I pull into a diner, and the bright neon sign blows out. An omen? I walk into the newly christened Rosie's Di er, and sit at the counter.

"What will it be tonight, love?" asks the plump, perhaps once cheery waitress.

"I would like something to fill my soul. Something strong. Something whole."

The waitress doesn't bat an eye. Her face looks tired. The once happy girl she was saw and heard too many things. She looks as if she'll dismiss me with my serious yet serious answer, but she surprises me.

"I've got just the thing for you. Coming right up, honey."

I wonder what the waitress will return with, and I wonder what I will do with it, since I've never really had much of a love for alcohol anyways. I had come here for some semblance of company. If I could sit on a stool and pretend to be a part of the rush around me, it might help me remember myself for awhile.

The waitress returns with a glass filled to the brim with a brightly colored liquid. "Something strong. Something whole. Something that touches your toes and fills your soul."

I nod to her and take the glass. I wonder what the strange drink is. It smells like fruit. The fragrance is full and strangely delightful. I take a sip of it. At first it is extraordinary, and I think to myself that alcohol isn't so bad; then the kick comes. I feel myself reeling. My whole body to my very toes feels loose. I hear myself gasping.

I take a breath and the taste mellows. The alcohol blends with the first taste and it truly is something remarkable--something to savor.

With this, perhaps I can remember for awhile.