Mary stood for a moment in the dark corner of the alley, and imagined she was alone as she was craving for a moment of peace and quiet for the past 5 hours.

Rewinding back at 8pm last evening, she had entered her first ever work party with the excitement of a little bird first learning to fly. Eat, drink, drink some more, drink till you blackout, then go home is the party mantra for most. But not hers. A teetotaller, she just wanted to be a curious observer at the corner. But things turned out to be a little different.

As she slowly sipped her mocktail, almost camouflaged in the wall, glancing at the menu but her contentration attracted towards her team members who were already on their third round and were ordering bottles now. She saw them loosen up, getting oblivious of the professional rules of not badmouthing their seniors. Within their earshot she had just started enjoying the gossips when she was noticed.

As everyone invited her to sit among them, half of them unaware who she was, she felt a warm sense of belonging. She wasnt the shy lonely apprentice anymore. But as she was urged to drink, laughed at for not being a sport and trying alchohol and was slowly isolated by her drunk colleagues, she felt the wave of loneliness suddenly drench her. She was in the party, had her food, her drink - but she wanted to go home. Being a junior she did not know how leaving early will be looked upon, so she stayed, among people swimming in alchohol, and waited for someone to leave.

No one left, not until it was past midnight. The loud music and swearing, smell of alchohol and sweat numbed her as she waited. And then when her team members who bearly sensed her presence started to leave she bought a bag of crisps and came out.

Never had she loved her own company more as she sat on a bench looking at people tumbling and puking on the streets. She had somehow imagined she would be hung over after the party like most do but she was not. She was relieved, happy and as she munched her crisps and walked towards the bus stop, she felt calm. Not everyone needs to enjoy a party and thats perfectly okay.