The Beach House 🌸 Beth

 

Oh, Beth was certain she would be up all night. She went to bed early, thinking no way would she be up at ten. And for the life of her, she didn't know why she was so nervous going to the wine bar with Louisa.

She talked to Jasper about it, but he was no help. Yes, she was very alone, even with the ocean at her backdoor. Somehow, it just didn't seem right to have all the lights turned off so early, and then she felt wrong to have them on by nine. 

She paced until she thought she should shower if this was going to happen. "Why am I so nervous?" She kept hinting for Jasper to do something. But he just crawled up on her bed and put his head down as if she'd have to figure this out on her own.

So a little before ten she called Louisa who assured her they could walk over from Beth's place. "I'll come  up and get you." She'd said and Beth responded. "Oh." Afterward, she wondered if she'd said it too loudly. It was just a drink at the wine bar.

"Do they have anything else to drink?' She'd asked on their walk over. Louisa was just in her denim shorts and an old graphic tee. Of course, Beth was in black thinking it might make her look younger or maybe edgy. 

"Maybe beer," Louisa shrugged. "Are you wanting coffee?"

Yes! Beth screamed inside her head but pleasantly replied. "Well, of course not, it's a wine bar." She nodded with a smile.

"It's from the local vineyard," Louisa explained when they got there. She said as of yet she had yet to go out to the place, but there were tours and if she was interested maybe they could make an afternoon of it.

Beth nodded as if that sounded like something she would like. "I have to try their wine first."

"Of course," Lousia smiled. She chose the red and Beth got the white. Both had summer tones of sweetness. Beth's was very light while Louisa went with something stronger.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Beth winced. True, she didn't know her very well, but Beth had to tell her she always threw up red wine by the third glass, but felt it might not be a topic to talk about at a wine bar.

"Why?" Louisa looked at her blankly. "I can finish off the whole bottle with no problem."

"I see," now Beth's eyes were wide open. "What brought that about?"

"Oh, just a breakup," Louisa slightly shrugged as her slender fingers clasp the long-stem wine glass and she took a sip.

Beth hated to just watch so she took a sip of her peach-flavored wine. It was sweet. Possibly too sweet.

"I've been through a breakup too," Beth sighed. "I thought our relationship was going to last forever." She nodded.

"I feel...I can't get back the last two years of my life," Louisa was even-lipped, but she wasn't sobbing she finished off the glass of wine and poured another.

"I know exactly what you mean," Beth felt sad for her and of course, mad at herself to think that maybe..maybe there was this vibe about Louisa that she'd just miscalculated. She needed a friend. Why had she been so freaking nervous? "I think we were both idiots when I think back on it. Of course, he's a wise-ass, so you know it took me a while to figure out just what a selfish bastard he was. All that time I thought he was trying to be funny."

"You seem the type to look through rose-colored glasses," Louisa looked up at her from across the table as the jazz started to play so subtly in the background.

"Do I?" Beth thought she might be shouting so she took to her half glass of wine as if she better get this race on. Louisa was already on her second glass. "Well, maybe I am. I dunno he had a way of making me feel like a child even in the beginning. Telling me what to do."

"It happens to a lot of us, because we really don't know what we're doing, sometimes," Louisa agreed. "It's just I ..I shouldn't say it." Louisa looked away with her legs crossed as if she might really be a primrose of some sort. She sipped her wine.

"Oh say it," Beth wanted to know.

"The sex was never that good," Louisa shrugged. "Especially, when he had to tell me everything I was doing was wrong."

Beth nodded.

"Maybe it's a good thing it's over," she'd decided this about her ex. He'd always been money hungry and always had an excuse not to work, but he was always wanting her paycheck.

"I know," she was almost teary-eyed. "But..but I feel like a failure."

"Oh, don't you go putting yourself down now," Beth felt as if she was channeling her old aunt who was the art teacher who never got to teach art. She was so optimistic even if she was never going to have her dream job. She would just teach art where ever she went. "You're young." Beth smiled at Louisa. "You can do anything you want."

Louisa almost laughed at her, but she took a sip of wine instead. 

"My mom was sure I would be married by now, maybe even with kids," Louisa told her.

"You have your own dreams, don't you?" Beth asked. "Don't let her dreams bring you down."

 Louisa nodded as if she perhaps agreed. Meanwhile, she was getting sloshed. Beth only winced. She didn't want to be an enabler. When Louisa finished her bottle of wine and Beth's too she knew they needed to get out of there. 

She went up to cash out. Louisa followed and put her arms around Beth's shoulders from behind as if she was ready to bed down for a good sleep.

Beth hated to ask her what she was doing. She could hardly move with her and yet it felt as if Louisa was being protective at the same time, or maybe it was Beth who was protective of her. She sighed as she pushed her up on her back to give her a piggyback ride home.

At first, Beth took it in stride, but as the walk started down the path home she wasn't sure she was strong enough. Louisa was practically deadweight, leaving Beth in a sweat. Yes, maybe she'd overdressed, she thought for a second, but she focused on the path ahead which thankfully was well-lit or they might have both dived off in the sand.

By the time she got home, she was exhausted. She made it to the couch and dropped Louisa on her back. Really, Beth wasn't cut out for this kind of thing. What was Louisa thinking?

Beth went to splash some water on her face and to use the toilet. Of course, it was way after midnight now. She got ready for bed but hesitated to sleep even if Jasper looked up at her as if she was already late for slumber. Louisa was downstairs on her couch. What if she got sick?

Beth hurried down to check on her. Of course, Louisa hadn't moved from the couch. Beth sat down on the floor at the front of the couch and took her hand. No, she didn't want Louisa to be in this all alone.