The Sleeping Soldier
Jacob stared at his reflection in the dirty club bathroom mirror, trying to calm himself down. The bass from the club's speakers thumped through the walls. He splashed cold water on his face, trying to shake off the humiliation of what had just happened.
Twenty minutes earlier, things were going good. Tasha was gorgeous, fun, exactly his type. When she invited him back to her place, Jacob thought his luck had finally turned around after months of loneliness.
But in her dimly lit bedroom, he stood in front of the mirror and looked down and was wondering why his solider didn’t stand and salute Tasha. No matter what he thought about he wouldn’t salute. Tasha had been kind about it, but Jake saw the disappointment in her eyes. He came up with an excuse and left, ending up here in this dingy club bathroom.
Jacob's phone vibrated- a text from Tasha. "You ok? Don't beat yourself up. I guess that’s happens to a-lot guys sometimes or is it me?"
He sighed, torn between her understanding and the embarrassment. At 32, he felt like he should have his life together by now. Instead, he was dealing with...this.
Splashing more water on his face, Jacob made a decision. Tomorrow, he'd call that doctor his friend recommended. Tonight though, he just wanted to go home, and lock up in his room, and pretend the world didn't exist for a while.
Squaring his shoulders, Jacob pushed open the bathroom door and stepped back into the cheerful crowd, walking with his head down as he made his way to the exit. The cool night air hit his face as he walked to his car. His shoulders hunched, hands in his pockets, Jacob made it to his car and began the long drive home alone.