Art By Knoxville Museum of Art

“You feeling it?” she asked, chuckling.

“It slaps with the bitter lemon Schweppes.” My eyes were watering.

“Yes, lazima islap, hehe...”

“You know what you’ve done,” I said, joining the laughter.

“So, what is your story, a drifter with all his possessions in a backpack and an engine under his feet?”

“Easy now, be careful not to get burnt,” I replied.

“Should I be scared?” She asked gently, stepping closer.

“Only if you come too close to the fire.”

“I’ve been there and back again.”

“I’m chasing my sunrise, if you really want to know.”

“What does that mean?” She asked, intrigued.

“It gets pretty dark for me, so I keep on drifting through the land with a dark cloud over my head,” I brooded, the mirth gone.

“So, it gets dark pretty quick,” she whispered.

“I begin to think, looking back over my days.”

“Yes…?”

“I’ve hurt so many people, I’m so lonely, but…

“But….”

“But I refuse to be bad no more…”

“Have you learnt?”

“I’ve learnt my lesson a long time ago. I won't be bad anymore, no, no, no, no. I won't hurt anybody else… so…”

“So,” she mumbled. I could smell the whiskey in her breath.

“Softly let me kiss your lips, baby, and gently let me let down your hair. You make me want to love you so bad, and I don’t have any other care in this world.”

Because that's how it happens sometimes.

One drink turns into a conversation. One conversation turns into a story. And before the night is over, you've shared a piece of yourself with someone who was a stranger an hour ago.

That's Cocktails and Conversations at Mintglint Studios.