Chapter 11
The lights of the main room of the Cafe Americain had been switched off casting the room into darkness. The only illumination came from a couple of small lights that had been left on. The beam of the search light from the nearby airport came through the windows sweeping across the walls piercing the gloom with monotonous regularity. With the approach of the curfew hour the place had cleared out rapidly. No one wanted to be caught out after curfew. Once the last of the customers had departed the staff had quickly packed up and swept the place like a well drilled army platoon. They too did not want to spend the night in the lock up for getting caught out and about after curfew.
Castle was sitting at a table in the main room of the cafe. There was an empty glass sitting in the middle of the table. A bottle of bourbon was within easy reach of Castle's grasp. A half filled glass sat right in front of him. He picked up the glass and brought it to his lips. He tilted his head back and poured the drink down his throat. He winced momentarily at the burning sensation in his throat.
Setting the glass down on the table Castle reached for the bottle and refilled his glass. He killed that shot just as quickly and refilled the glass.
No matter how much he drank the alcohol could not ease the pain he was feeling. Seeing her again had been like a savage knife twist in the heart. She had looked so beautiful tonight, as beautiful as he remembered. More beautiful than he remembered.
He had surprised himself at how restrained he had been. Many had been the times he had rehearsed in his head what he would say to her if he ever saw her again, most of it would not have been pleasant. He had vowed to himself that he would try and hurt her just like she had hurt him. However any thought of doing that had flown out of his head the moment he saw her sitting there at the table. She may not have loved him but he could not bring himself to be cruel towards her. There had been so many things he wanted to say to her, to ask her but the cafe had not been the right place not with Davidson and Captain Montgomery sitting there. So he tried to play the role of the charming host. Even he knew that he had not pulled that off but he had managed to do the best he could.
Castle picked up his glass and took a big sip of the bourbon. Perhaps if he drowned himself in alcohol it might ease the pain he was going through, perhaps it might make him forget.
Lanie Parish emerged from the staff room. She had changed from the bright, sparkling dress she had been wearing while playing for the customers. She was now dressed in something more conservative, a dark coloured skirt, jacket and a small hat. A concerned frown swept across her face when she saw Castle sitting at the table staring into space.
"Castle?" She said as she came to stand beside the table.
Castle did not respond to the sound of her voice he just continued to stare into space for a moment before he picked up his glass and took a drink.
"Castle!" Lanie said, a little more louder.
"Yeah, what?"
"Aren't you going to bed?"
"Not right now." Castle replied.
The look on Lanie's face depened with concern as she studied the man sitting at the table. Castle was in a grim mood. She had not seen him in this kind of mood for a long time. Not since they had sailed out of Marseilles. When he was in this kind of mood he could be difficult to handle. She remembered all too well that episode on the boat.
For most of the train journey to Marseilles Castle had been quiet. He sat in his seat staring into the distance, silent, looking miserable, defeated. Crushed. Then he had suddenly gotten up and gone to the club car to find himself a drink. She found him in the club car well into the early hours of the morning sitting at the bar with only a bored looking barman for company. It took all of Lanie's persuasive powers to coax him back to his seat but somehow she managed.
If the episode on the train was bad it only got worse once they got on the ship. From the moment they had stepped aboard Castle anchored himself in the lounge drinking shot after shot of bourbon. By nightfall he had become roaring drunk and belligerent. When a steward tried to cut off his drinks that was when things turned from bad to worse. He got into a fist fight with a couple of the ship's crew who had tried to escort him from the lounge, managing to put them down before he was restrained by reinforcements.
The captain of the ship had wanted to throw Castle into the brig but it was Lanie again who came to his rescue explaining to the captain what had happened and the reasons for Castle's behaviour. The ship's captain must have thought that she was the rebound girl and Lanie made no effort to make him think otherwise. All she wanted to do was to make sure that the brig did not become his room for the rest of the journey. Castle ended up sleeping off the binge for the remainder of the journey in his cabin.
"Are you planning on going to bed in the near future, Castle?" Lanie asked softly.
"No."
"You ever going to bed?"
"No."
"Well I'm not sleepy either."
Lanie removed the stool that had been placed on top of her piano and set it down. She sat down on the stool and opened the piano. Castle slowly turned to look at Lanie. He blinked a couple of times trying to focus on her.
"Don't you have a hot date with Sergeant Esposito?" He asked, after a few moments.
"Yeah."
"So what are you still here?"
"Javi doesn't mind waiting." Lanie said with a knowing smile.
Castle snorted and turned his attention to his bourbon. He took another sip of his drink.
"So how's it going with you two?" Castle asked.
The smile on Lanie's face deepened a little more. "It's going fine."
Castle cast a glance in Lanie's direction and saw the smile on her face. He felt a pang of envy and quickly looked away and resumed staring into the distance. Lanie was a very attractive young woman who could have her pick of any man. She certainly had a line of suitors forming up not long after they had landed in Casablanca. When she had started playing here at the cafe that line had grown longer. Yet she had chosen Esposito. Or was it that they picked each other? Either way Castle could tell that Lanie was happy, happier than he had ever seen her. Despite his own misery he was happy for Lanie.
He picked up his glass and drained it. He picked up the bottle and refilled the glass.
"That's not going to help, you know?" Lanie remarked.
"Yeah, well until I find something better this will have to do." Castle growled back and took a sip of his bourbon. He set the glass down on the table and stared down at it.
"Shouldn't you be going to Esposito?"
"I'll be going soon enough."
"Checking up on me?"
"Someone's gotta do it."
Castle snorted out a laugh. He picked the glass and took a big sip from it. Carefully he set it back down and stared at it.
"She looked beautiful tonight, didn't she. Lanie?"
"Don't do this yourself, Castle." Lanie sighed.
Castle lifted up his head and turned to look at Lanie. He saw the frown had returned to her face as she regarded him.
"Yeah, she did." Lanie said in a low voice after some moments.
Getting the answer he wanted Castle nodded his head and turned back to staring at his drink.
Lanie turned her attention to the piano and started playing a soft tune.
"They grab Ryan and she walks in." Castle said with a heavy sigh. "Well, that's the way it goes I guess, huh? One in, one out, eh Lanie?"
"Uh-huh." Lanie murmured.
"Lanie, if it's December 1941 in Casablanca, what time it is in New York?"
"Don't rightly know, Castle." Lanie replied. "My watch stopped."
"I bet they're all asleep in New York. I'll bet they're asleep all over America."
"I reckon so." Lanie agreed. "And so should you."
Suddenly Castle pounded the table with his fist unleashing the pent up anger he had been feeling. The sound was like a gunshot echoing in the room. The glasses and bottle of bourbon tottered unsteadily, ready to fall over before they settled. Lanie almost jumped off the stool. Castle buried his head in his hands for some moments letting out a long sigh. Slowly he lifted his head and scrubbed his face with his hands, trying to sober himself up, trying to get himself under control again.
"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." He muttered.
Lanie continued to play the piano watching Castle from time to time. She saw him prop his head in his hand and turn to her.
"What's that you're playing?" Castle asked.
"Just a little something of my own." Lanie said.
"Well stop it, you know what I want to hear."
"No I don't." Lanie said nervously.
Castle glared at Lanie.
"You played it for her," He accused, "you can play it for me."
Lanie shook her head. "I don't think I can remember it."
"If she can stand it, so can I." Castle growled. "Play it!"
"Okay, Castle, okay." Lanie sighed.
Without missing a beat Lanie began to play As Time Goes By. She looked across to Castle and found him staring into the distance once again. He had the look of a man drowning in his memories.
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Thoughts?
Con
