?There are different ways t o let off st eam, you
know. You could jog. Scream. W rit e an angry
not e and t hrow it away.?
second glance, but t his boy was different ; he
looked like a det ermined, lost boy on a quest .
The boy chose a spot t hree seat s away from
Adrienne and st ared at t he drink menu,
confuson et ched on his face. Adrienne reminded
herself t o mind her own business, t o not meddle,
but found herself sit t ing back down, eyeing t he
boy discreet ly.
?Aren?t you a M r. K now- it - all. I t ?s not ?
Cigaret t es just end up building a home in you,
whet her you like it or not . Having a pack in my
bag reassures me.?
And wit h t hat , t he t wo sat t here basking in t he
warm sunlight , in t heir own t rain of t hought .
Vodka was his choice. But at a single glance,
Adrienne could t ell t hat he only chose it because
it was well known. Probably not t he best choice.
?M y grandfat her loved t o drink and smoke,?
Alex began. ?His house always reeked of burnt
t obacco and t he faint smell of liquor. ?Don?t
drink or smoke unt il you?re an adult , child,?he?d
say t o me everyt ime I asked for a sip. Now I ?m
18 - officially permit t ed by law t o drink and
smoke. Everyone hails alcohol and cigaret t es as a
rit e of passage, but not me.
For a long while, t he boy simply st ared at t he
shot of vodka t he bart ender had brought him.
?Excuse me,? A raspy voice called out .
Adrienned t urned t o t he boy. ?Yeah?? ?Could
you? ? t he boy licked his dry, cracked lips.
?Could you give me one good, solid reason I
should drink t his??
?M y grandfat her event ually passed away from a
st roke, probably due t o his addict ion. Since t hen
my dad?s quit smoking and drinking alt oget her,
and he has been clean for 10 years and count ing.
I guess I should t ry t o follow in his foot st eps,
and st ray away from my grandfat her?s.?
Adrienne blinked, surprised by t he absurdit y of
t he quest ion, but replied, ?M m. You act ually
ordered unflavored vodka, which t ast es bit t er at
first , but will get bet t er. But , honest ly, I t hink
you should t ry t he favored one first if you?ve
never had vodka before.?
The t wo shared a silence.
?You know what , kid?? Alanna st ood up.
?You?ve got a st rong will, and you seem like t he
kind of kid any parent would ask for. So st ick t o
what you?re doing now, and don?t make t he same
mist akes I did.?
?I was not t alking about t he vodka.? The boy
smiled weakly. ?I meant alcohol. I .. I came here
on t he spur of t he moment . But I ?m afraid I
might have made t he wrong decision.?
There was a silence bet ween t hem, one heavy
enough t o drown out t he background chat t er,
t he t hrum of t he t v, and t he raunchy cat calls
behind t hem.
?And what ?s t hat ??
Alanna winked and gave him a sly smile. ?L ike I
said before - cigaret t es have found t heir home in
me. I made t he mist ake of let t ing t hem in.?
?W hat do you mean??
Then Alex was alone again.
The boy hesit at ed, t hen st art ed:
Adrienne sat amongst t he regulars, a shot of
vodka close at hand. The bart ender had brought
her t he usual, and was serving an influx of
college st udent s. The deat h of M arch had always
heralded t he part ying, t he relaxat ions, and in a
way, t he romance. A t ypical spring break scene.
?M y dad was clean for 10 years, but t oday?
t oda y I found him drinking again. I t ?s probably
gone on for weeks before I found out . I ? M y
mom and I couldn?t console him. He lost his job.
And t oday I find myself at a bar because I saw
him drinking.?
Adrienne st ood up t o leave when a young man,
possibly anot her college st udent , ent ered t he pub
and headed t o t he seat s near hers. Normally,
Adrienne would not give ot her cust omers a
?W hat ?s your name??
?Alex.?
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