You know when you can't sleep? For no reason?
Insomnia with an unknown cause. Work's fine, kid's doing well, financially... as good as can be expected, comfortable. There's the basic nitty-gritty, but for the most part, there's nothing grinding my ass to the bone on a daily basis, I just can't sleep.
Tired of tossing from side to side, at 2:14am, I get up. I have no intention of staying up mind you, so I go in search of a nightcap. I throw on a bathrobe and some slippers, and head out of my room. The floor boards' creak and I choose my steps wisely. My son Jason is asleep down the hall and I... I hear the sound of bumping against a wall, and a faint mattress squeak. Shaking off the concern that my squeaky floorboards might wake my son, who's apparently putting his girlfriend through the throws of passion, I round the corner of the hallway, and head downstairs.
I pass the entrance to the kitchen, take the first left, "Damn!" and stub my toe into that stupid, stupid hall table. Pass the downstairs bathroom, I move the left side of the slide doors to my study, walk in, and slide it closed behind me. The pale moon light shining through the windows gives off enough to let me navigate the room to my destination, the bar. I open the mini fridge, plunk to ice cubes into a glass, 2 shots of Glenlivet, a nice 18 yr, and a splash of water.
I take the first sip, mull it over, and mosey over to my desk. Butt firmly planted in the soft leather seat of my desk chair, I reach over my desk, open the cigar box on the side of my desk, and pull out a Montecristo. 2am's a bit late for a cigar, but I've already got the scotch, and as my throbbing left pinky toe reminds me, I won't be falling asleep for another hour or so anyway, so why not? Clipped cigar and matches in hand, I lean back in my seat, take a deep sigh, and for a brief moment, inspect the inside of my eyelids.
The stillness of the night, and my assumption that I'm the only one downstairs, are both broken by the sound of my den doors sliding open. I open my eyes to see the doors close together, while a shadowy and chesty figure, and slide in. My desk and chair face the sliding doors, and the windows that light the room are on the wall behind me, 2 long windows, evenly spaced, set on either side of my chair. The resulting effect is that I am completely draped in shadow, and apparently unnoticed by my late night guest. The young woman quietly slinks off to the right side of the room (her left, my right), where the bar is. The patter of her bare feet stop in front of the bar, and on tip toes, she closely examines the bottles. It's difficult for me to see her, so I know it's difficult for her to see the bottles, as I assume she's squinting to identify her intended alcohol of choice. Dark as it is, I can tell she's wearing a baggy shirt which hangs very loosely on her, and I also don't believe she's wearing night pants, as I think I can see her bare legs reflecting in the soft light. I also don't think this is my son's girlfriend, remembering that Jason said she's not a drinker. Granted he's 20, and she's 19, but my son knows I'm no idiot, and tells me these things so I know he'll have a designated driver, should the need arise. My curiosity peaked; I make her aware that I'm in the room, by striking my matches, and lightly puffing on my cigar to light it.
"Sweet Jesus!" she yelps. Taken aback and startled, she puts one hand over her chest, while her other hand braces herself on the bar. I lean over to the right side of my desk, and click my lamp onto its lowest setting. She doesn't move at all. I almost wonder if she thinks that if she doesn't move, I won't see her β like I'm a Tyrannosaurs Rex. With my eyes adjusted to the light, I realize that the young woman in front of me is Jenna, the best friend of my son's longtime girlfriend.
"Looking for something, Jenna?" I ask. I know what she's looking for of course, but I have to say something.
"Mr. McDougal?" she replies. She starts to move out of the corner, and into the light. As she does, I realize the shirt she's wearing is a man's white dress shirt, and nothing else. At least nothing else that I can see. Suddenly my mind races to that scene from, "American Beauty" where rose petals swirl around a naked Mena Survari. I've known Jenna for 2 years now, and she's always been very attractive. I hadn't given it any thought before, alright, much thought before, but here she was standing half naked before me, at 2 o'clock in the morning, while I suddenly contemplate where the boundary between, "friend's dad," and "skeevey old man" is drawn. She is after all 19 years old, which either complicates things, or simplifies them.
I draw on the cigar and take a sip of my scotch. "You were looking for something."
"No, no, I mean, um," suddenly lost for a legitimate reason to be perusing my liquor cabinet at 2 in the morning, she stammered into, "I was going to get a glass of water."