In the corner of listening and glass there lays a small bar called The Listener’s Glass. There are only two employees who work there. I run the bar and a part-time student who works so that he can pay for his college. Most of the time I’m in the bar all alone, and a lot of really sketchy people like to walk into the bar. Although they make for the best stories.

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A petite young lady walked into the bar. She had long black hair. I remember her hair specifically because I remember being envious of her for it. But then she walked over to the counter, and I could clearly see the clumpy makeup covering an obvious bruise on her face. She asked for a drink, and I poured her one.

The stranger picked up the glass, and I noticed how small her hands were. She had no calluses, or scars anywhere on her hands. “Can I have another?”

The stranger asked, and I proceeded to pour her a drink. I poured her the drink, and she just stared at it with a sullen face. Tears formed in her eyes as she spoke with a shaky voice, “You know, I probably won’t be able to pay for this.” I let my shoulders tense a little before relaxing once more. Many people come in here unable to pay, but others drink a lot more before they fess up. “Last week I would have been able to pay for it, but my parent’s cut me off.” The stranger played with her bracelet that she wore on her wrist. It was a James Avery. The bracelet was golden, and it had many charms scattered on it. The bracelet itself must have cost at least eight hundred dollars, and I can only imagine how much the charms cost individually.

“They didn’t approve of my new boyfriend. They told me that if I continued to date him that they would no longer support me. I didn’t believe them because they always throw out empty threats. So I continued dating him. At first, my lack of money didn’t make a difference, and then my boyfriend realized that I no longer had any money. Apparently, he only liked me for my money, we got into a fight, and he threw me out of the house.”

The stranger downed her drink, and I grabbed another bottle to fill up her up once more. The stranger just looked at me before grabbing the glass and taking a sip. “After being kicked out I’ve been trying to make my way back home to my parents. I’m hoping that if I beg for their forgiveness that they would let me back into their house, and maybe help me find a job.”

The stranger stood up and she started to fiddle with her bracelet once more. The clasp came off and she placed the bracelet on the counter. She gave me a small smile and started to walk out of the bar.

“Hey,” I said stopping the stranger. She turned and looked at me. “Good luck out there.”

The stranger smiled at me, “Thank you,” She opened the door to the bar and turned back to me once more. “You know, You are a very good listener.”