When The Throat Is Dry

The drought season has already begun. It starts in the first month of the year. Each bar in town runs out of alcohol in a good way. A man walks into the bar, and only a few people are inside. 

He sits by himself at the bar like usual. He looks up at the menu and reads the chalkboard: Happy Drought Season. The Drought Season was taken seriously. A way to help people recover from harming themselves. 

A woman approaches him from behind the bar. “My name is Daria, I’ll be your waitress. What would you like?” He sees her holding a pitcher of beer in her hand. He woke up this morning feeling like he had been hit with something. He could go for one drink or two if he’s brave enough. He stops himself from answering and tells her water. She writes down his order on a notepad and heads over to a couple on the right side of him, embroiled in a deep conversation, and sets it in front of them.

His eyes never left Daria. He watched her go right back behind the counter to make his drink. She turned around and handed it to him. “Would you like to take the Drought Challenge?” She asked him.

“What’s that?” He pretended not to know what she was talking about.

“It’s to help people better themselves…you look like the type who needs it,” Daria told him.

He did need some help with his addiction, and it almost got worse this morning. He just shrugged it off and stared at his water. “The Drought Challenge is the best way to get rid of the temptation of not picking up something alcoholic. It can be a bit tricky, but it’s fun. And if you don’t want to join, you can always go back to drinking…How about it?”

“Not in the mood.” He scoffed at her.

“It’ll be fun. You’re off to a great start by getting water and not getting alcohol like that young couple that I just served.” Viktor laughs it off to himself.

“What do you do with the alcohol?” He asked her. “We throw it away. It’s hot out, so we offer water.”

“Why?”

“Everyone else is doing it.” He grimaced to himself. A drink of beer would be better than drinking water from the tap. He stood up from his seat at the bar and said, “I’m heading out. Can’t do this challenge without my drink.”

“I think you are missing the entire point of the challenge, my friend. It’s drought season. No one isn’t allowed to drink alcohol. It’s prohibited.”

“What kind of bar are you running–”

“A bar that helps people, a bar that cares for their customers, and a bar that will do anything to help people get back on track.” Daria looked straight at him.

He scratches the back of his neck. He couldn’t recall when his drinking addiction started. He only got worse after his wife left him. He turned around and saw Daria wearing a cheeky smile on her face. She motions him to come back. He treads on slowly, making his way back to his water.

“I may not be certified, but I’m a great listener.” She pulled up a chair and sat down.

“What’s your story?” He asked Daria.

“Me? Well, I had a family member pass away from alcohol poisoning. It was hard. So, I’m working with the manager to turn this bar into a home for people wanting to better themselves. The bar is called The Drought. Like a drought in a lake, there is no water…but we serve other things.” The man nods slowly.

“What about you?” Question Daria.

“I don’t remember when I started drinking. My memory is kind of hazy. But it got bad when my wife, Sara, stopped helping me. I kept making excuses here and there. Maybe…I don’t try hard enough.” He recalled.

He hung his head down and smiled to himself. “If you really want to change…the drought season is still going on.” Her voice was honeyed as she pushed his water towards him. “Your water is getting cold, Sir.”

“Viktor.” He holds out his hand to offer her hand to shake it. “You already know my name…So, Viktor? Do you want to take the challenge?” 

Viktor takes the glass of water and drinks it. For the first time it tasted good. It was the right choice for him to take it. If he hadn’t, he might have crashed and burned. The water felt cool to the throat as it quenched his thirst. Like being in a hot desert, he felt the shade and safety. Daria’s wry smile spreads across her face as she watches him down his drink. She walked away from him, tending to another customer.

A few weeks have passed, and the drought keeps going on. Viktor made it his mission to come back every Friday to the bar. And every Friday, new people show up each time. This Friday, he saw Daria working again. In the same spot, he could observe the workers up close. Daria greets him when she sees him. 

“You seem better today.” She smiled. “You even got more sleep.”

“Yeah, I have.” He looked over his shoulder seeing a full house of people in the bar. He turns to Daria. “Is the challenge still going on?” He asked. “It goes on until the end of the month. You have enough time. So, what will it be…water?”

“No…I don’t know…I keep coming back here.” He hesitates for a moment.

“It’s fine, and it happens to everyone. How’s your drinking addiction? Are we back to square one?”

“Almost did…I talked with a friend last night, and she said to discard any bottles I have in my fridge,” Viktor said. Daria pulled up a chair beside her and sat down. This probably meant that she could take breaks whenever she liked to.

Viktor looked at her. “I ended up throwing out four bags of bottles and trash.”

“Oh wow! What are you going to do now?”

“This is just the first step, I’m still trying to figure out the rest.”

“The first steps are always good. Hey, and we’re going to have game night upstairs. You want to join me in a game of ping-pong with me?” 

The only consideration Daria gives him, he tenses up at the thought. Viktor was not the type to be around big crowds. Thinking about it made him want to fall back into his old ways. If he did not go, Daria would be upset. Before Viktor could get a chance to respond to Daria, a customer calls her over, and he watches her leave. Viktor stands up from his chair and quietly exits the bar.

It was in the evening when Viktor came back around. It felt like the drought was never going to end. He walks up to the doors of The Drought and pauses. His feet inhibit him from entering inside. Maybe he should turn back? Why would I turn back when I just started to better myself? He thought. He shook off the feeling quickly and braced himself as he headed inside. 

The ground floor was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Footsteps piled down the stairs. Viktor turned and saw Daria. 

Daria smiled. 

Daria gestures to him to follow behind her, and he does. The two walked into a room full of lively people. He counted about nine people, including himself, which makes it ten. Daria leads him to a ping-pong table that was empty in the back. She pulled out the paddles and ball from the pocket on her side. She hands a paddle to him. The two were both standing across from each other.

“It’s nice up here.” 

“Yeah, some people usually come up here to eat rather than play.”

“Hey, before we play. The older man near the speakers is my manager. Mr. Duncan. He runs this bar with his wife. And the two guys over on the couch playing a board game are the other workers and everyone else is here from different bars.” Daria knew so many people here, it sounded like they were her actual family. She probably knew them just from talking to them. Viktor wasn’t Daria and vice versa. 

“You know how to play?”

“I have been playing ever since I was little.” A presumptuous grin falls on his face.

The game lasted all night until it was time to leave. After everyone had left, they were the only two alone downstairs at the bar, in the same spot. Viktor in his seat, Daria behind the counter. The two were chatting amongst themselves. “You and your wife have been together for about twenty years? That’s awesome. Some people that I know didn’t make it past twenty.” Daria lays her head down on the counter. 

“I had fun playing tonight. It really makes you forget that you had an addiction.”

“Same here, you know…I was in the same place as you. The guy that I was with was upset that I chose to become an addict over him…to the point that we broke up and he moved on when I lied to his face, saying that I was done with my drinking problems and begged him to stay. Looking back at it. If I stayed in that same place now…that would be scary. I might end up with my face in the grave or worse.” She laughed half-heartedly. 

Daria continued. “The Drought saved me, Vik. Mr. Duncan and his wife practically saved me when I took the challenge. I never looked back. I have been sober. I have been cleaned…I’m blessed to be alive.”

“Do you think…if I finished this challenge? I’ll be just like you?” She looked straight into his eyes. In his eyes, she saw so many things that had happened to him, it felt like wandering mindlessly into a dark cave. Daria reaches for his hand and holds it tight.

“Vik, if that’s what motivates you, then do it. We all have to start somewhere, right?”

She was right in every way. This was a step forward to making progress for himself. As the night winded down, Viktor waited for Daria to close up. Daria shut the door behind her as the two stood there. Before parting ways, he thanked her for the talk. With something to look forward to every day, Viktor headed back home.