Change is Good

Looking down at the two thirds of the little green pill being handed to her by her new friend, Jack, Sherry contemplates. Jack encourages her by saying, "You said you wanted to wait til we new each other better, we've just been hands deep in your shit, so I'd say we know each other pretty damn good." Jack helped Sherry fix the wax ring around her toilet on his only day off. Sherry reluctantly takes the pill in her hand, holding on to it like a second choice wedding dress, or a security blanket she always losses.

Sherry continues to pack a bag for a few overnight stays at Jack's house, still clutching the pill. Jack is busy cleaning out her car and his truck as some form of male gratitude and team building that is beyond Sherry's conprehension.

At some point, as she is cleaning and straightening up the kitchen table that housed the remants of a alcohol filled punch gone right, she put a cup down on the table and smashed a corner of the pill unintentionally. When she picks up the heavy cup and sees her carelessness, she decides it's better to take it now than misplace the green jewel. She wants badly to remember tonight. Jack is taking her to her favorite restuarant. But she also wants that wonderful floating feeling when the stars, alcohol, and this magical green fairy come together. She is determined to remember tonight. She'll just drink less.

Now that she took the pill, the clock is ticking, she has to finish packing and get on the road to the resturant so that she can enjoy her day before she starts to forget her day. She is unsure when that moment will happen but she knows time is a factor.

Jack wants to stop at the car wash, wash his truck, and he'll pay to wash her car. Sherry keeps moving, agreeing, let's go because feelings and thoughts are going to start blending, no time for arguing. Sherry fills up a roadie for her and him, she packs up her dog in her car and they are on their way.

Sherry wonders as she is sitting in front of the automatic car wash computer screen, "What the hell does a towel exchange mean?" With no time to lose and fewer brain cells to mustard up the effort to ask an attendant, she agrees to the towel exchange, pays the extra $4 and drives on through the car wash on auto-pilot.

In her growing haze, she finds Jack's truck and parks next to it. He quickly vaccums out her car. He makes fun of her for getting the towel deal. She hides it away hoping upon exiting the car wash the "exchange" part of this transaction will be made clear.

Evaluating her present self, she is feeling with it, she has this, she will remember tonight. She even puts the vacuum back on the slot even though Jack let it fall to the floor. She tells herself, she is in a good spot. She sips more drinks from her roadie through the metal straw as she follows Jack home.

She gets to Jack's house, drops of the dog and stuff. She deliberatly puts her id and credit card in her change purse made from recycled material that says, Change is Good with a little pink piggy on both sides. She is going to pay for her meal or some of it or be prepared to, she is bringing her money and her phone, maybe a jacket because she gets cold.

Now the next morning, Sherry is slow to start as she tries to piece together the evening. Jack assures her he thought she had a blast and he had no idea she was wasted. She remembers walking into the restuarant, the clanking of glasses, giving her opinion on the proper way to take saki bombs. After that she remembers seeing three different types of ice creams in front of her to try. She remembers sitting in Jack's truck and ever so carefully taking the lid off of her to-go ice cream. She remembers being put to bed by Jack and him saying he will join her later. But she doesn't remember the taste of anything.

"Damn it!" Sherry thinks to herself. "You got so messed up you don't even remember eating something you love to eat. And now, you can't eat it again. Just because you don't remember it doesn't mean the calories didn't happen. That was your one opportunity. Way to go"

She does get out of bed and moves to the couch. Snuggled on the couch in her heated blanket, watching The Good Place on repeat on Netflix, she waits to wake up more fully. Finally, after deciding she will not treat herself to the meal she doesn't remember from last night nor will she do any chores, she will clean out her purse, there by puting her life back together. It is then and only then, that she discovers, her id and her credit card are missing along with the cute pink change purse that says Change is Good. She has no idea where it is or where she lost it.