The Cocktail Club

by Pat Tucker

  The last of my drink only made me want more. I couldn’t imagine a more somber gathering than the one I felt stuck in with Felicia. She was about as interesting as a faucet that dripped slowly.

  “Where is everybody?” she asked and looked around at the other people at the bar. She waved with a few fingers, smiled, and then turned back to me. Those other people seemed to be having a great time. I felt like they understood the concept of happy hour!

  “You heard about what happened to Ivee, right?” I asked.

  Felicia leaned in. “Can you imagine? She was in jail!” Felicia’s eyes widened when she said the word jail.

  “I tried to call her a few times, but she didn’t answer.”

  “I knooow. She’s not talking to anybody. Imagine how I feel? I was with her at lunch. I tried to hook her up with a new client, and you know how Ivee is. She must’ve gone way overboard.”

  “Felicia, please! What time did you guys go to lunch?”

  She shrugged as if she understood the point I tried to make.

  “That was last Thursday mid-afternoon, and then of course we met up here for happy hour, so I don’t see how you can blame yourself for her getting arrested. She was arrested after happy hour, not after lunch.”

  It really bugged me when people tried to make other people’s problems somehow relate to them.

  Felicia got up from her chair and rushed to my side of the table. She picked up her glass and put it back down again. Felicia looked like her mind was on overload. That wasn’t the kind of company I needed at a bar. I wondered whether people realized that our usually loud, fun, and boisterous table had fallen off drastically.

  “Darby, the truth is, what happened to Ivee could’ve happened to any one of us. Think how many times we’ve thrown back tons of drinks, and then gotten behind the wheel.”

  “Okay, Felicia. I’m really not happy right now, and this is supposed to be happy hour—you know, with an emphasis on happy. This conversation right here, it’s messing with my buzz, and if something is messing with my buzz, I ain’t so happy!”

  Felicia threw her hands up and shrugged as she frowned.

  “Now, move on back to your side. I don’t need you bringing any more misery close to me. Lord knows I’ve got my own pile of mess to deal with.”

  “I’m just trying to—”

  “Yeah, yeah yeah. I know what you’re trying to do, and all I’m saying is, I’m not in the mood!”

  When the waitress walked by, I reached out and tapped her. “Can I get another one, please?”

  “Sure.” She smiled. “Hey, where’s everyone else tonight?” she asked as she reached for the empty glass in front of me.

  “Who knows?” I eyed the glass on her tray.

  She got the message and moved on. Felicia was not the kind of company I needed, and I knew it. I needed someone to tell me that what I had decided to do wasn’t the best move. But Felicia only wanted to have a pity party.

  “First, Peta and her trucks! Who the hell would want to do something like that to her? Then, Ivee going to jail,” Felicia deadpanned.

  I picked up my phone and sent a text message. The night was still very young. The last thing I wanted to do was sit around and drown other people’s sorrows in my martini.

  I tried not to stare at the phone, but it was hard.

  By the time the waitress had returned with my new drink, and Felicia had delved into her theory about the happy hour curse, I was ready to slit my own wrists.

  I couldn’t think of a time when we didn’t have a great time together. Over the years, we had brought everything to the table on Thursday nights. It didn’t matter whether the issues were, big or minor.

  The idea that my friends were struggling and felt like the best thing to do was stay away, made me sad, but I didn’t want to linger on it.

  “…so, all I could think about is, what if Zion is tripping out on her after this whole arrest thing. You know how he gets.”

  I stared at Felicia. She insisted on trying to bring me down.

  When my phone vibrated, I nearly didn’t want to check it. I couldn’t handle another disappointment after I had stomached all of Felicia’s suspicion about all that was wrong with everyone’s life.

  Out with friends. ‘Sup w U?

  Looking for trouble. I texted back.

  Ppl say trouble is my middle name.

  I’m at Eddie V’s.

  I can be at hotel Derek in under an hr.

  My heart nearly stopped.

  Sure, what started out as my master plan for revenge had grown into something more. It had turned into us chatting online, through text messages, then blossomed into something that I could’ve never guessed. We’d been flirting for a long time, but I never stopped to think about where it would go. I never expected it, or us to end up in a hotel room. But the liquor made me feel adventurous, and nothing appealed to me about Felicia.

  “Oh my God! What is it now? Who is it?” Felicia asked, her face twisted up as she waited anxiously for bad news.

  I looked up from my phone and knew exactly what I had to do.

  “Oh, this?” I raised the phone. “It’s nothing, um, Kevin, going on about the kids,” I lied. My eyes began to search the busy restaurant. I needed to find the waitress and end the depressing evening with Felicia.

  “Oh no, what’s going on?” Felicia asked. Her voice was as worried as ever.

  “I need to go. Something is wrong with his mom, and he’s freaking out. You know how they can be,” I said.

  If I had to wait for the bill, I’d never make it in under an hour. I looked at the table and did the math in my head. I placed two crisp twenty-dollar bills on the table, and eased out of my chair.

  “You’re about to leave, like right now?” Felicia frowned.

  “Yeah, Kevin is worried sick, and I don’t want him doing something stupid to our son,” I said.

  Felicia’s frown deepened. Her busy eyes followed my every move. “But I thought you said it was your mother-in-law,” she said and looked at me like she was confused.

  “Oh, yeah, that’s what I meant,” I said. I shook my head a little. “Okay, honey, I’ll check in with you later tomorrow.”

  I did two air kisses on the side of each cheek and moved away from the bar.

  “But what about Ivee and Peta?” she yelled after me.

  “Oh, they’ll be fine.” I dashed toward the door.

  On the drive over, I tried to play devil’s advocate.

  Why does he want to meet now?

  We already had plans. Why not stick to the plan?

  What if he is trying to set me up?

  What will I do when we are finally alone together?

  Why am I about to go and meet this man?

  I had no common-sense answers to any of the questions I asked myself, but that didn’t stop me. At the corner of Sage and Westheimer Roads, my phone vibrated again. Chandler’s text message was simple.

  Rm 7654.

  When I pulled in front of the hotel, I considered whether I should park myself, or use the valet service. I made my decision since they didn’t have self-parking and rushed into the hotel’s lobby. The sleek, wooden panel against the wall and the shiny, gray cement floors gave the lobby a slick and modern appearance. My eyes fixed on the numbers inside the elevator car. As it took off and rose, it felt like my heart dropped to my toes.

  I stood outside of Room 7654 and pulled in a deep breath. I glanced down the hall in both directions, then dug into my purse and pulled out my flask. I unscrewed the top, took a couple of swigs and tried to calm my nerves. Once I put the flask back, I raised my closed hand to knock, but decided against it. I turned and took a few steps away from the door.

  Being there was wrong. Being with him was wrong. It…us…we had gone too far. I felt a sudden urge to get away as fast as I could.

  “Change of heart?” a deep voice behind me boomed. The low and sensual sound made my insides quiver. I stopped.

  When I turned back, th
e smile he bore had to have been the sexiest I could’ve ever imagined. My insides went soft.

  He held a small glass of liquor, and sexiness all but oozed from his entire body.

  My legs threatened to give out on me. My throat felt scratchy, and I could hardly swallow.

  “You came all this way, and you were going to leave and not even knock?” he asked. He sounded hurt.

  Chandler stared at me so intensely that I struggled, but swallowed hard and dry. I scrutinized him, sized him up, and looked for any inkling of a possible character flaw.

  When I found none, like a brainless zombie, I followed him into the room. The bed looked lush and inviting from where I stood. Instantly, my mind thought of how comfortable the high-thread count sheets and fluffy pillows would be.

  34

  IVEE

  “Is everything okay?” Jessica asked.

  “Oh, yeah,” I lied. There was no way I’d admit to her, or anyone in the office, that I had been arrested. Since I had gotten out of jail, the nightmares had been wicked and frequent.

  “Yes, I won’t be in the office for a few days,” I explained over the phone. “I’m still working, and you should definitely call me if Geneva calls a meeting,”

  “Okay, well, you mean this is not a vacation or something like that?”

  “No, just me working from home. That’s it. That’s all.”

  Once I finished that call, I tried not to look at the clock. I picked up the proposal that I was working on for Wayne, and decided I’d call and set up a meeting with him. I tried to keep myself busy so I wouldn’t be focused on what Ted was doing to make sure I could keep my license.

  We only had fifteen days to avoid the possible suspension.

  I had the pleasure of sitting and not watching the clock or the phone as I waited for the results of the Administrative License Hearing. I was grateful my lawyer could attend that in my place. I didn’t want to go near a jail cell ever again.

  Also, Zion thought it would be better if I didn’t drive until we got word about the hearing. This thing made him near neurotic, and it was all I could do to not go off on him at times.

  My last call with Ted left me hopeful.

  “What’s the worst-case scenario for me?” I asked.

  “I think you’re gonna be okay. Trust me on this. Since you have an otherwise clean record, and this is your first alcohol or drug-related offense, you will not be required to serve any jail time. I’m gonna push for probation here,” he said.

  The way he dismissed jail made me happy. As long as I didn’t have to think about going back to that hellhole, I could handle pretty much anything else.

  “Probation? Are you sure about that?” I asked. “Or I guess the better question is has a person ever gone to jail after their very first DWI arrest?”

  “Well, of course,” he said.

  I sighed. That was what I was afraid of. If it was possible, I felt like there was a good chance it might happen to me. The entire experience had left me completely petrified and nervous.

  “But hear me out here, Ivee. As long as the DWI didn’t result in serious bodily injury or a death, the judge can give you anything from six months to two years probation.” He continued when I didn’t respond. “Believe it or not, Ivee, no one wants to throw a harmless, nonviolent woman in jail. That serves no one any good. Now let me get in here and get back to you later, after the hearing,” he said.

  That conversation had taken place more than six hours earlier, and I had been going bananas ever since.

  Later that evening, I fixed dinner and waited anxiously for Zion and Ted. Ted didn’t call me like I expected him to do. Instead, he had called Zion.

  When the phone rang later in the day, I fully expected it to be Ted, but it was my husband.

  “Hey, listen, Ivee, Ted’s stuck in court on a different case, but I told him he should come on over to the house for dinner tonight. That way, he can give us the skinny on the best move here,” he said.

  I was confused. I thought the best move was going to be the probation Ted had assured me I qualified to get. I was more upset that he hadn’t bothered to call me back, but called my husband instead. I had spent the bulk of my day stressed and worried over it, and he had left me to suffer.

  “So, he called you instead of me?”

  “Well, I’m paying the damn bill,” Zion snapped.

  When I didn’t say anything, I heard him breathe hard in my ear. The last thing I needed was an argument.

  “Okay, you can tell, I’m still a little bent out of shape over this whole thing, but, Ivee, I’m not trying to argue with you. I was actually calling to tell you that Ted was able to save your license, but there’s a catch. You’re only supposed to drive to and from work or for work-related events. He also mentioned another option that he wants to talk with us about, which is why I suggested he come over for dinner,” Zion said.

  “I wasn’t planning on cooking.”

  I had mixed emotions about what he’d said. I felt put out because he snapped at me, and tried to throw it in my face that he was picking up the tab for Ted. On the other hand, I was relieved that I’d get to keep my driver’s license.

  “I’ll order some takeout,” I offered.

  “Baby, that’s cool. I don’t think Ted cares whether you cook or not. I figured it would be easier for Ted to talk to us together, in person,” he said.

  I was ready for our conversation to be over. I wondered how long I’d have to endure Zion’s outbursts over my mistake.

  “Okay, well, let me go. I need to figure out what we’re eating. As soon as I place the order, I’ll call and let you know.”

  “Ivee,” Zion called out to me.

  “Yeah?”

  “You can’t ever screw up like this again,” he said.

  He actually tried to sound sweet. It had been more reassuring to talk to Ted than my own damn husband. I wanted to tell him that I didn’t set out to drink, drive, and get arrested, but that breakdown would’ve been lost on him.

  “I’ll talk to you soon,” I said.

  If he wanted to say anything else, he didn’t get the chance. I ended the call.

  “Why would Ted call him and not me?” I told myself not to focus on the negative. The important thing was there was another possibility for me. That was really good news because whatever it was, it had come after court.

  I felt trapped. I’d spent the bulk of my day waiting, only to have to return to the waiting game again.

  35

  PETA

  Three minutes! That was the amount of time that had passed since I looked up and thought I saw the back of Kyle’s car turn the corner down the street from my house. I didn’t know whether I should try to chase him, or come up with another idea of how to make him come to me.

  “If I spent my time chasing down every glimpse I see of him, I wouldn’t get anything done!”

  Lately, I’d been on the verge of losing my mind. At the grocery store, every other man looked like Kyle from behind. Then in traffic, his car either whizzed by me in the opposite direction, or it was several cars up ahead. I barely recognized my life anymore. Things had started tightening up around the house, and I had run out of ways to hide it from Kendal.

  “Mom, why are we eating spaghetti again? Isn’t it like the third time this week?” she asked.

  “Dang, Mom, we’re out of juice.”

  “Mom, can I use your body wash? We’re out of soap.”

  Two weeks had passed since the last time I had spoken with the insurance company, and each day I prayed I’d find a check in the mailbox, but I never did.

  Inside, I tried to ignore the bottle that seemed to call my name louder and louder since my world had flipped. Beverly had returned to work, and things had slowly gotten back on track, but it wasn’t the sense of security I enjoyed when all four trucks were out and working. Still, life was getting back to what was about to be my new normal.

  Since I didn’t feel up to a battle with the insurance company
or the stonewall from the detective, I decided a drink wouldn’t hurt.

  I grabbed a glass and was about to grab a bottle when the doorbell rang. My spirits rose momentarily as visions of an insurance check by special delivery danced through my mind.

  “Coming!”

  As I skipped to the door, I didn’t even bother to ask who was there. I would’ve bet anything that good news was on the other side. That was exactly what I needed.

  When I pulled the door open, and Ivee stood there with bags in her hands and at her feet, I wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Darby is parking the car. We don’t know what the hell is going on, but we’re not about to let you go through it alone.”

  “Oh sweet Jesus! What are you talking about?”

  “Peta, with two of those trucks down, I can only imagine how hard it must be for you. Then Felicia mentioned something about Kyle no longer paying child support, and well…we knew you’d never ask for anything.”

  “So, we brought a few things we thought you and Kendal could use,” Darby said as she walked up to the doorway.

  Ivee motioned to the bags that were at her feet. Both of her hands were full. “Here, grab this bag,” she said.

  “You guys.” I sobbed.

  “Can you move? This stuff is heavy!” Ivee said.

  I stepped aside to allow them in, and grabbed the bags Ivee had stepped over. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I struggled to carry all of the bags of groceries inside.

  As I was about to close the door, Felicia screamed, “Hey, hold on! Hold on! I need some help out here.”

  Darby met me back at the door to grab the bags from me. “I’ve got these. Go help her.”

  My pantry, refrigerator, and cabinets were full. By the time the ladies finished unloading and unpacking the groceries, I was so overwhelmed. They had come in right on time.

  “You guys did not have to do all of this.”

  “Girl, please. Crack open some wine or something,” Darby said.

  I looked around a bit. “Ummm, I have some leftover vodka.”

  It felt horrible that all I could offer besides the vodka was water. Outside of the things they’d bought, I was down to nearly nothing. I didn’t want to think what would’ve happened if they hadn’t stepped in when they did. Felicia jumped up. “Oh, I forgot the box I was trying to get in before you closed the door.”