of whiskey and took another drink before setting it back on the counter and continuing with his story. “We dated 8 months, and one night I figured that she was the one for me. So, the very next day I started talking with a few of my really good buddies, and they all agreed with me, and latter on that same day I went out and bought a diamond ring. It was amazing, and was almost as pretty as she was. It was a few weeks later me and her went out to the nicest restaurant in town, and we were all dressed up and everything. I had talked to the manager a few days prior and everything had been planned- the little band played the instrumentals to all of her favorite music, we were given the best service anywhere, and the night was just perfect. A guy couldn’t ask for a better night than that one in the restaurant.”
“Well after we got finished we went out onto the small patio that was connected to the restaurant and were looking up at the moon and the stars. Everything was going just as planned, and that ring was burning holes in my suit pocket. After a while I simply couldn’t take it anymore and I got down on one knee right there and pulled out the ring… and I asked her to marry me.” Julian stopped, his face sinking a little and looking like his soul had just been sucked out of him. He took the half full glass of whiskey and knocked it all back at once, drinking all of the poison in one gulp. He brought the glass back to the counter, making it hit a little harder than he probably should of. “Then everything went straight to hell. She started to cry, and then just left me there. She ran out of the restaurant and I never saw her again. Never heard a word from her or anything- it was like she disappeared off the face of the earth.” Julian said, now looking down at his empty glass, a deep sadness in his face.
The old bartender looked at the young Julian, a sort of sympathy in his eyes. He had to admit, he had heard a lot of stories of love lost in this bar, but that one was pretty rough. “I’m sorry to hear that son, I really am-““No, you wanted to hear the full story, and I’m not done yet.” Julian said, cutting off the old bartender mid sentence. “That’s not why I’m here drinking myself down the drain. That day still haunts me, but it’s not why I’m here. I’m here because today I heard from an old of friend of mine who is still in contact with her that she got a new last name today. That’s right; some other guy got the love of my life… I guess I wasn’t good enough, but he was.” Julian said, still starring down into the empty glass with hollow eyes.
The young man let out a long, pain sigh before slowly getting up from his bar stool and grabbing his wallet off of the counter, tucking it into his pocket. He started to walk for the door, using the various tables and chairs along the way to stop from falling over on the empty bar room floor. As he approached the glass door, he stopped just short of it, looking outside. Out in the streets it was pouring down rain, and looked like the flood gates had opened up in heaven. “Even the skies cry…” Julian mumbled to himself before opening the door and stepping out into the rain, turning and heading down the poorly lit sidewalk away from the bar, leaving the old bartender there alone. “There just isn’t a happy ending for some people...” the old man said to himself as he closed down the bar for the night, turning the lights off one by one as his mind played the young man by the name of Julian’s story over and over again.
And that old jukebox cried on, its song just as sad and lonely as the one that played in the young Julian’s heart…
