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His eyes are bloodshot, mean, the pupils tiny from whatever drug he’s on. I know what an abuser looks like. I’ve seen men just like this make life hell for women.
“You’d better let go of her,” I say.
“Oh yeah? And what if I don’t?”
I’m about to tell him. Or show him, but at that moment fate intervenes. Cindy, sensing trouble, has flagged down a police officer outside the bar. As soon as the guy sees the cop his face goes pale, and he tries to duck away.
“Hey, he was trying to abduct this woman,” I say, just as the guy breaks into a run. He makes it to the front door before the cop tackles him. The pandemonium seems to snap Bliss back to her senses. She’s more alert now, then starts to look sick.
“I think I’m going to puke,” she says.
“Come on. Let’s get you to the bathroom.”
I help her to a stall and stand at the door as she does, indeed, get sick. She emerges looking like a Victorian child with her ashen face and dark eyes. I wet paper towels with cool water and wring them out before dabbing them against her forehead and cheeks.
“You want some water or ginger ale or something?”
“Yeah,” she says. “And maybe some gum.”
“You feel strong enough to walk back out and sit down?”
She nods.
“You aren’t going to get sick again?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
I stay by her side to make sure she’s steady as we leave the restroom. There’s a bench just outside the door and I tell her to sit down as I go up to the bar to get her ginger ale. I’ve got gum in my pocket.
Bliss is sipping the ginger ale in silence when Cindy comes over with a cup of water.
“Hey, I figured she could use this, too.” She looks down at Bliss. “You were lucky. Officer Markum told us that guy is on probation for assault and domestic violence.”
I called that one right, I think to myself.
“I recognized him.” It’s the first thing Bliss has said since we came out of the bathroom. “Earlier this evening he was hassling me on the street before I went…” She looks up at me and flushes red. It’s apparently coming back to her now, all of it, including our exchange at the tattoo shop.
“Hey, I don’t want to rush her or anything, Tandy, but we’re going to be closing up soon.”
“I know,” I say. “Just give me a minute to make sure she’s okay. I don’t want to leave her.”
“Gotcha.”
Bliss watches Cindy go then looks up at me. “Thank you,” she says. “You didn’t have to help me. After the way I acted earlier I’m surprised you did.”
“Anybody can have a bad day.” I sit down beside her and offer her a piece of gum. “But a woman needs to keep her wits about her, especially if she’s going out alone.”
Bliss slowly unwraps the gum and pops it into her mouth. She sighs and shakes her head. “Tonight was supposed to be a good night. The first night of the rest of my life…one of those things.”
“Yeah? What were you leaving behind?”
She shrugs her slim shoulders. “Bad habits. The end of a bad relationship.”
“Did that relationship have anything to do with the tattoo you wanted?” I pause. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s okay. It did. Tattoos are like…therapy, you know?”
