Spirit Lake Ep. 1.4

The Hub was packed, and Roy could see that Paul was already pretty drunk.

"You should have just called the house." Roy placed another shot in front of Paul, against his better judgement of course.

He already could see where this night was going, like it had so many times in the past. Paul would get wasted and Julie would shoot him down, and who would Paul run to?

"What would it matter? She wouldn’t remember who I was." Paul held his latest shot in a wobbly hand, then tipped it down his throat. He cringed, slammed the glass down, and looked at Roy. "Hit me again."

"You’re already pretty..."

"I said hit me again." Paul leaned in close, his breath smelling like cheap whiskey. "I’ll make it worth your while."

Roy gave in.

Just as Paul slammed down his latest shot, and was about to ask for a refill the front doors to the bar opened up, and in walked their past.

Standing there, looking slightly more refined, but not a day older than when she left, was Julie. Right at her side, like they had never been apart, was Carla.

Roy was having flash backs to high school. It was always just the four of them, hanging out down on one of the docks getting drunk. Nothing beat the moon over the lake when you had five or six beers in you. Everything seemed to glisten with a foggy haze. It was beautiful. Well, it was beautiful until someone threw up in the bushes, or the cops showed up. Still, it was their time.

Julie walked up to the bar, a weak smile on her face.

At least she’s trying. Roy returned the smile.

"It’s been a while." He reached over the bar and gave her a hug.

"Don’t I get one?" Paul’s hand was already on Julie’s waist.

Without even giving her the chance to react, Paul pulled Julie into a tight hug, his boozed up body collapsing against hers. She seemed to strain under the unexpected weight.

"Paul, you got started with out us." Carla laughed and set Paul back into his seat.

"I missed you." That was all Paul could muster. It appeared he was using all his mental strength to stay on the wobbly bar stool.

"We all did." Roy didn’t know why he was speaking so softly. They were in a loud bar. He doubted they could even hear him over the drone of the music, and the loud clatter of beer bottles. "You could have given me a heads up you were coming to town."

Julie sat down. "I tried, but your number was disconnected."

"You must have called the old house. I moved out ages ago."

"Where to?"

Roy pointed to the ceiling. "I don’t just work here, I live here."

"He owns the place." Carla sat next to Paul, putting her arm over his shoulders to help hold him up.

"Oh? What happened to Chester?" Julie scanned the bottles behind Roy’s head, avoiding everyone’s gaze.

"Left me the place."

"Why’d he do that?"

Paul leaned in real close to Julie, and Roy could see her recoil at the sent of his breath. "He gave the old man a few happy endings, and Chester gave him the bar."

Roy’s face went bright red.

"Why don’t you take Paul to the drunk dump in the back?" Carla helped Paul off the seat, and started to head him towards the door leading to the storage room. "Might do him good to sleep off some of that booze."

Roy just nodded, and Carla transferred a barely able to walk Paul onto his shoulder.

"You guys trying to block me?" Paul did his best loud whisper into Roy’s ear.

"No, just trying to keep you from poisoning yourself." Roy pushed through the swinging door, and into the storage room.

He led Paul to the small cot tucked away in the far right corner behind a bunch of liquor crates. Paul had tried to argue his point for staying at the bar, but the words came out as nothing more than mumbles.

"Sleep it off." Roy laid Paul down, gently throwing the blanket over him.

Before he could even leave the room Paul reached up and grabbed Roy’s arm.

"You aren’t going to leave me alone back here all night, are you?" Paul actually looked scared.

"I’ll come back and check on you in a bit." Roy gently patted Paul’s hand, then released his friend’s grip, and headed back out into the main floor of the bar.