Coming down

A, I will address you directly, because that is one of the only ways I have of preventing your memory from vanishing for good. A - and I use your initial interchangeably with methylenedioxymethamphetamine here - because of you, my sober life is a nightmare. I twirled with you and your friend to the buzz of fiendish techno on the scummy concrete floor of a disused warehouse. I somehow found myself with you back at my flat in the early hours of New Year’s day – you and your fat-lipped friend. I don’t have any memory of seeing your face or of physical contact with you while levitating at that New Year's party, but I do, just about, remember your face and the feel of you from when the three of us were lying on my bed, coming down. Your hand in mind. My gob on yours. Your angular shoulders, one of which I tried to hold as we surrendered to sleep. I try hard to remember, A. I remember also sneaking looks at you while you dressed to leave as daylight crept up, all too abruptly, and thinking, she's tall. And gorgeous. And she dresses well. And her eyebrows are good. Don’t leave.

You were from the same place as me. I remember you saying more than once - as if reminding yourself of the silly situation you found yourself in, or the silly person you found yourself with - ‘Darren from Batley’. That lightly mocking tone. So natural to northern folk. To people like us. We didn’t even talk about our shared origins. You just said, now and then, ‘Darren from Batley’. What a privilege to know that I was a coherent concept to you.

Can I remember how many times we kissed and how good that felt? No. Between five and fifteen, I think. In the morning we lay half-dead on my worried mattress. Your friend writhed and murmured next to us. Time was running out. You held in your hand a tube of lip balm, which I felt jealous of and replaced with my own hand. I remember more than anything else your rich, low, perpetually unimpressed voice.       

I remember, as rumours of your leaving plucked the threads of this living dream, forgetting what you were called, and confessing as much in shame. You said something like, ‘I told you enough times when we were at the party.’ Time is a scythe - on that memory, the bluntest.

Now, A, between my unsteady hands, I hold your memory like Andalucian sand. At least I have your texts. If they were actually written by you and not, as the final one would suggest, by some mocking and infinitely cruel accomplice...

Me: Alex, my tongue is all bitten up and I look like a corpse. Are you going to be able to make it out later? I think you should. (Translation: Alex, I’ve lost every shred of confidence I had when I saw you, but please come and see me.)

Alex: That text was funny. Well, what’s your plan for tonight? I’d like to but I’m really not sure I’m capable!

Me: Me too. I’m fucking broken. I don’t have a plan yet. But would be good go meet you at some point. Any interest in coming over my way? (Translation: Please, fucking please, I want to see you again.)

Me, hours later: Come on Alex, let’s do something! (Translation: Alex, I love you!)

Alex: We’ve just ordered an enormous amount of Chinese takeaway! I’ll see how I feel after but I can’t promise anything as I am a shell of a person!

Me: Good. MSG good. I’m going to keep drinking wine until you get in touch. Ha, ha. Herm. Sigh. (Translation: Thank God you replied. I’m going to avoid the tiniest suggestion of sobriety until, unless, you get in touch.)

Me, hours later: Right. I wish you would get active. I’m totally prepared to come over where you are. Well, not totally prepared, but you know. Come on, I’ll be depressed otherwise. (Translation: Oh fuck, you’ve switched off. Why? WHY? Was it my last message? Oh God, I'm dying!)

Alex: Food took nearly two hours to come. The only thing left for me to do now is go to bed and end this day! I’m sorry, last night was fun though x.

Me: Ah that’s rubbish. You should come over and sleep with me. Just get in a taxi. I’ll cover it. (Translation: An 'x'?)

Alex, or someone using her phone: I’ll be round in ten. I do have gonorrhoea though, hope that’s okay.

Me: That’s my favourite STD. (Translation: She's gone.) 

You will say I’m an idiot and that it was just a night of fun. But you were tall, O A, O MDMA, without you I feel nothing. Nada. Nowt.