Shiny Bottle, Black Box
"How days has it been now, Robert?"
He sighed. Therapy was his least favorite part of kicking his alcoholism, but it was required, so he did it. If only therapist weren't so condescending!
"About a year."
"Great. And, you know the best news of all?"
"What?"
"This is your last session. You've proven that you wanted to stop drinking, and you did. There's nothing else I can do."
"Well, thank you! I'll be seeing you around the hospital then!" he cheered, getting up from his chair.
"Not so fast, Robert. We still have to talk about one little thing...or person..."
"It's Irene, huh?"
"Yes. I need to know if I'm sending you into a dangerous relationship. Does she drink often?"
"No, the only time she does is if she doesn't have surgery the next day."
"Is that often?"
"No. Irene works harder than I do."
"Then everything sounds fine. Good luck, Robert."
"Thank you. Bye!" Robert breathed, exiting the room.
Well, it was done. He was no longer an alcoholic. Five long months of rehabilitation had played off. Usually, this sort of thing made him want to drink more. To celebrate! He just kicked his habit, why not? But, he restrained himself. He almost raped Irene last time he "celebrated."
"Rocket? Rocket Romano, you bastard!"
"Whoa? Who are you, and where do you get off on calling me a bastard?"
"It's me, Nikki! You dumped two years ago saying you were moving to Canada!"
"Now, Nikki, I don't remember that at all..."
"Why? Because you were drunk the whole time?!"
"Listen, that's not me anymore. I'm a different person."
"Then you want to get back together?"
"I never said that, Nikki..."
"What do you mean?"
From the corner of his eye, he could see Irene getting out of the elevator.
"Hey, why don't we continue this, oh, I don't know, tomorrow?"
"No! I want an answer now!"
"Hey, Robbie," Irene greeted, standing beside Romano, "What's going on?"
"Nothing, dear, nothing," assured a panicking Robert.
"What do you mean nothing?" screamed Nikki, "You were just about to tell me you wanted to get back together!"
Irene gasped, "What?"
"My point exactly!" Rocket nodded, "I was about to say I'm in love with Irene, not you, Nikki!"
"No you weren't you liar! You only said that because you saw her coming!"
"I did not!"
"Robert," Irene sighed, "I don't know what this is about, but if you want to be with her and not hurt me, then just say it."
"Yes! I mean, no! I mean, yes, I don't want to hurt you, and no I don't want to be with her," Dr. Romano babbled, "Please, Irene, I love you!"
She just shook her head and walked away.
"Great, Nikki! Look what you just did! I hurt the greatest woman I ever met, for the *second* time! Why the hell did you have to show up?"
"Oh, and we're accusing me, now? You were the one who dumped me! You're not the victim, Rocket!"
"Well, I should be now!" he barked, storming off to his office.
When he got inside, he slammed the door and threw himself on the couch. As he tried to think of a way to apologize to Irene, when he noticed a bottle glistening on his desk. It was full of brandy.
His mind went racing. Should he drink it? What if Irene saw him? Then he wouldn't be sober and that year of work would have been for nothing. But, then again, it was only *one* bottle. How could *one* bottle of brandy hurt him? He snatched the bottle off of his desk and pulled off the cap. After looking at the honey colored liquid for a moment, he took a big drink.
"Maybe this isn't so bad after all..."
The door to his office swung open as Irene came bounding in, "Robert how could you?"
"It was only one drink, I promise!"
"I don't care! You're not supposed to be drinking! How did you get that?"
"It was on my desk! I swear I didn't buy it!"
She walked over to his desk, "Then why is there a bag and a receipt on your desk?"
"This isn't mine! I didn't buy it!"
"Then why are you drinking it?"
He stared at her, speechless. It wasn't his, he never bought it. It was just there.
"You know what," Irene shrugged defeated, "Who cares? Drink yourself stupid. It's your problem, not mine."
She looked at him one last time with tear stained eyes, and then ran out of the room.
"Dammit," Robert cursed, throwing the bottle in the trashcan.
The bar smelled of the same brandy Robert had on his breath only hours earlier. Strangely enough, all Irene could drink, thought, was water.
"You know," she sighed to the bartender, "I came here to get drunk, but I can't drink."
"Then maybe you should leave," Robert said from behind her.
"What are you doing here?" she scowled.
"Well, I don't want to drink myself stupid, because I was stupid to have opened the bottle in the first place. Second, I forgot the bandy was a birthday present for Kerry. I never know what to get her, so I get her something she hates."
"Kerry doesn't like alcohol?"
"No, Kerry doesn't like brandy. Now, come on, let's go home."
"Okay," she smiled, sliding off the barstool.
Robert put his arm around her and they walked out together.
"I'm sorry for not telling you about Kerry's present. I completely forgot about it because of Nikki."
"Who was she, anyway?"
"Ex-girlfriend."
"I see. Apology excepted."
"Good," he grinned, pulling her into his arms, "Because she is not worth ruining a good thing for."
"I'm glad."
They kissed tenderly. As they were kissing, Irene noticed a small box in Robert's pocket. She looked up.
"What's this," she said, getting the box out of his pocket.
"Open it and you'll see."
She carefully opened the small, black box. Inside was a simple, silver band with a diamond in the middle.
"It's beautiful!" she gasped.
Robert took the box from her hand and got down on one knee. "Irene, without you, I'd probably still be a drunk. And for that I love you more than anything in this world. So...will you spend the rest of your life with me?"
"Yes," she murmured, "I will."
He slipped the ring on her finger and stood up. Without hesitation, he opened his arms for an embraced that she didn't decline. They both giggled with excitement and happiness before kissing again. They truly were meant for each other.
"How days has it been now, Robert?"
He sighed. Therapy was his least favorite part of kicking his alcoholism, but it was required, so he did it. If only therapist weren't so condescending!
"About a year."
"Great. And, you know the best news of all?"
"What?"
"This is your last session. You've proven that you wanted to stop drinking, and you did. There's nothing else I can do."
"Well, thank you! I'll be seeing you around the hospital then!" he cheered, getting up from his chair.
"Not so fast, Robert. We still have to talk about one little thing...or person..."
"It's Irene, huh?"
"Yes. I need to know if I'm sending you into a dangerous relationship. Does she drink often?"
"No, the only time she does is if she doesn't have surgery the next day."
"Is that often?"
"No. Irene works harder than I do."
"Then everything sounds fine. Good luck, Robert."
"Thank you. Bye!" Robert breathed, exiting the room.
Well, it was done. He was no longer an alcoholic. Five long months of rehabilitation had played off. Usually, this sort of thing made him want to drink more. To celebrate! He just kicked his habit, why not? But, he restrained himself. He almost raped Irene last time he "celebrated."
"Rocket? Rocket Romano, you bastard!"
"Whoa? Who are you, and where do you get off on calling me a bastard?"
"It's me, Nikki! You dumped two years ago saying you were moving to Canada!"
"Now, Nikki, I don't remember that at all..."
"Why? Because you were drunk the whole time?!"
"Listen, that's not me anymore. I'm a different person."
"Then you want to get back together?"
"I never said that, Nikki..."
"What do you mean?"
From the corner of his eye, he could see Irene getting out of the elevator.
"Hey, why don't we continue this, oh, I don't know, tomorrow?"
"No! I want an answer now!"
"Hey, Robbie," Irene greeted, standing beside Romano, "What's going on?"
"Nothing, dear, nothing," assured a panicking Robert.
"What do you mean nothing?" screamed Nikki, "You were just about to tell me you wanted to get back together!"
Irene gasped, "What?"
"My point exactly!" Rocket nodded, "I was about to say I'm in love with Irene, not you, Nikki!"
"No you weren't you liar! You only said that because you saw her coming!"
"I did not!"
"Robert," Irene sighed, "I don't know what this is about, but if you want to be with her and not hurt me, then just say it."
"Yes! I mean, no! I mean, yes, I don't want to hurt you, and no I don't want to be with her," Dr. Romano babbled, "Please, Irene, I love you!"
She just shook her head and walked away.
"Great, Nikki! Look what you just did! I hurt the greatest woman I ever met, for the *second* time! Why the hell did you have to show up?"
"Oh, and we're accusing me, now? You were the one who dumped me! You're not the victim, Rocket!"
"Well, I should be now!" he barked, storming off to his office.
When he got inside, he slammed the door and threw himself on the couch. As he tried to think of a way to apologize to Irene, when he noticed a bottle glistening on his desk. It was full of brandy.
His mind went racing. Should he drink it? What if Irene saw him? Then he wouldn't be sober and that year of work would have been for nothing. But, then again, it was only *one* bottle. How could *one* bottle of brandy hurt him? He snatched the bottle off of his desk and pulled off the cap. After looking at the honey colored liquid for a moment, he took a big drink.
"Maybe this isn't so bad after all..."
The door to his office swung open as Irene came bounding in, "Robert how could you?"
"It was only one drink, I promise!"
"I don't care! You're not supposed to be drinking! How did you get that?"
"It was on my desk! I swear I didn't buy it!"
She walked over to his desk, "Then why is there a bag and a receipt on your desk?"
"This isn't mine! I didn't buy it!"
"Then why are you drinking it?"
He stared at her, speechless. It wasn't his, he never bought it. It was just there.
"You know what," Irene shrugged defeated, "Who cares? Drink yourself stupid. It's your problem, not mine."
She looked at him one last time with tear stained eyes, and then ran out of the room.
"Dammit," Robert cursed, throwing the bottle in the trashcan.
The bar smelled of the same brandy Robert had on his breath only hours earlier. Strangely enough, all Irene could drink, thought, was water.
"You know," she sighed to the bartender, "I came here to get drunk, but I can't drink."
"Then maybe you should leave," Robert said from behind her.
"What are you doing here?" she scowled.
"Well, I don't want to drink myself stupid, because I was stupid to have opened the bottle in the first place. Second, I forgot the bandy was a birthday present for Kerry. I never know what to get her, so I get her something she hates."
"Kerry doesn't like alcohol?"
"No, Kerry doesn't like brandy. Now, come on, let's go home."
"Okay," she smiled, sliding off the barstool.
Robert put his arm around her and they walked out together.
"I'm sorry for not telling you about Kerry's present. I completely forgot about it because of Nikki."
"Who was she, anyway?"
"Ex-girlfriend."
"I see. Apology excepted."
"Good," he grinned, pulling her into his arms, "Because she is not worth ruining a good thing for."
"I'm glad."
They kissed tenderly. As they were kissing, Irene noticed a small box in Robert's pocket. She looked up.
"What's this," she said, getting the box out of his pocket.
"Open it and you'll see."
She carefully opened the small, black box. Inside was a simple, silver band with a diamond in the middle.
"It's beautiful!" she gasped.
Robert took the box from her hand and got down on one knee. "Irene, without you, I'd probably still be a drunk. And for that I love you more than anything in this world. So...will you spend the rest of your life with me?"
"Yes," she murmured, "I will."
He slipped the ring on her finger and stood up. Without hesitation, he opened his arms for an embraced that she didn't decline. They both giggled with excitement and happiness before kissing again. They truly were meant for each other.
