Every label has been scratched into an indecipherable state, a side effect maybe. I rattle a few to check for volume and put them back on the counter, satisfied but unsettled. ‘What’s going on, man?’ Mikey refills his tumbler with straight Sailor Jerry and shrugs himself into it. I was going to have a nap, he says, mouth moist and lax. ‘You must be pretty fucking tired.’ I rinse a glass in the sink and take it over to the couch where he’s still holding the bottle, clink my glass against it suggestively, and wait for him to share.
There was no way that I could convince her she looked great, so I persuaded her to try an exercise class once a week and see how it goes. Said she could quit if she hated it. Then I started slipping her the pills. When she started losing weight she gave all the credit to the classes. I knew she couldn’t lose it all by herself. In the end she left me, though not for another guy, she left me for herself. All toned and beautiful, she thought she was above me. Never did find out about the pills.
A Few Short Words 