Day Drinking

Alex

I walked out of the room. “I’m leaving,” I said to the nurse, not stopping to hear what she was about to say. I couldn’t stay there another minute. I was on the verge of tears. I didn’t want to turn into a blubbery mess with an audience.

I got back in my truck and drove. I felt numb. When I got within five minutes of town, I called Sadie, hoping she was off work.

“Hey,” I said when she answered. “You free? I could really use a drink.”

“Alex, it’s one o’clock in the afternoon. Since when do you day-drink?”

“I need a drink. You don’t have to drink.”

“I’ll meet you at Bob’s,” she said, naming the one bar in town. Bob’s also served as a diner and all-around hangout for the over twenty-one crowd, but it wasn’t all that surprising to see a toddler in the bar with a mom or dad on occasion.

I drove to the bar, parking in the paved lot that had more potholes than solid blacktop. When I walked inside, I immediately spotted sleek black hair. It was easy to find her anywhere. She liked flash and bling. She was wearing a black shirt with bright red and pink flowers that appeared to have been bedazzled. It was gaudy in my opinion, but that was how she dressed.

I flopped down in the chair, putting up my hand to order myself a shot of something strong. “Thanks,” I said, running a hand through my hair.

“What’s going on?”

“Oliver Whittle died,” I told her.

Her eyes widened. “Oh god. Please tell me you didn’t kill him.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, I didn’t kill him. I liked him. He had pancreatic cancer. Apparently, he told no one. He didn’t want anyone to know. Yesterday, I couldn’t find him, went to the house, and found him in bed. I took him to the hospital, and well, long story short, he died.”

“Wow. That is horrible. That poor man. He was such a good guy.”

“Tequila,” I said when the waitress showed up at the table.

“Alexandria Hammel,” the waitress scolded. “Your mama would roll over in her grave if she knew you were drinking tequila in the middle of the day.”

“Gretta, my mama didn’t give a shit when she was alive. I doubt she cares now. Please. I have had a really shitty twenty-four hours. I want to crawl in a bottle, just for a little while. I won’t stay for long.”

She scowled at me. “Fine.”

“Make it two,” I shouted as she walked away.

She ignored me. I turned my attention back to Sadie, who had her makeup perfectly applied. She looked like a cover girl with her long, enhanced lashes and perfect smoky eyes.

“Are you okay?” Her dark brown eyes were soft and full of love for me.

I nodded. “I don’t know why it is bumming me out so bad. He wasn’t my family.”

“But you cared about him. You stayed with him?”

I took my first shot of tequila. “Yes.”

“That was very sweet of you.”

I shrugged. “I couldn’t leave the guy. He had no one. No one. I don’t want to be alone when it comes time to die.”

“I’ll be there for you,” she offered.

“That’s sweet, but I mean, kids, grandkids, a spouse. He had no one.”

“That is very sad,” she agreed.

I took the second shot, one eye closing as the liquid burned down my throat. I coughed before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “He says he has someone coming to take over the farm. I don’t know who it is, but he made me promise to keep it up and running. I wonder if he bequeathed the farm to someone.”

“Like who?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’m not leaving that farm in the hands of just anyone. Oliver hired the last guy. I don’t think I can trust his judgment.”

“Are you going to stay on the farm forever?”

“No, but I’m not going to let it fall apart while his estate is being settled. I need to ask his lawyer what the long-term plan is.”

“What do you mean?”

I shrugged. “He told me he made arrangements to keep me on. I need to know what that means. I hate to say it, but I feel like I was promising something I could never possibly give him. I know what the books look like for the farm, and while it’s doing okay, how long? How long will it be okay?”

“Drink your drink. I’ll drive you home. You need to sleep.”

“I’m fine. I need to get back to the farm. Deke has probably burned the place down.”

“Then that would solve the problem,” she said easily.

“What?”

“You were worried about how long the farm would keep running. If it’s burned, then you don’t need to worry about that anymore.”

“Sadie! That’s horrible!”

She shrugged. “It’s true.”

“I’m not going to let him down,” I said with determination. “I will hire and train the right manager for that farm myself.”

“You’re a good woman, Alex. I’m glad he had you. You made an old man’s life a little better when it counted.”

I smiled. “I hope so. Damn, I’m so going to miss him. He was a little cantankerous, but I really liked how straightforward he was. I always knew where I stood with him. He didn’t sugarcoat anything. I wished I would have met him sooner.”

“Death is cruel. Life isn’t always fair. You know the rest. Now, come on. Load up and I’ll bring your truck by in a bit.”

I let out a long sigh. “Thank you. We need to stop at the liquor store. I can’t get properly drunk with Gretta giving me the stink eye.”

She laughed. “I can’t let you get drunk by yourself.”

“Sure, you can. I’m a big girl.”

“Let me see if I can get someone to take my clients for the rest of the day.”

I shook my head. “Sadie, no. It’s okay. I kind of want to be alone. I appreciate you being here for me.”

“Anytime. That’s what friends are for.”