Rick turned the first bottle up to his lips as he followed the redhead. The liquid burned as it went down his throat. He was on his way to building a barrier around his fragile, vulnerable heart. He was on his way to killing the throbbing ache in his chest. He was on his way to forgetting the past 3 months of his life. He was on his way to making the hell he was in a little more bearable.
When they got to her room, Rick turned the Black Vodka up until he had drained the bottle dry. When he finished, he set both bottles down on the dresser and walked around and stood at the foot of the bed. He looked at the redhead and waited to see what she would do. She knew without words being spoken that he wanted her to come to him and so she did.
The redhead smiled as she slowly walked towards Rick. She could sense that he had a lot of pinned up emotion in him. She enjoyed it when a man, especially a good looking, brawny man unleashed that passion in her bed. When she reached him, she put her hands on his shoulders and could feel the immense tension there. She surmised that she would have to work harder to get this one to relax and enjoy himself.
"You're so tense" she smiled as she rubbed his strong shoulders.
Rick did not respond but simply looked down at the redhead. Nothing in him responded to the smile that shone brightly up at him. Three months ago, she would have been flat on her back by now. But now... he had a wife. A wife that he loved. But she had hurt him, hurt him bad and, he told himself, he wanted retribution.
"Well..." he smiled a tight smile. "If you're as good as you say... that can be taken care of."
"Yes it can" she smiled as she stood up on her toes to reach his lips.
Rick made no attempt to move closer to the redhead. He began to wonder what the hell he was doing there. Her lips nearly hit their mark but Rick turned his head.
"Oh" the redhead released a small laugh. "Playing hard to get?"
Rick turned his expression back to her but did not say anything. She looked into his eyes and saw nothing. No passion, no desire, no arousal. Nothing. This would be harder than she first thought. But she was not one to give up so easily. She reached up again to kiss his lips and again he turned his head. Undaunted, the redhead pressed the kiss into his cheek.
Rick closed his eyes tight in order to shut out everything that mattered. To shut out Evelyn. He felt the redhead's lips move from his cheek to his neck. He tried with all his mental might to push Evelyn out, but she would not go. He was standing in a room with a luscious woman who was more than willing to please him in whatever way he wanted. His head should have been consumed with that. But Evelyn would not leave his mind alone. He was hurt, hurt by her but she consumed his mind. She consumed his heart. She consumed his soul. She consumed even his body. She totally consumed him.
Rick opened his eyes and looked at his reflection in the mirror. This was not what he wanted, not really. Try as he might, Rick could not push Evelyn out of his mind or his soul... or his heart. He could not seem to build that barrier of protection around his heart. His heart no longer belonged to him. It was in her hands. It belonged to her. He was no longer in his own hands. He was in her hands. He belonged to her. And her only.
Rick grabbed the redhead by the arms and set her at arm's length away from him. He looked at her round, pale face. Her fire red hair. Her seductive eyes and willing lips. Her creamy white neck. Her bulging bosom.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
She was not Evelyn.
Evelyn wanted a divorce.
The redhead wanted to please him.
He did not love the redhead.
He had not love the countless other women.
But he loved Evelyn.
Evelyn had hurt him.
It did not matter. He still loved Evelyn.
He deserved to enjoy the redhead since his wife no longer wanted to be his wife.
He did not want to enjoy the redhead. He wanted his wife.
Forget about Evelyn.
The redhead, Black Vodka, his mental fortitude - none of them could entice him to do that.
But Evelyn wanted a divorce. Evelyn wanted to walk away from him as his father had done.
Once things got heated up with the redhead...
His heart was not in it.
His heart did not need to be in it. Only his body.
His heart belonged to Evelyn. And so did his body.
Enjoy the redhead for one night.
His heart would not let him do it. He loved Evelyn too much.
Evelyn wanted a divorce.
He'd be damned if she got one!
"Sorry lady" Rick said, then released her and walked toward the dresser.
"You're leaving?" she stated the obvious.
"Yeah" he said as he reached into his pocket.
"Why?" she asked, quite disappointed.
"You and my friends here" he said pointing to the Black Vodka bottles. "Couldn't make me forget" he answered as he slung a couple of pounds on the dresser.
"Forget what?"
"The wife I love" he said as he picked up his two friends and opened the door.
"If you give me a chance I know I can make you forget her" she said desperately. "At least for tonight." She did not want this one to get away before she had a chance to have him in her bed.
"You'd be wasting your time and mine" he said then turned to face her. He had a smile, a genuine smile on his face. "I want her more than I want you. I don't want to forget. Not tonight. Not ever."
The redhead looked at Rick with regret. Oh how she hated the fact that tonight, she would miss out on what she suspected would have been a very pleasurable evening.
Rick gave her a look of apology and turned and walked out of the redhead's room and down the stairs. He was still hurt and he was still angry. But now he was angry with himself for running to a whorehouse. Regardless of what happened between him and Evelyn, seeking out other women, especially whores, was not the answer. What he should have done was tell her in no uncertain terms that a divorce was absolutely out of the question. He should have made that point perfectly clear to her. But instead, he went running to the House of Ill Repute, a name he once heard Sister Abigail use to describe a bordello.
And now guilt rose up and assaulted him. Evelyn was worth more than the world to him and he had been ready to risk all they had for some redheaded trollop. How stupid could he be?
On his way out, Rick stopped at the bar and traded his empty Black Vodka for 2 more full ones. He paid for the 2 new bottles and walked out of the bordello with 3. The Black Vodka could not drown out Evelyn, but maybe it could drown out his guilt.
Rick got into Jonathan's car and pulled off. He did not know where to go so he simply drove. After about an hour, he ended up at the walls of The Convent of St. Mary - the place that had been home to him. Rick wondered if Sister Abigail had made it back from America. He had come by to tell her about his engagement to Evelyn and invite her to their wedding but she had left for America the day before.
Rick thought about requesting entrance and an audience with Sister Abigail if she was there. But he quickly changed his mind. For one thing, if she were there, she was most likely asleep. And for another thing, if he got anywhere near Sister Abigail, she would probably smell the liquor on his breath and the stench of a whorehouse on his clothes. And knowing her, Sister Abigail would not hesitate to get her chastening rod and whack him across the back of the hand. Rick actually laughed aloud at that mental picture.
Rick got out of the car, leaving the Black Vodka, and walked around to the backside of the convent. When he lived there, he and a couple of the other young boys dug a tunnel from inside the wall to the outside. They would often sneak out after the sisters had settled down for the night. Rick wondered if the tunnel was still there and was happy to see that it was. The bush that covered the opening had grown thick but he was able to squeeze through and into the tunnel. Once inside the walls, Rick headed for the chapel. As a young boy, he would go there whenever he was especially sad.
Once inside the chapel, Rick found a lantern and lit it. After drinking a bottle of Black Vodka and nearly committing fornication and adultery, Rick could not make himself go up to the altar so he sat on the last row of pews and looked up at the imposing cross of Jesus. Sister Abigail said that Jesus loved him and would forgive anything he did. Rick was not sure about what he believed about this Jesus. But he wondered, if He was real, would He really forgive him. Would He forgive him for being a whoremonger, for nearly being unfaithful to Evelyn? Would He forgive him for the bottle of liquor he had drank and would He forgive him for the 3 in the car that he was going to drink? Sister Abigail said He would forgive anything.
But would Evelyn? Did Evelyn really have to know where he had gone tonight? No, she did not have to know. But would he be able to hide his guilt? That is where the Black Vodka would come in. Rick hoped like hell.. oops, excuse me. He hoped, REALLY hoped it would wash away his guilt.
'Confession is good for the soul' he heard Sister Abigail say. But Rick would rather try Black Vodka first. If he confessed this to Evelyn, not only would she want a divorce, but she would also want his head on a platter.
Now about that divorce.
Rick frowned. She may want a divorce but he did not. After meeting Evelyn, he realized he had been waiting all his life for someone to love. After his Pa left him at the convent and never came back for him, Rick told himself that he never wanted to get close to another human being. He wanted to be left alone because getting close to others only ended in hurt. But he had, albeit reluctantly, been drawn to Sister Abigail.
When he first saw her, Rick thought Sister Abigail was the meanest looking person he had ever seen in his 4 short years of life. But, as time went by, he learned that looks can be deceiving. She was strict all right. He got the chastening rod many, many, many times. But... every night, when he was supposed to be asleep, she would come in and tuck his covers in just a bit. She would rub his dark blond hair and bend down and kiss his temple. 'The angles watch over you' she would whisper over him before leaving his room.
Sister Abigail looked after him. She cared for him whenever he got sick. Over the years, a strong bond had developed between them. She was the only mother he had ever known. The day he left the convent, Sister Abigail had walked with him to the entrance. As they faced each other to say 'goodbye' she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She raised her hand to his cheek and smiled.
"I am going to miss you son" she said. "Go and do great things and know that you are loved."
Rick had been choked up that day and all he could do was bend down and hug and kiss Sister Abigail on the cheek before turning and leaving his home.
Rick grinned as he remembered growing up in the convent and realized for the first time that his childhood was not so bad after all. His Pa may have abandoned him but Sister Abigail did all she could to make up for that.
And now Evelyn wanted to abandon him. He was only a 4-year-old kid when his Pa left him and he could not do anything about it. Now, however, he was a man and he was not about to let the woman he loved walk away from him.
Not when he knew he was loved.
Evelyn loved him. He was sure of it. Her love was one of the few things had total confidence in. What he did not know was what on earth had possessed her to say she wanted a divorce. Was she really that mad at him for not jumping for joy about the kid? Maybe she was. Rick knew he did not know much about the gentler sex except what he learned between the bed sheets. And after marrying Evelyn, he understood women even less. He loved Evelyn but she was still a woman and sometimes she did things that left him scratching his head.
Rick was determined to find out what was wrong with Evelyn. And after he did, they would work things out between them. He stood up and as he walked to the altar, he reached into his pocket. Rick laid a handful of pounds on the altar then turned and walked out of the chapel. When he got back to the car, his 3 friends were waiting for him. And so was the guilt. Tonight, he would go and have a good time with his friends and hopefully kill the guilt. In the morning, he would sit Evelyn down and let her know that the only way she would get a divorce would be over his dead body.
Rick drove around for another 30 minutes before pulling the car into his backyard. He knew he was going to get pretty drunk and he did not want to be so boozed that he could not drive himself home. So he did it before he got boozed. And boozed he got. He slowly drank each bottle, one after the other until all 3 where empty. He had began to feel its affects after drinking ½ of that first bottle and by the time he had emptied it, Rick was one jolly drunk.
"To... my... wife" he raised the second bottle in a toast. "My beau... tee... ful... wife!" he slurred then took a swallow. "aaahhh" he breathed as the liquid slithered down his throat. "Who THINKS... she's gettin' a damn divorce. Well... the answer... is... no!" he said in a drunken tone before taking another swig. "I love ya too much Evy... love ya too much" he declared.
When Rick finally got to the last bottle, his head was spinning. He knew he would regret it in the morning, but drowning himself in booze seemed to help to help him get through the past few hours. With his friends all gone, Rick saw no reason to stay in the car so he got out and staggered around to the front of the house.
'Who the hell was that?' he thought when he saw a clad figure pacing across his front porch. He could not see clearly because the moon was not out and there were only a few stars to light the night sky. And he was drunk. Then the figure turned toward him and Rick saw that he held a shotgun in his hand. 'What the hell?' he sobered quickly. Then he saw the figure raise the shotgun and he heard the click.
"What the bloody hell did you do to my sister?!"
He mentally breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Jonathan. If it had be a foe he would have been at a great disadvantage considering the fact that he did not have any weapons. And besides that, he was drunk, completely drunk.
"Jonathan!" Rick yelled in a cheerful voice, happy, extremely happy to see his brother-in-law.
"Answer my question you bloody damn yank!"
"What question?" Rick said as he stumbled his way toward the porch.
"WHAT the bloody hell did you do to my sister?!"
"Why the hell are you..." he said as he pointed at wavering finger at Jonathan. "Pointing that gun at me?"
"I plan on shooting you after you tell me what you did to my sister! I warned you O'Connell! Not to hurt my sister or else you'd answer to me!"
"I'm drunk. Drunk as hell but I don't remember it quite that way" Rick grinned a silly grin.
Jonathan had quite nervously and in a stuttering voice told Rick on their wedding day that he had better take good care of Evelyn. Or... yes, well he had just better take good care of Evelyn or else. The rest, Jonathan thought, was understood.
"I'm only going to ask you ONE MORE TIME!! What did you do to my sister?!"
Instead of answering, Rick began to laugh. Jonathan's ire rose another notch and he was secretly glad. The angrier he got, the braver he got.
"What the hell is so funny O'Connell?!"
"You... don't... have... aaannnnyyyy... bullets" he laughed as he took one unsteady step, then another up the steps. The gun Jonathan was holding was the only Rick was cleaning when Evelyn told him the news about the kid.
Jonathan pointed the gun away from Rick and pulled the trigger. Nothing. Jonathan became even angrier because he was not doing a good job of avenging his sister. He threw the shotgun down in frustration and before he could think better of it, Jonathan reared back and with all his might and anger, threw a punch at Rick. He was surprised when he connected squarely with Rick's jaw and sent him sprawling back down the steps. Rick landed in a heap on his back as Jonathan shook the pain from his hand. Then Jonathan, who was spurred on by his fury at Rick and by the fact that Rick was drunk, bounded down the steps after him
"Get up!" he said as he stood over Rick. "Damned yank."
Rick slowly sat up holding his jaw. Jonathan backed up a few steps and pondered the wisdom of challenging his brother-in-law. But, this bloody, no good scoundrel had done something to his sister. And he was about to find out what.
"Come on! Get up!" Jonathan said as he held up his fists and started dancing around like a boxer. He figured that if he kept moving, it would be hard for a drunk Rick to land a punch.
"Jonathan" Rick slurred as he moved his jaw to see if it was broken. "I'm... not about... to fight you" he said.
Even in his drunken state, Rick knew he could still beat Jonathan to a pulp. And if he did that, Evelyn would not like it.
"What's the matter cad?! Afraid of facing a man?!" Jonathan said and knew how ridiculous he sounded.
Jonathan knew Rick was not afraid of anything, let alone him. He also knew he was taking his life into his own hands by provoking Rick. But he was doing this for his sister and that gave him courage - or made him stupid.
"You really..." Rick said as he turned to the side and got up on his hands and knees. "Wanna..." he said as he put one foot on the ground and leaned his elbow on his thigh. "fight me?" he had to still his movements because he was getting extremely dizzy. "What the hell are you going?" Rick asked in the next breath when he looked up and saw Jonathan dancing around.
"I'll have you know, I took boxing lessons in my younger days" Jonathan continued to dance, bob and weave. "Now get up!!"
"Alright... Jonathan" Rick said as he pushed himself up on his feet. "But..." he staggered a bit then lifted his fists. "You'd better not tell Evelyn..." Rick's head snapped back.
Jonathan threw a punch and it landed on Rick's nose. Jonathan was not a fool and he would take any advantage he could. He really did not feel much like getting beat to a pulp.
Rick grabbed his nose then looked at Jonathan through blood shot eyes. He steadied himself on his feet and took steps toward the bobbing Jonathan. Rick used great concentration as he eyed his opponent. Jonathan's incessant movement did not help Rick with his aim but he threw a punch. And missed. He stumbled forward on shaky feet and with his guard down, Jonathan landed another punch to his jaw.
Jonathan was feeling pretty cocky now and actually grinned. "Come on O'Connell! Is that all you've got?!"
Rick's male ego had taken enough. He was getting the crap beaten out of him by Jonathan. By Jonathan!
"Jonathan..." Rick said as he turned back to face him. "When I get my hands on you..." Rick said then charged him.
Rick knew he was too drunk to hit a moving target. But he was not too drunk to chase one. Jonathan recognized his imminent peril and his bravo took flight. And he soon followed.
The two men, a.k.a. boys, ran around the front yard for several moments until Rick was finally able to reach out and grab Jonathan by the collar. Jonathan tried to pull away but Rick's grip was firm. Jonathan, fearing for his life, knew it was all over now. Rick pulled Jonathan to him and wrapped his arm around Jonathan's neck. A survival instinct struck Jonathan and he bowed Rick in the ribs. Rick's hold loosened and Jonathan escaped, for just a second. Rick quickly recovered and charged Jonathan again and this time jumped on his back causing them both to bound to the ground.
The two tussled on the ground for several moments until Rick subdued Jonathan by straddling him. Rick raised his fist to punch Jonathan but, even in his drunken state and even with his bruised ego, Rick did not want to knock his lights out. Not really.
"What the hell were you doing pointing my gun at me?" Rick asked, his fist still raised.
"What the hell did you do to my sister?!" Jonathan asked defiantly. He was in a very precarious position but he loved his sister and he was determined to find out why she was so upset.
"Evelyn..." Rick said, then rolled off of Jonathan and sat next to him on the ground.
"Yes Evelyn" Jonathan said as he sat up and frowned at his brother-in-law.
"She wants a divorce" Rick said as he rested his forearms on his bent knees.
"A divorce? What did you do to her?!"
"Nothing!" Rick defended himself.
"Well she doesn't want a divorce for nothing! I swear O'Connell... if you hurt her!" Jonathan warned.
"She pregnant..." Rick mumbled.
"What?"
"She's pregnant..."
"Aaahhh" Jonathan shook his head then grinned. "Evy's having a baby. I'm going to be an uncle" Jonathan suddenly realized. "Congratulations old chap" Jonathan said cheerfully as he slapped Rick on the back.
"And she wants a divorce" Rick reminded Jonathan.
"What did you do?" Jonathan asked again.
"Nothing" Rick said. "She told me she was pregnant. It sort of took me by surprise. She thinks I don't want the kid. Then she started crying" Rick explained. "Then we had a fight... then she told me she wanted a divorce."
"Oh" Jonathan said. "She can't want a divorce just because you two had a fight."
"She thinks I don't want the kid. Maybe that's why" Rick pondered.
"Why does she think you don't want the baby?"
"I don't know" Rick lied, then immediately confessed. "I wasn't exactly thrilled about it."
"So you don't want children?" Jonathan asked. He understood well. He did not see himself in the role of a father either.
"It's not that exactly" he said then paused a moment. "I'm just not sure... what kind of father I'd be" Rick said honestly.
"I see" Jonathan shook his head. "Well, I know Evy's going to be a great mother. Just follow her lead and you'll do fine" he said encouragingly.
"You think so" Rick said.
"Sure" Jonathan said confidently. "If you can stay married to the woman" he said teasingly as he lightly punched Rick in the arm. "You'd better get go on up there. I'd hate for my niece or nephew to have to depend on me as a father figure."
Rick laughed, but had a feeling that Jonathan would make a descent father figure. However, Jonathan would not have to do it for his kid.
"Jonathan" Rick said as he started to rise to his feet.
"Huh?" Jonathan said as he too rose to his feet.
"If you ever tell another living soul about tonight... I'll kill you."
"Don't worry old chap" Jonathan said. "No one has to know you were bested by me" he laughed.
As the brothers-in-law walked up to the steps and the front door opened.
"Rick?" Evelyn said and he could hear the sadness in her voice.
"I'll leave you too alone" Jonathan said. "Where's my car O'Connell?"
"Around back" he said, looking at Evelyn.
"The keys?"
"In the ignition."
Jonathan quickly exited and left the parents to be alone.
When they got to her room, Rick turned the Black Vodka up until he had drained the bottle dry. When he finished, he set both bottles down on the dresser and walked around and stood at the foot of the bed. He looked at the redhead and waited to see what she would do. She knew without words being spoken that he wanted her to come to him and so she did.
The redhead smiled as she slowly walked towards Rick. She could sense that he had a lot of pinned up emotion in him. She enjoyed it when a man, especially a good looking, brawny man unleashed that passion in her bed. When she reached him, she put her hands on his shoulders and could feel the immense tension there. She surmised that she would have to work harder to get this one to relax and enjoy himself.
"You're so tense" she smiled as she rubbed his strong shoulders.
Rick did not respond but simply looked down at the redhead. Nothing in him responded to the smile that shone brightly up at him. Three months ago, she would have been flat on her back by now. But now... he had a wife. A wife that he loved. But she had hurt him, hurt him bad and, he told himself, he wanted retribution.
"Well..." he smiled a tight smile. "If you're as good as you say... that can be taken care of."
"Yes it can" she smiled as she stood up on her toes to reach his lips.
Rick made no attempt to move closer to the redhead. He began to wonder what the hell he was doing there. Her lips nearly hit their mark but Rick turned his head.
"Oh" the redhead released a small laugh. "Playing hard to get?"
Rick turned his expression back to her but did not say anything. She looked into his eyes and saw nothing. No passion, no desire, no arousal. Nothing. This would be harder than she first thought. But she was not one to give up so easily. She reached up again to kiss his lips and again he turned his head. Undaunted, the redhead pressed the kiss into his cheek.
Rick closed his eyes tight in order to shut out everything that mattered. To shut out Evelyn. He felt the redhead's lips move from his cheek to his neck. He tried with all his mental might to push Evelyn out, but she would not go. He was standing in a room with a luscious woman who was more than willing to please him in whatever way he wanted. His head should have been consumed with that. But Evelyn would not leave his mind alone. He was hurt, hurt by her but she consumed his mind. She consumed his heart. She consumed his soul. She consumed even his body. She totally consumed him.
Rick opened his eyes and looked at his reflection in the mirror. This was not what he wanted, not really. Try as he might, Rick could not push Evelyn out of his mind or his soul... or his heart. He could not seem to build that barrier of protection around his heart. His heart no longer belonged to him. It was in her hands. It belonged to her. He was no longer in his own hands. He was in her hands. He belonged to her. And her only.
Rick grabbed the redhead by the arms and set her at arm's length away from him. He looked at her round, pale face. Her fire red hair. Her seductive eyes and willing lips. Her creamy white neck. Her bulging bosom.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
She was not Evelyn.
Evelyn wanted a divorce.
The redhead wanted to please him.
He did not love the redhead.
He had not love the countless other women.
But he loved Evelyn.
Evelyn had hurt him.
It did not matter. He still loved Evelyn.
He deserved to enjoy the redhead since his wife no longer wanted to be his wife.
He did not want to enjoy the redhead. He wanted his wife.
Forget about Evelyn.
The redhead, Black Vodka, his mental fortitude - none of them could entice him to do that.
But Evelyn wanted a divorce. Evelyn wanted to walk away from him as his father had done.
Once things got heated up with the redhead...
His heart was not in it.
His heart did not need to be in it. Only his body.
His heart belonged to Evelyn. And so did his body.
Enjoy the redhead for one night.
His heart would not let him do it. He loved Evelyn too much.
Evelyn wanted a divorce.
He'd be damned if she got one!
"Sorry lady" Rick said, then released her and walked toward the dresser.
"You're leaving?" she stated the obvious.
"Yeah" he said as he reached into his pocket.
"Why?" she asked, quite disappointed.
"You and my friends here" he said pointing to the Black Vodka bottles. "Couldn't make me forget" he answered as he slung a couple of pounds on the dresser.
"Forget what?"
"The wife I love" he said as he picked up his two friends and opened the door.
"If you give me a chance I know I can make you forget her" she said desperately. "At least for tonight." She did not want this one to get away before she had a chance to have him in her bed.
"You'd be wasting your time and mine" he said then turned to face her. He had a smile, a genuine smile on his face. "I want her more than I want you. I don't want to forget. Not tonight. Not ever."
The redhead looked at Rick with regret. Oh how she hated the fact that tonight, she would miss out on what she suspected would have been a very pleasurable evening.
Rick gave her a look of apology and turned and walked out of the redhead's room and down the stairs. He was still hurt and he was still angry. But now he was angry with himself for running to a whorehouse. Regardless of what happened between him and Evelyn, seeking out other women, especially whores, was not the answer. What he should have done was tell her in no uncertain terms that a divorce was absolutely out of the question. He should have made that point perfectly clear to her. But instead, he went running to the House of Ill Repute, a name he once heard Sister Abigail use to describe a bordello.
And now guilt rose up and assaulted him. Evelyn was worth more than the world to him and he had been ready to risk all they had for some redheaded trollop. How stupid could he be?
On his way out, Rick stopped at the bar and traded his empty Black Vodka for 2 more full ones. He paid for the 2 new bottles and walked out of the bordello with 3. The Black Vodka could not drown out Evelyn, but maybe it could drown out his guilt.
Rick got into Jonathan's car and pulled off. He did not know where to go so he simply drove. After about an hour, he ended up at the walls of The Convent of St. Mary - the place that had been home to him. Rick wondered if Sister Abigail had made it back from America. He had come by to tell her about his engagement to Evelyn and invite her to their wedding but she had left for America the day before.
Rick thought about requesting entrance and an audience with Sister Abigail if she was there. But he quickly changed his mind. For one thing, if she were there, she was most likely asleep. And for another thing, if he got anywhere near Sister Abigail, she would probably smell the liquor on his breath and the stench of a whorehouse on his clothes. And knowing her, Sister Abigail would not hesitate to get her chastening rod and whack him across the back of the hand. Rick actually laughed aloud at that mental picture.
Rick got out of the car, leaving the Black Vodka, and walked around to the backside of the convent. When he lived there, he and a couple of the other young boys dug a tunnel from inside the wall to the outside. They would often sneak out after the sisters had settled down for the night. Rick wondered if the tunnel was still there and was happy to see that it was. The bush that covered the opening had grown thick but he was able to squeeze through and into the tunnel. Once inside the walls, Rick headed for the chapel. As a young boy, he would go there whenever he was especially sad.
Once inside the chapel, Rick found a lantern and lit it. After drinking a bottle of Black Vodka and nearly committing fornication and adultery, Rick could not make himself go up to the altar so he sat on the last row of pews and looked up at the imposing cross of Jesus. Sister Abigail said that Jesus loved him and would forgive anything he did. Rick was not sure about what he believed about this Jesus. But he wondered, if He was real, would He really forgive him. Would He forgive him for being a whoremonger, for nearly being unfaithful to Evelyn? Would He forgive him for the bottle of liquor he had drank and would He forgive him for the 3 in the car that he was going to drink? Sister Abigail said He would forgive anything.
But would Evelyn? Did Evelyn really have to know where he had gone tonight? No, she did not have to know. But would he be able to hide his guilt? That is where the Black Vodka would come in. Rick hoped like hell.. oops, excuse me. He hoped, REALLY hoped it would wash away his guilt.
'Confession is good for the soul' he heard Sister Abigail say. But Rick would rather try Black Vodka first. If he confessed this to Evelyn, not only would she want a divorce, but she would also want his head on a platter.
Now about that divorce.
Rick frowned. She may want a divorce but he did not. After meeting Evelyn, he realized he had been waiting all his life for someone to love. After his Pa left him at the convent and never came back for him, Rick told himself that he never wanted to get close to another human being. He wanted to be left alone because getting close to others only ended in hurt. But he had, albeit reluctantly, been drawn to Sister Abigail.
When he first saw her, Rick thought Sister Abigail was the meanest looking person he had ever seen in his 4 short years of life. But, as time went by, he learned that looks can be deceiving. She was strict all right. He got the chastening rod many, many, many times. But... every night, when he was supposed to be asleep, she would come in and tuck his covers in just a bit. She would rub his dark blond hair and bend down and kiss his temple. 'The angles watch over you' she would whisper over him before leaving his room.
Sister Abigail looked after him. She cared for him whenever he got sick. Over the years, a strong bond had developed between them. She was the only mother he had ever known. The day he left the convent, Sister Abigail had walked with him to the entrance. As they faced each other to say 'goodbye' she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She raised her hand to his cheek and smiled.
"I am going to miss you son" she said. "Go and do great things and know that you are loved."
Rick had been choked up that day and all he could do was bend down and hug and kiss Sister Abigail on the cheek before turning and leaving his home.
Rick grinned as he remembered growing up in the convent and realized for the first time that his childhood was not so bad after all. His Pa may have abandoned him but Sister Abigail did all she could to make up for that.
And now Evelyn wanted to abandon him. He was only a 4-year-old kid when his Pa left him and he could not do anything about it. Now, however, he was a man and he was not about to let the woman he loved walk away from him.
Not when he knew he was loved.
Evelyn loved him. He was sure of it. Her love was one of the few things had total confidence in. What he did not know was what on earth had possessed her to say she wanted a divorce. Was she really that mad at him for not jumping for joy about the kid? Maybe she was. Rick knew he did not know much about the gentler sex except what he learned between the bed sheets. And after marrying Evelyn, he understood women even less. He loved Evelyn but she was still a woman and sometimes she did things that left him scratching his head.
Rick was determined to find out what was wrong with Evelyn. And after he did, they would work things out between them. He stood up and as he walked to the altar, he reached into his pocket. Rick laid a handful of pounds on the altar then turned and walked out of the chapel. When he got back to the car, his 3 friends were waiting for him. And so was the guilt. Tonight, he would go and have a good time with his friends and hopefully kill the guilt. In the morning, he would sit Evelyn down and let her know that the only way she would get a divorce would be over his dead body.
Rick drove around for another 30 minutes before pulling the car into his backyard. He knew he was going to get pretty drunk and he did not want to be so boozed that he could not drive himself home. So he did it before he got boozed. And boozed he got. He slowly drank each bottle, one after the other until all 3 where empty. He had began to feel its affects after drinking ½ of that first bottle and by the time he had emptied it, Rick was one jolly drunk.
"To... my... wife" he raised the second bottle in a toast. "My beau... tee... ful... wife!" he slurred then took a swallow. "aaahhh" he breathed as the liquid slithered down his throat. "Who THINKS... she's gettin' a damn divorce. Well... the answer... is... no!" he said in a drunken tone before taking another swig. "I love ya too much Evy... love ya too much" he declared.
When Rick finally got to the last bottle, his head was spinning. He knew he would regret it in the morning, but drowning himself in booze seemed to help to help him get through the past few hours. With his friends all gone, Rick saw no reason to stay in the car so he got out and staggered around to the front of the house.
'Who the hell was that?' he thought when he saw a clad figure pacing across his front porch. He could not see clearly because the moon was not out and there were only a few stars to light the night sky. And he was drunk. Then the figure turned toward him and Rick saw that he held a shotgun in his hand. 'What the hell?' he sobered quickly. Then he saw the figure raise the shotgun and he heard the click.
"What the bloody hell did you do to my sister?!"
He mentally breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Jonathan. If it had be a foe he would have been at a great disadvantage considering the fact that he did not have any weapons. And besides that, he was drunk, completely drunk.
"Jonathan!" Rick yelled in a cheerful voice, happy, extremely happy to see his brother-in-law.
"Answer my question you bloody damn yank!"
"What question?" Rick said as he stumbled his way toward the porch.
"WHAT the bloody hell did you do to my sister?!"
"Why the hell are you..." he said as he pointed at wavering finger at Jonathan. "Pointing that gun at me?"
"I plan on shooting you after you tell me what you did to my sister! I warned you O'Connell! Not to hurt my sister or else you'd answer to me!"
"I'm drunk. Drunk as hell but I don't remember it quite that way" Rick grinned a silly grin.
Jonathan had quite nervously and in a stuttering voice told Rick on their wedding day that he had better take good care of Evelyn. Or... yes, well he had just better take good care of Evelyn or else. The rest, Jonathan thought, was understood.
"I'm only going to ask you ONE MORE TIME!! What did you do to my sister?!"
Instead of answering, Rick began to laugh. Jonathan's ire rose another notch and he was secretly glad. The angrier he got, the braver he got.
"What the hell is so funny O'Connell?!"
"You... don't... have... aaannnnyyyy... bullets" he laughed as he took one unsteady step, then another up the steps. The gun Jonathan was holding was the only Rick was cleaning when Evelyn told him the news about the kid.
Jonathan pointed the gun away from Rick and pulled the trigger. Nothing. Jonathan became even angrier because he was not doing a good job of avenging his sister. He threw the shotgun down in frustration and before he could think better of it, Jonathan reared back and with all his might and anger, threw a punch at Rick. He was surprised when he connected squarely with Rick's jaw and sent him sprawling back down the steps. Rick landed in a heap on his back as Jonathan shook the pain from his hand. Then Jonathan, who was spurred on by his fury at Rick and by the fact that Rick was drunk, bounded down the steps after him
"Get up!" he said as he stood over Rick. "Damned yank."
Rick slowly sat up holding his jaw. Jonathan backed up a few steps and pondered the wisdom of challenging his brother-in-law. But, this bloody, no good scoundrel had done something to his sister. And he was about to find out what.
"Come on! Get up!" Jonathan said as he held up his fists and started dancing around like a boxer. He figured that if he kept moving, it would be hard for a drunk Rick to land a punch.
"Jonathan" Rick slurred as he moved his jaw to see if it was broken. "I'm... not about... to fight you" he said.
Even in his drunken state, Rick knew he could still beat Jonathan to a pulp. And if he did that, Evelyn would not like it.
"What's the matter cad?! Afraid of facing a man?!" Jonathan said and knew how ridiculous he sounded.
Jonathan knew Rick was not afraid of anything, let alone him. He also knew he was taking his life into his own hands by provoking Rick. But he was doing this for his sister and that gave him courage - or made him stupid.
"You really..." Rick said as he turned to the side and got up on his hands and knees. "Wanna..." he said as he put one foot on the ground and leaned his elbow on his thigh. "fight me?" he had to still his movements because he was getting extremely dizzy. "What the hell are you going?" Rick asked in the next breath when he looked up and saw Jonathan dancing around.
"I'll have you know, I took boxing lessons in my younger days" Jonathan continued to dance, bob and weave. "Now get up!!"
"Alright... Jonathan" Rick said as he pushed himself up on his feet. "But..." he staggered a bit then lifted his fists. "You'd better not tell Evelyn..." Rick's head snapped back.
Jonathan threw a punch and it landed on Rick's nose. Jonathan was not a fool and he would take any advantage he could. He really did not feel much like getting beat to a pulp.
Rick grabbed his nose then looked at Jonathan through blood shot eyes. He steadied himself on his feet and took steps toward the bobbing Jonathan. Rick used great concentration as he eyed his opponent. Jonathan's incessant movement did not help Rick with his aim but he threw a punch. And missed. He stumbled forward on shaky feet and with his guard down, Jonathan landed another punch to his jaw.
Jonathan was feeling pretty cocky now and actually grinned. "Come on O'Connell! Is that all you've got?!"
Rick's male ego had taken enough. He was getting the crap beaten out of him by Jonathan. By Jonathan!
"Jonathan..." Rick said as he turned back to face him. "When I get my hands on you..." Rick said then charged him.
Rick knew he was too drunk to hit a moving target. But he was not too drunk to chase one. Jonathan recognized his imminent peril and his bravo took flight. And he soon followed.
The two men, a.k.a. boys, ran around the front yard for several moments until Rick was finally able to reach out and grab Jonathan by the collar. Jonathan tried to pull away but Rick's grip was firm. Jonathan, fearing for his life, knew it was all over now. Rick pulled Jonathan to him and wrapped his arm around Jonathan's neck. A survival instinct struck Jonathan and he bowed Rick in the ribs. Rick's hold loosened and Jonathan escaped, for just a second. Rick quickly recovered and charged Jonathan again and this time jumped on his back causing them both to bound to the ground.
The two tussled on the ground for several moments until Rick subdued Jonathan by straddling him. Rick raised his fist to punch Jonathan but, even in his drunken state and even with his bruised ego, Rick did not want to knock his lights out. Not really.
"What the hell were you doing pointing my gun at me?" Rick asked, his fist still raised.
"What the hell did you do to my sister?!" Jonathan asked defiantly. He was in a very precarious position but he loved his sister and he was determined to find out why she was so upset.
"Evelyn..." Rick said, then rolled off of Jonathan and sat next to him on the ground.
"Yes Evelyn" Jonathan said as he sat up and frowned at his brother-in-law.
"She wants a divorce" Rick said as he rested his forearms on his bent knees.
"A divorce? What did you do to her?!"
"Nothing!" Rick defended himself.
"Well she doesn't want a divorce for nothing! I swear O'Connell... if you hurt her!" Jonathan warned.
"She pregnant..." Rick mumbled.
"What?"
"She's pregnant..."
"Aaahhh" Jonathan shook his head then grinned. "Evy's having a baby. I'm going to be an uncle" Jonathan suddenly realized. "Congratulations old chap" Jonathan said cheerfully as he slapped Rick on the back.
"And she wants a divorce" Rick reminded Jonathan.
"What did you do?" Jonathan asked again.
"Nothing" Rick said. "She told me she was pregnant. It sort of took me by surprise. She thinks I don't want the kid. Then she started crying" Rick explained. "Then we had a fight... then she told me she wanted a divorce."
"Oh" Jonathan said. "She can't want a divorce just because you two had a fight."
"She thinks I don't want the kid. Maybe that's why" Rick pondered.
"Why does she think you don't want the baby?"
"I don't know" Rick lied, then immediately confessed. "I wasn't exactly thrilled about it."
"So you don't want children?" Jonathan asked. He understood well. He did not see himself in the role of a father either.
"It's not that exactly" he said then paused a moment. "I'm just not sure... what kind of father I'd be" Rick said honestly.
"I see" Jonathan shook his head. "Well, I know Evy's going to be a great mother. Just follow her lead and you'll do fine" he said encouragingly.
"You think so" Rick said.
"Sure" Jonathan said confidently. "If you can stay married to the woman" he said teasingly as he lightly punched Rick in the arm. "You'd better get go on up there. I'd hate for my niece or nephew to have to depend on me as a father figure."
Rick laughed, but had a feeling that Jonathan would make a descent father figure. However, Jonathan would not have to do it for his kid.
"Jonathan" Rick said as he started to rise to his feet.
"Huh?" Jonathan said as he too rose to his feet.
"If you ever tell another living soul about tonight... I'll kill you."
"Don't worry old chap" Jonathan said. "No one has to know you were bested by me" he laughed.
As the brothers-in-law walked up to the steps and the front door opened.
"Rick?" Evelyn said and he could hear the sadness in her voice.
"I'll leave you too alone" Jonathan said. "Where's my car O'Connell?"
"Around back" he said, looking at Evelyn.
"The keys?"
"In the ignition."
Jonathan quickly exited and left the parents to be alone.