"The Last Worthless Evening" by Don Henley, John Cokey and Stan Lynch

"I know you broke up with him

And your heart’s still on a shelf

It’s been over two years for me

And I’m still not quite myself

You can’t be with someone new

And you can’t go back to him

You’re beginning to realize

That it’s sink or swim

I see you around sometimes

And my heart just melts

You’re looking like if you had your wish

You’d be somewhere else

And it just breaks my heart

To see you here this way

Someday I’ll get the nerve

To walk up to you and say

This is the last worthless evening

That you’ll have to spend

Just give me a chance

To show you how to love again

This is the last worthless evening

That you’ll have to spend

‘Cause I’ll be there when your broken heart

Is on the mend

Every night it’s the same old crowd in smoky rooms

You catch a faint glimpse of love sometimes, but it never blooms

I’ve been around this block a time or two

I made some big mistakes, but girl I promise you,

I promise you

This is the last worthless evening

That you’ll have to spend

Just give me a chance

To show you how to love again

This is the last worthless evening

That you’ll have to spend

‘Cause it won’t be long ‘til your little heart

Is on the mend

Time ticking away…

People inside their houses

With the shades pulled down

God knows we could use some romance

In this sleepy bedroom town

I know you’re still afraid to rush into anything

But there’s just so many summers babe,

And just so many springs…"

Violet sighed, raising her hand up to push away the blond curls away from her face. Reaching for her coffee once more, she took a long sip and set the cup back down onto the small table, looking up to signal the waitress over for a refill. Doodling on the notepad in front of her, she focused on the small circle that she had drawn on the paper as she allowed her mind to wander.

"It’s over," John had told her almost six months ago. "It’s not going to work between us and it’s time to move on with life. Why can’t you understand this?"

Violet had built her life around John for the past three years, determined that this relationship would work while ignoring the early warning signs that foretold the pitfalls up ahead. He was kind, generous with others to a fault, intelligent and funny. Eventually it seemed however that nothing that she did was good enough anymore. She felt herself drifting into a downward spiral, doomed to be categorized in the "not quite up to snuff" files in his life.

When their relationship had finally ended in its painful fashion, she had retreated into herself, determined never to allow herself to be hurt in that way again. A few friends had recently attempted to set her up on blind dates, only to be turned down cold. Violet didn’t need anymore of this nonsense in her life.

Slowly becoming immersed once more into the world of her making, she once more devoted her attention to her story and didn’t look up to see the next person enter into the diner.

Rikishi Phatu walked over to take a seat at the counter with a weary sigh. Quickly scanning the dinner menu in front of him, he placed his order and sat back to survey his surroundings. Glancing over to his right, he paused as he recognized a familiar face.

Violet sat hunched over her writing tablet, scribbling furiously and oblivious to the world around her. Absorbed in her writing she didn’t see Rikishi as he made his way across the floor towards her table.

"Hey," Rikishi said to Violet.

Glancing up in surprise, a small smile flitted across Violet’s face as she saw Rikishi standing before her. "Hey yourself," she said to him. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Indeed," Rikishi replied, grinning down at her. "Would you mind some company? I just came in here for a bite to eat."

"Help yourself," Violet said, shrugging indifferently as she gestured to the seat across from her.

Motioning to the waitress that he had changed seats, Rikishi took a seat across from Violet and picked up the newspaper lying at the far corner of the table.

"May I?" he enquired politely to her. Looking up at him and nodding her consent, Violet devoted her attention once more to the notepad in front of her.

Opening the paper and quickly scanning the articles inside, Rikishi glanced surreptitiously in Violet’s direction. He took in the dark shadows that seemed to inhabit her eyes since he had seen her last, and observed that she had lost some weight, leaving her face a bit drawn and peaked. She was fidgeting, her knee bouncing rapidly under the table nervously while she unconsciously cracked her knuckles repeatedly.

The waitress arrived with his food and then leaned over to refill Violet’s coffee cup. The next few minutes were spent in companionable silence, Violet continuing to write while Rikishi divided his attention between his dinner and the newspaper in front of him.

Looking up at Violet abruptly, Rikishi asked her, "What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing much, just working on my story," she replied non-committally to him.

"Would you like to see a movie? There’s a 9:10 showing just a few blocks from here."

"Well I don’t know, I…"

"Come on, Violet – live a little," he coaxed her, a broad smile lighting up his face. "It’ll be fun," he promised.

"That’s right – I should live a little," Violet said softly, looking up and smiling in a wry fashion at him. "Okay," she said. "Let’s go."

Rikishi finished his meal, paid the bill and then the twosome were off shortly to the theater. Feeling a bit awkward as Rikishi paid for their tickets and then opened the door for her, Violet stood fidgeting somewhat nervously nearby while Rikishi entered the snack line.

"Is popcorn and soda okay by you?" he asked her over his shoulder.

"Sure, that’d be fine," she replied.

"Why don’t you go inside and save a few seats for us?" Rikishi asked her, slowly moving his way closer to the snack counter.

Making her way inside the theater, Violet located two seats in the back and sat down, looking around at the rest of the occupants that were going to share the evening with them. Rikishi found her a few minutes later, handing her a soda and plopping a bucket of popcorn between the two of them.

He nudged her, noticing that she jumped a little in surprise when he handed her the chocolate bar that he had bought for her. Smiling at him, she murmured her thanks.

"You should do that more often you know," Rikishi said to her before beginning to munch on the popcorn.

"What’s that?" Violet asked, unwrapping her chocolate and taking a bite.

"Smile," he said, grinning at her.

Looking back at him in surprise, Violet smiled back at him before focusing her attention on the opening credits to the movie. A short period of time passed and then she found herself quickly drawn into the drama unfolding in front of them. When one character suddenly leaped out at another during a particularly suspenseful moment, Violet tensed and turned her head away from the screen. Feeling a large warm hand reach over to grip hers, she looked over in surprise to find Rikishi smiling at her.

"I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise," he told her, squeezing her hand gently. The warmth of his skin and the sweet scent of his cologne soothing her, she smiled back at him and patted his hand in return.

They enjoyed the remainder of the movie, Rikishi’s hand remaining on hers for the duration. After the movie had finished they left the theater together, walking back to Viola’s car.

"It’s good to see you again," Rikishi told her, leaning down to give her a hug goodbye. "I had fun tonight."

"Me too," Violet smiled at him.

"What are your plans next weekend? Would you like to go to dinner with me?"

"I’d love to," Violet replied, reaching up suddenly to caress his cheek with the back of her hand. "Thank you, Rikishi."

"For what?"

"For just being you. For being a good friend and an exceptional human being."

"Does this mean that I made a good impression?" he laughed down at her. "I’ll let you go home now Vi – get some rest okay? I’ll call you later on this week and we’ll make arrangements for dinner, okay?"

Reaching up on her tiptoes to hug him goodbye, Violet didn’t answer him and instead hugged him tightly, gently caressing the back of his head with her fingers. "Bye," she told him, kissing him lightly on the lips before pulling back.

A look of surprise passing across his features, Rikishi suddenly grinned down at her and waited until she was seated inside her car and buckled up before closing the door after her. Waving once more to her, he stood for a few minutes and watched her drive off into the night.

Arriving home, Violet let herself inside her apartment and looked around at her surroundings carefully. Everything was in order, everything in its place, all the plans and preparations made and now, at last, there was nothing more to be done. Glancing over one last time to ensure that the envelope with her brother’s name was plainly visible on the dining room table, Violet entered her bathroom and picked up the straight razor. Looking down at it silently for a few minutes, she reflected on her life and the path that she had been on for the past 30 years. She flipped on the radio, smiling as she heard Don Henley’s "The Last Worthless Evening" playing. This indeed would be the last worthless evening, of that she would make sure. This was the last thing that remained in her life that she had some semblance of control over.

Pressing the tip of the razor taut against the white softness of her inner left forearm, she bit her lip before slashing her skin in a vertical fashion deeply three times. Her breath leaving her lungs in a hiss, she moaned softly in pain as the throbbing of her split skin traveled in a wave of agony throughout her body. Looking down through a fog she became hypnotized by the crimson liquid that spilled across her bathroom sink, rolling across the counter to pool onto the white tile floor of her bathroom. The deep red of her blood flowing in a sticky river through her fingers, she watched in fascination as it dripped off of her long fingernails to widen the already large pool of blood at her feet. Blood. The origin of life. A life that is mine no more, she thought to herself sadly, tears spilling over her cheeks to merge with the cardinal red stain that would be left as her final legacy.

Looking up in a dazed fashion as she heard the phone ring suddenly, she heard her answering machine click on after a few unanswered rings.

"Violet it’s Rikishi," a deep voice came over the phone. "I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed myself tonight, and I look forward to seeing you soon. Take care of yourself. I’m sorry for calling so late, but I was thinking about you and wanted to call and let you know that. Bye."

"Bye Rikishi," Violet whispered, closing her eyes as a sudden wave of dizziness passed over her. Slumping against the wall, her body slid itself down onto the floor. Leaning her head back to gaze unsteadily at the light fixture on the ceiling, a blessed numbness began to travel up her arm and through her body. Closing her eyes once more, she waited for the sweet blanket of oblivion to claim her.

Shortly thereafter, it did.