From the ashtray, cigarette smoke drifts toward the ceiling. The dim light bulb in the kitchen illuminates Frank as he sits at the end of the table. His cigarettes and a glass of neat scotch sit side by side, like little toy soldiers as if waiting for their next assignment.
Music, laughter and chaos spill into Frank’s kitchen from a noisy gathering in the adjoining house. He sits in silence staring straight ahead. A big sip of scotch, he sniffs and takes a long drag of the cigarette. Franks sits in silence.
In the front garden, revellers arrive at the party next door, casually tossing empty bottles into the garden as if the world was their oyster.
Frank peeks suspiciously out his front door as if he was unsure what to expect from the night fallen sky. A raucous bunch of young twenty something’s drink from long necks and smoke cigarettes whilst leaning against Frank’s fence.
A empty liquor bottle is picked up off the grass. Two green beer bottles are thrown into a recycling bin. A broken wine glass is swept to one side. A bent stem on a glorious flower stem is snapped and hangs there, swinging gently side-to-side.
Frank sits in the shadows of his porch, his old brown leather chair squeaks as he eases into it. Frank sits in silence.
A young girl creeps into the front yard holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a white balloon in the other. She positions herself behind a bush shielding herself from the road. Squatting and pants down she begins to urinate. The white balloon gives away her location as the front door of the house swings closed.
Frank sits back down at his kitchen table, the fridge buzzes, the music outside is louder now, a loud crash comes from the side of the house.
Scotch cascades into a glass over ice. The doorbell rings. At the door, the young girl sways side to side staring at Frank. Still holding the balloon and wine she asks him if he would like a drink, Frank closes the front door.
In the kitchen sink Frank rinses two glasses.
Frank overturns a dusty wooden box on the porch and motions for the young girl to sit in his chair. Frank pours two generous glasses of amber liquid. They drink and watch the partygoers out the front in a comfortable silence, refill their glasses, smoke cigarettes, and drink. All in a comfortable silence as if the shadows of the porch were some magic cocoon from the outside world.
The night goes on as the party becomes more and more wild.
The young girl hands Frank a sparkler. He smiles, lights it with his cigarette. She lights her own and wanders out into the front yard and onto the crowded street. Frank sits in silence, his sparkler burns, and fizzes. Frank sits in silence.
