Drunken Early Days

Cin began her rounds of Las Vegas. She'd stop and look into business windows on her way to the park that she had created. It was a place that she could reflect on the turns of her life. This was now her route for the evening. She was on her way to the peaceful silence of the park. She wanted to smell the nearby flowers after the recent rain. The world was quiet and her park was her haven for the time being.

She paused during the walk to grab a steaming cup of black coffee. It would help as the days were warm but the evenings always felt so chilly to her. As she reached the park she took a look up at the stars. They shone bright this evening so there would be people around. Ducking into the park she had noticed an empty bench near the front and she sat down.

Lazily Cin stretched out her legs. Finishing her coffee she had noticed that someone was looking to sit next to her on the bench. She smiled politely and made a small nodding gesture to let them know it was alright.

"Come, sit down next to me. I'll share a story with you." Cin smiles and the young lady sits next to her.

As the lady settled onto the bench next to her, Cin got her thoughts together. She was ready to tell a tale that was part of her own struggles in life. Anyone that lives know that life comes with its struggles, but each struggle could be overcome with some motivation and help. This was just a bad point in Cin's life that she was going to talk about.

"I don't know if you know much about this community that you seem to have just entered. I can tell by the hopeful look in your eyes and the lack of cynicism that the bloodlines who've been here for quite some time seem to have. It's not a bad thing. Do you know about the last big war that shook this community?"

Cin watched as the young lady shook her head. She was too new to this community but she seemed eager to hear a story. So Cin would tell her story the best that she could.

"Well this war was massive. There was not a city that wasn't touched by death and mayhem. This rocked our world for many days. I came to these shores in the middle of the mayhem. I quickly jumped in on one side and gave it my all. But this is not the story I will be telling you. I will be telling you about the aftermath. Once the bullets stopped flying."

She paused to take a breath and make sure her newest acquaintance was still listening to her. She could see the look on her face as she thought about the shores being rocked by flying bullets everywhere. Her eyes took on a far away look before Cin cleared her throat. It was time to get to the real story. What it was like afterwards.

"After being awake for many days I began to have trouble sleeping. I thought I heard guns going off when I tried to sleep. So I spent many days awake until I discovered a little place that sold whiskey. I know, I know, we're in prohibition but people still have it around here or there. So I got my hands on some of it. I soon began drinking myself to sleep.

So here I was spending my days working hard and drinking myself stupid just to sleep. I thought I wasn't hurting anyone but I was. I didn't realize until there was someone shooting some bodyguards that I could barely keep my eyes open after a few drinks. So I needed to stop what I was doing. I needed to be able to pay attention better and quickly wake.

If something were to happen I would feel bad. Certainly it would not be good to be less than your best. So in order to be my best I stopped drinking at night. "

Cin took a moment to look over at the park. The hardest thing she did was give up her sleep again after learning how good it felt to be able to.

"It was a task that was not easy but eventually with the help of some friends I kicked the habit. The days of struggling with the craving of what I could not get any longer. The sleep I longed for. The desire to sleep properly like all of my friends spoke of, but that wasn't me. It couldn't be. I had responsibilities to my family. I needed to be able to wake during my sleep if I was needed.

You think I sound crazy right? I don't. I just knew what my best was and that wasn't cutting it. So I struggled until I got through to quit the bad stuff."

Cin smiled more to herself than to the lady near her. She had been proud of her accomplishments.

"Never think that you can't struggle. It is how you get back up that really counts. Always try to be the best that you can be."

She gave the lady a genuine smile before she settled back on the bench. She got lost in her own thoughts as she gazed upwards. Her life was anything but perfect but it was good. At least now it was good.