"Are you alone?"
After his fourth scotch of the night, Don Draper was already feeling it. He looked up to see a beautiful woman wearing a sexy red dress, its rich and sexual colour brought out the best features in her. It hung beautifully, words cannot even describe. It was strapless, which showed off her petite shoulders and collarbones. She looked at Don for a second, almost as if she was making her mind up about him.
"Are you alone?" she said again.
How was he meant to answer that? He had felt alone his entire life. His marriage with Betty had crashed and fallen, and he only had himself to blame. "I guess I am" he softly replied.
"Alexandria Smith"
"Don Draper"
"Strong name, so tell me, Who is Donald Draper?"
All he hears is Alexandria's voice, circled with the innocent words. He sees a grin,
seductive, earnest, yet honest against the elegant background of the bar "You got a wife? Kids?"
Don was rarely vulnerable, an aspect he hated when it came out of him. He wasn't in the mood to talk, he never wants to talk, not for a reporter who will twist the words into whatever suits the headline, not for his wife, Megan, who just wants him to open up to her and the endless nights of inviting 'friends' over for drinks. "Why do you want to know?" Don replied as he begun lighting his lucky strike cigarette. "What's your story?"
"What's yours, Mr Draper?"
"I haven't figured it out yet"
"How does it end?"
Don had often thought about where his life would end up twenty years from now. He liked to think Sally, Bobby and Eugene would grow up into different careers for him; this definitely wasn't the case for Sally. Everyday she grows more and more like him. He had never given her anything. "What are you doing now?"
Alexandria paused, only for a brief moment, "I'm not going to sleep with you, if that's what you're insinuating."
"Then why are you here?"
"You don't even remember me, do you?" she replied, not even looking disappointed. She expected it, how many women had Don slept with? He couldn't remember them all, she felt disgusting even looking at him. "I used to be your receptionist, only for a month or two" she said "You haven't changed at all, still alone, still sad with that look in your eye which makes me wonder if you're intentionally drinking and smoking yourself to death." She chuckled as she moved closer to him, looking at Don right in his eye, "Poor Megan, I knew her, she had so much hope, and when I saw her the other month, she just looked…disappointed."
"Don't talk about -"
"The axe came through the door a long time ago Don, and its only getting worse. You sit here feeling sorry for yourself instead of doing something about it. Your kids are growing to hate you, Megan is going to leave you, just like Betty did."
"How do you know-"
"Your time is running out. And if you don't change, well, the defeat to come…is probably beyond our imagining"
"I think you've told me more than I wish to know"
"Well then, I'll say no more" she replied, "Do you want another drink? You look parched"
He awoke.
"Sir, you can't sleep in here" the bartended said to Don. Where did the time go? Eventually getting his sight back, it was around one in the morning – Fuck! "Was there a woman here?" Don mumbled. "Where did she go?"
"No woman has spoken to you, you've just been slurring to yourself all night" the bartender replied. Don couldn't be more confused; did he dream it? Alexandria Smith…was she even real? Don took out his wallet and took out thirty dollars to pay his tab. He should have taken Alexandria's message as a sign, to get on with his life and make a change for the better. That's not the case, and it never will be. Although he doesn't know it, or maybe he will, Don Draper will die alone.