Party for One

A single slice.

Matilda sat in the dark of her midtown apartment, listening to jazz and smoking a joint, while a plate primarily occupied by chocolate crumbs sat on her coffee table. A single slice of cake was all that was left.

The record skipped into another song on the record she never remembered buying. It must have been her mother, she did things like that constantly.

When the day started, she didn’t intend to buy anything for herself. It was her birthday after all, and having a big spectacle to honor the event wasn’t her style. In fact, most birthdays that she had spent in that apartment were quiet and quenched with Merlot. There was one birthday in there where her mother was in town and they had lunch at some small bistro near the Colosseum. Did she have a BLT or just a salad? That memory was long gone, washed away in a sea of nonsense.

—

“Hey Matilda.”

“Hey mom.”

“Happy birthday.”

“Thanks.”

“How are you?”

“I’m okay.”

“Just okay?”

“I don’t know, haven’t thought about it.”

“Is work going okay?”

“I’m still getting paid so I think so.”

“Has anyone gotten back to you on your book?”

“No, not yet.”

“Keep your chin up.”

“Fantasy doesn’t get picked up often, mom.”

“If you try, good things will come.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you dating anyone right now?”

“No.”

“Are you looking?”

“I don’t know mom, should I be?”

“I just think you should find someone nice for you.”

“I don’t have the time for it.”

“Okay, fine.”

“Don’t be like that.”

“Like what?”

“Don’t act—

—

Two knocks, and Matilda was awake. The sound of her mother’s voice still seemed to be echoing through her ear, so she got up quick and didn’t care about making herself look presentable.

Adele stood in the door frame.

“Hey Matty, I wake you up?”

A bottle of wine was in Adele’s hand, wrapped in a paper bag.

“No, well, yeah.” She couldn’t help but laugh.

Adele came in and sat down on the couch. Matilda tried to remember the last time she had seen her when the sun was up, and drew a blank. Adele just poured two glasses and Matilda fell back into where she was just a minute before. The drop gave her a head rush. “What kind of wine did you bring?”

“Pinot Gris, right from the office.”

“Shit.”

“Hey, it’s your birthday. Wait.” She looked at the clock on the wall, midnight wasn’t for another thirty minutes. “Okay sweet, it’s your birthday, we must celebrate.”

“If you insist.”

“I didn’t, but I do know.”

“God dude, just get drunk already.”

“Hold your horses, I’m trying.” She handed a glass to Matilda. “To twenty-one years on this horrific planet.”

“Hopefully I don’t live another twenty-one.” Adele slapped her when that was said. “You stop that.” Matilda just smiled and took a long sip.

—

“Wait, what?”

“He called me a daisy picker.”

“Is that even a slur?”

“Hell if I know. I mean daisies are cool but I think he was just getting onto the fact that I pork ladies.”

“Did you really have to explain it like that?”

Adele snickered and shrugged, sending Matilda into heaps of laughter on the floor. The clock read 1:39 A.M. When Matilda finally noticed it, she sighed into her empty glass and put it on the table. Luckily the weed had already left her system.

The TV was spouting some old rerun of a sitcom about a taxi company, and Adele was glued to it.

It was definitely a long night already.

“Hey Adele?”

“Yeah?” She didn’t disconnect her eyes.

“How are you?”

“Not so bad. Yourself?”

“Kind of shitty, not gonna lie.”

“Oh?” She turned once that was said, her eyes already turning sorrowful. Matilda wanted to tell her to stop feeling bad for her, to enjoy the show and continue having a good night, but it felt disingenuous. So, she continued. “Yeah, I—”

Adele waited.

“I just feel shitty, you know?”

“Yeah babe, I know.”

“Like, how is my twenty-first birthday being spent getting drunk in my apartment.”

“I don’t know babe.”

“You know I really love you, right Adele?”

She smiled and nodded.

“I’m glad. Like, shouldn’t I be doing stuff?”

Not even Matilda knew what she meant. She took another sip, and refilled her glass right after. A few drops spilled out on homework she hadn’t put away. “Like, I should be doing important stuff. I’m working at a desk for a boss I’ve never even met.”

Adele changed the channel, the screen moving to a black and white movie about an undisclosed war. “Honey, I want you to take a breath.”

The breath tasted like old fruit, but it helped.

“Now, Matilda, look in my eyes.”

Adele’s eyes were bright green. It took Matilda a second to process it, and when she did, she laughed. It was the first time she had noticed the color of her eyes.

“Thank you, Adele.”

She wanted to stay in the comfort, and got lost. The source of stress wasn’t out of nowhere, she knew what was causing her body to want to shut down, but she had forgotten the way to get herself out of it,finding the minotaur chasing her down for eternity. Adele fell down beside her, and they watched the movie with each other, without another word. She laid her head on Adele’s shoulder, and watched as a man and woman fell in love under gunfire and smoke. Adele had seen it before, Matilda had not, but both found just as much awe and excitement in it.

Matilda went to say something else, but there was nothing to really say. Plus, Adele had fallen asleep.

—

The next morning, Adele was gone, only her outline in the couch was left. It wasn’t the best couch, Matilda knew that.

She cleaned up before work, and put the cake in the fridge, before going back out into the city.

She made sure to breath.