Merry Christmas!!

Of all the days to show up to work on time! The boss wasn’t even there all morning! When he finally came in, I really wished I hadn’t come in at all. He said he was taking five of us to another work site, and then he pulled out a scrap of paper and read off their names. I don’t know if this was random or someone specifically chose them, but what I do know is that a couple of my drinking buddies were among them. Wonderful. Now who do I go drinking with after work? The new work site is about a half a day’s drive from here, so who knows when or if I’ll ever see them again. They were good guys. It’s not going to be easy to drown my sorrows by myself. I’ll do a shot for you guys!

Man, today was probably the best day of my life! I went to one of my favorite watering holes after work, but my heart wasn’t into it at first since a couple of my buddies had been transferred out of the mine. I did a few shots in honor of the good times we had together.

I would have sat there all alone for the rest of the night if SHE hadn’t walked in. Yes, it was the mysterious blonde I’ve been writing about in my posts! Since I had a few drinks in me, I decided to let the alcohol do the talking (love that liquid courage!) and asked her if she would join me for a drink. Naturally, she agreed.

She was quiet at first, and I wasn’t really sure what I should say to her, but after she ordered a whiskey and water (my type of woman!), she turned chatty and I knew things were going my way. She started telling me all about her life in Kijuju. She’s seen some strange things lately, like animals that have been eviscerated or carcasses that look like they had been dragged around by something. She says she’s only been in Kijuju for several weeks, but since the beginning of this month it’s started to feel like a different place from when she first arrived. She can’t explain it, but she said she feels scared at times for no reason at all. If I’m reading her right, I think she was indirectly letting me know she wants to spend more time with me.

I didn’t want to look desperate by asking questions, so I just agreed with everything she said. I tried to add to her conversation by describing my experience with the dog the other day, not to mention the butcher who had been acting strangely. I also told her how I’ve seen trails of blood without any bodies. There’s also been an increase of areas with graffiti, as well as strange posters thrown up around the town. (I didn’t focus too much on that graffiti part since some of it might have been done by me on one of my wilder nights out.) The place has definitely taken on a different air since I came here all those months ago. It’s like the town is changing right under my nose but no one is bothering to let me know it’s changing.

I told her not to worry, and most of the things that have happened could be attributed to a wild tiger or something. She seemed to find comfort in my words, so I moved my stool a little closer to hers. That’s when she really opened up to me. I don’t know if it was because of the alcohol or because she felt comfortable with me, but she started complaining about her boyfriend. (It’s always a good sign when a girl complains to you about her boyfriend.) Apparently, he went off to work one day and he hasn’t come back since. Everyone keeps telling her he’s busy. I don’t think work could ever keep me so busy that I’d neglect such an attractive woman as this.

I told her if she needed anything, she could always count on me. She thanked me and smiled before getting up and walking out. I probably should have followed her, but I think I need to play a little hard to get in order to keep her interested.

Like I said, best day of my life!

And the best Christmas gift I’ve ever had!!

Remember, comments are always appreciated!

P.S. I completely forgot to ask her what her name is! I’m just going to have to wait until next time.