Auld Langs Syne

 

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Alec runs his forefinger around the rim of his empty champagne glass, staring into the sea of nestled bodies swaying to the love-sick strands of Crazy by Patsy Cline. The flecks of light shimmer as they bounce off the mirrored glimmer ball above the dance floor lending a hint of magic to the moment- that is quickly run through by the jealous ravings of some idiot drunk at a table somewhere off to his left.

“You were too looking at him! What? Do you think I’m friggin’ blind?”

How long does it take a woman to pee anyway? Why had he said he’d wait here for her? Why had he not said, “I’m gonna circulate” or I’ve got a couple of people I wanna say hello to- meet me back at the bar”?

“Fine! Then we’ll just go over there and ask the bastard what the hell he thinks he’s looking at! If he’s not looking at you- he has to be looking at something doesn’t he? Get up!”

He wanted her to come back to him. That’s why. He wanted her to go do whatever it was she had to do, then walk right through this whole crowd of partying people and forsaking all other enticements, come back to him. Period. 

Or was he just afraid that if he hadn’t specified he’d wait for her here, she wouldn’t come looking for him? He’d be standing alone at the bar the rest of the night making small talk with strangers and searching the crowd for her. Or worse yet, he would have to watch her laughing and talking, maybe even dancing with somebody else?

“Oh yes you are! You’re going over there with me if I have to knock your teeth down your throat to get you there!”

Alec turns the empty glass on its side and spins it round, watching the dancing bits of light reflected in the glass skitter and swirl for a moment before he looks up again, this time training his eyes on the darkness beyond the dance floor. The darkness from which she would surely be emerging any moment.

He straightens himself up in his chair, just now noticing how he was balancing himself on his elbows, head sagging below his shoulders like he was some little lost puppy or something. Was he? Was that how he would have looked to her if she had come out of that darkness and seen him just then? Maybe she had. Maybe she had seen him, and she wasn’t coming back. She wouldn’t do that would she? He checked his phone. Five minutes before the ringing in of the new year? Would she?

“Let go of her, man!” He heard someone cry out above the music. The the crash of chairs being toppled, glass being broken. A woman screams. 

Alec swings around instinctively toward the fracas just in time to see one guy land a solid punch on the other guys jaw, and a crying woman leap on the back of the one doing the punching, screaming, “Leave him alone! He’s my husband!”

“What the hell’s going on over there?” He hears her voice behind him. An overwhelming sense of relief washes over him.

“Oh you know.” He winks nonchalantly, as he slips his arm lightly around her waist. “Broken teeth. Broken hearts. Broken dishes. Just a couple a guys ringing in another new year.”

 

 

This moment in time had lots of inspiration. It’s title was taken from MLMM’s Christine’s Daily Writing Prompt, The song Crazy, by Patsy Cline, a classic torch song written by Willie Nelson, was suggested by Jim Adam’s Song Lyric Sunday prompt this week, Crazy and yes, I even worked in the three phrasal prompts offered by tnkerr on the OLWG #135 this week. The phrases were:

  1. Broken teeth
  2. Broken hearts
  3. Broken dishes

 

Crazy

Crazy, I’m crazy for feeling so lonely
I’m crazy, crazy for feeling so blue
I knew you’d love me as long as you wanted
And then someday you’d leave me for somebody new

Worry, why do I let myself worry?
Wond’ring what in the world did I do?
Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you
I’m crazy for trying and crazy for crying

And I’m crazy for loving you
Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you
I’m crazy for trying and crazy for crying
And I’m crazy for loving you

36 thoughts on “Auld Langs Syne”

  9. I’m glad ‘she’ came back. Maybe next year they can find a quit place to celebrate 😉

    Happy New Year. … getting to the point now were I usually don’t stay up to watch the digits change 🙂

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  14. Hey, stopped by to thank you for the follow on Ian and them.*
    Stayed for the post. Excellent wordage!
    Clicked upstream to the song/lyric prompt bloghop…thing. Muy coolito idea.
    While I often bring music into the writing process, question: did you find the story-trail in the music or did the story connect to the music?
    As they said the last time this decade transitioned, It’s a long way to Tipperary… lol or something like that.

    Have a good, ‘Twenty twenty’**.

    *got the notice through WP
    ** damn! now I gots to go look up Yeager and Evans

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  16. I loved your story. I could hear “Crazy” playing in the background but in a tunnel effect where there was no other noise. Just the thoughts passing between the two lost lovers. WTF? Come back to reality! It was awesome!

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