Let’s see… Level of numbness? Can’t feel my nose. Visual check? Standard double and little blurred from the edges. General state and condition? Amount of booze consumed has managed to override my systems. In other words, I’m completely, entirely drunk. Good. God. Finally. There.
“Well, well… Look what the cat dragged in…”
“Not now, Nadine. Just keep the booze coming…”
“Didn’t get enough at the last joint?”
“Fuck you… You’re ruining it…”
“From where I’m standing it looks like you ruined it all by yourself. Hard to top that.”
“Jack straight. Leave the bottle… Oh… Better make it two bottles.”
“Only two? Are you sure?”
“For now…”
“I hate to do this, but you have to ditch your wheels. Hand over your keys.”
“Already did that couple of towns ago… Just give me the goddamned booze already! Took me a fucking week to get this hammered, I’m not going to let some no-good-bartending-bitch to ruin it…”
“You good for this?”
“I’m good. Was thinking I could even make some more money in the cage tonight…”
“Is it a good idea to get in there in that condition?”
“You know it doesn’t matter…”
“It’s not you I’m worried about. You look a bit off. Wouldn’t want you to kill anybody in there. If you want to fight, maybe you should sleep off that booze first. I have a cot in the back. You can crash there.”
“Nadine?”
“Yeah?”
“Have I ever told you how much I love you?”
“Only every time you come through this way, Wolverine. Go. Get sober. We’ll talk when I close up, okay?”
“Fine…”
Hate to admit, but Nadine’s right. The only reason the people are still walking out from the cage after round or two with me is because I’m pulling my punches. With so much hardware buried in me it would be a fucking slaughter otherwise. And right now I’m not in the mood for pulling them. I’d like nothing more than shatter some skulls. And Nadine knows that. Got to love that woman. And this bottle I managed to smuggle from under her nose. Alcoholic? No. But if I change my mind I’m not about to squander yet another week to get wasted again.
“Give me that.”
“Hey!”
“I’m going to get you sober even if it kills me.”
“You know, it just might do that…”
“Fuck you, Wolverine. Lay down and get some sleep. There are some blankets in the cupboard. You look frozen stiff.”
“Well, I walked the last ten kilometers to get here…”
“Sleep. Get sober. You didn’t walk all the way here just to whine about my service policy.”
I really hate Nadine. I hate it when she’s always right. I hate it when she can make me see how right she is. Just like Ma… Fuck. Better not go there. Just going to close my eyes and rest for a while. Christ. I have last slept well over a week ago. I have last lied down well over a week ago. Fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed from my back and feet. I think they just fell in to a coma.
“Nadine!”
“Yes?”
“Carl still brewing that medicine of his?”
“There’s some in the cupboard!”
“Could you get it for me?”
“Jeesh, Wolverine! I have customers! You know? The people who actually pay for what they drink! I can’t keep coddling you, I have to take care of them first!”
“Fine. Be a bitch. Don’t need you anyway…”
Yeah. Right. Couldn’t lift a pinkie even if my life depended on it. Fuck… Ookay. I can do this… I can. Just throw my legs over the edge and… Whoah. Fuck. I’m a fucking mess…
“What’s that noise? Wolverine? Wolverine… Shit. Johnny, Peter! Get over here! Help this poor bastard back to bed!”
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