A Little Peace and Quiet

My second attempt at a 750 Word Project 2023 story. I hope you enjoy it.

***

I sat staring at the amber liquid in my glass. It was a little less dark than it had been earlier because the two ice cubes had melted a bit. I raised it to my lips and took a small sip. I swirled it across my tongue before letting it slide down my throat. I felt the light burn as it made its way to my stomach to join the other two glasses I had drained.

Two Woodford Reserve doubles had me feeling a little more relaxed. The tight knot across my upper shoulders had released and the dull ache behind my eyes had abated. I was on my way to being what Pink Floyd called "comfortably numb."

This bar stool had become my refuse over the past few weeks. Mel never pushed me to have "another" but he was never too far away when I emptied my glass. He seemed to understand my plan and left me alone to fight my personal demons while he busied himself with the other visitors to his fine establishment.

The general buzz of voices was interrupted when a new face came through the big heavy oak door. The sounds of the street rushed in to announce her arrival and then disappeared when the massive door slammed closed behind her.

A few of the patrons turned to stare at the interloper as she stood letting her eyes adjust to the darkness of our haven. She surveyed the room and slowly made her way to my end of the long bar. She was undoubtedly aware of the eyes that tracked her impressive form as she crossed the room.

She stopped a few feet away and stared at the side of my face. I purposely focussed on the elixir in front of me, hoping she would turn away and grant me a reprieve from her relentless efforts to bend me to her will.

But, of course, it was not to be, "James, you are not going to find the answers to your problem in that glass. Please, James, I am so sorry for what happened. Please come home with me now and let me make it up to you."

I raised a hand in the upright "stop" position just as she was about to launch another verbal salvo. She swallowed her words and stood silent for a few seconds as I slowly turned to face her.

"Vera, I do not want to have this conversation again. Several weeks ago you announced your independence and informed me that my opinions were of no concern to you and strongly suggested I keep them to myself."

"Yes, but ..."

Again I raised my hand to cut her off. "You also informed me that I had become a hindrance to your pursuit of happiness and that you would no longer allow me to prevent you from exercising your new-found freedoms.

"I was told you were no longer just a wife and mother; you had become a woman of the world, free to do as you chose. That I had no say in what you did and with whom you did it. Then you informed me that if I protested in any way, you would see to it that I never again saw my children and would be left penniless by your lawyer."

"I should never have said that, I'm so sor....."

My upturned hand silenced her once more.

"Yes, yes, I know. Your lover convinced you he could beat the prenup you'd signed. In his arrogance, he failed to ask you to let him see it. He thought his position as a junior partner in his uncle's law firm would assure my destruction and his victory in court. I can only imagine his shock when he realized his uncle had written it.

"Vera, I loved you with my whole heart and you crushed my soul when you took up with that jerk off. While I know this might not be my best course of action, I come here to enjoy a fine bourbon and a few minutes of peace.

"I come here to mourn the loss of what we had, the loss of the happy home my children had enjoyed, and for help in enduring the slow painful death of the love I felt for you.

"There's nothing left to say, the divorce will continue, I'm not giving you any additional money, and I'll pick the kids up on Sunday."

She sobbed, walking out as those eyes tracked her cheating ass.