Against All Odds Pt. 04 - Sex Stories

Against All Odds Pt. 04

... girl started cackling, "Here comes the hippie shit now! More cheese, please!" Fuck she was annoying sometimes. As cheesy as it sounded, it resonated with me. It was a profound moment because there was only one honest answer.

"No, I don't feel one-bit real right now."

I stayed with them. Even helped them close the shop. It felt good to be busy. When we left, Charity took Mike aside and talked. She walked away, leaving us there.

"What's going on?" I said.

"You trust me?"

I nodded, and we started walking in opposite directions. Eventually, we got to a church, which made me nervous; I hated religion. There was a group of people outside, cigarettes and vapes being consumed with gusto. Everyone was saying hi to Mike. He seemed to know everyone. Hugs were all around, but everyone stayed respectful of me, just smiling kindly.

We went inside, got a small cup of dreadful coffee and a cookie, and sat in the last row of seats in this church basement. On the way, I passed a table with a pile of pamphlets with NA on them. What I thought was an AA meeting was, in fact, a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Later, I would find out that the last row is called "denial alley," Mike knew it was where I would be comfortable.

"How can you drink this terrible coffee," I asked him. "Your coffee at the Rocket is amazing!"

He smiled and said, "It's many things; I enjoy its contrast, and it reminds me that there are two sides to almost everything. It's also about unity, or it's messy ...

... in here sometimes, and it makes me humble, strange enough."

He grabbed my hand, squeezed it, and said, "Just keep an open mind tonight, ok?"

I sat there, nervous and fidgeting, but listened to the collection of people reading things. I didn't hear much of it, as I was deeply suspicious. At one point, they gave out key rings for clean time. When the newcomer one was offered, Mike looked at me but smiled as I stayed glued to my seat. Fear was now flowing through me, and I wanted to leave. After a smoke and vape break, this girl got up and sat in front of everyone. Like the others, she opened with an admission of being an addict.

Then, she told her story, and I was dismantled to my core. She was not much older than I was, and her "bottom" was horrible. It all started as just fun, a party girl, a sugar baby, cool boyfriends, drugs, booze, and living large. She loved those times and openly said everything worked; it was the time of her life. She had zero regrets until it slowly stopped working. Before she woke up, she was homeless, a prostitute, and was getting in trouble with the police. A homeless man told her she was not made for the street life. It would kill her, and she didn't belong here. He told her, "Ya need a meeting, young lady." He actually walked her to this church on a cold winter night. She failed three times trying to get clean, but eventually, she found a bit of serenity. She last picked up a white key tag five years ago today.

So many questions. So ...