I threw my bag up on the bar and slouched down on the stool. I had the place to myself seeing it was 2pm on a weekday. I had been fired from my job a week prior and this was the first time i was leaving the house. I had wandered shops downtown, spending money i didnt have, then ended up at the dive bar my sister worked at. “Is it too early for whiskey?” “Don’t think anyone here will judge you” she laughed, looking around at the empty tables. “Can you make a manhattan then?” I asked and she nodded and turned toward the shelves of bottles. I set my laptop up on the bar, opening it to find it dead. I stared at my reflection on the black screen. I was a mess. My hair was greasy, i had left overs of yesterday’s makeup on. I looked like i felt. Getting fired definitely wasnt on my raidar, but after a blow up with my corporate dick of a boss, i really shouldnt have been surprised. I had never felt like i fit in there and getting fired confirmed i didnt belong. “You have to pay for this, you know” my sister says. I glare at her as she starts rinsing dishes. I shut my laptop, taking out my book pretending to read but my mind was spiraling downward. My selfworth, my confidence, my belief in my self all plummeting downward a mile a minute. I’m losing control. I feel the darkness closing in on me. And then someone yells, i spin around in my chair and see him. He’s smiling and laughing, joking with a friend and for a second the darkness fades away. He’s wearing all black and his eyes are cast in shadows behind a ball cap but he lights up the room. Suddeningly everything feels light and easier. His eyes meet mine and a calm washes over me. I look away but feel his presence. He continues joking with his friend about something at the end of the bar then heads into the kitchen. He’s the new chef. “Is he always like that?” I question my sister. She laughs. He’s still making people smile and he’s not even in the room. I think i just met the brightest person in the world.