The Seventh Day – Day One : Part I

“Again?”

I groaned as I rolled over in bed towards the brutal light coming through the open door. “Huh?”

“Seriously, Josh! Again? You knew we had my mom’s birthday party this evening and here you are at what, 11:17 now, still in bed and hung over … again!”

“Sorry, Kris. Seriously, it was an accident. We were just sitting around and playing games and had a few drinks …” I drifted off but not because of the blurred vision and pounding headache. I knew nothing I said at this point would get me out of trouble with Kristina and would likely only dig the hole ever deeper. She warned me yesterday after warning me all week really. I wasn’t supposed to drink too much last night because we had plans with her family and now I was in a load of trouble.

With clenched fists, Kris glared down at me. “I told you, no drinking!” She stamped her foot at the end to make sure I knew how much trouble I was in as her face was obscured by the light.

“Actually, you said not to drink too much. Look, I …” I trailed off again and fell back on the bed to stop the room from spinning. Kris growled, turned, and stomped out of the room, flipping on the light as she left. She quickly returned carrying a bottle of Jager that had been residing on the coffee table.

She held up the near empty bottle near her face and shook it, sloshing around the last couple of ounces in the bottom. “Is this the bottle you bought last weekend?”

“Uh, I don’t know.” I kept my eyes shut while stammering out the lie. We both knew damn well it was indeed the bottle that I had promised we wouldn’t open anytime soon and when we did it would last a while. We cracked it open Tuesday and did most of the damage last night while we gamed.

“Don’t lie to me!”

With my eyes finally adjusted, I could see Kris’s expression and knew she was dead serious. “Yeah, same one. It was an accident, I swear.”

“You’re such a jackass. You knew we had plans tonight and a long drive this afternoon, but partying with your loser buddy is more important. If you want to drink your life away, then go right ahead. Here, I’ll help.”

Kris held the bottle over my head and before I could respond turned it upside down. I didn’t get mad or even move. I just let the thick black liquor soak me, my clothes, and bed. She was right as usual, I was indeed a jackass. “I’m sorry. Look, let me get cleaned up then we can go.”

“No!” Kris yelled and stamped her foot, then tossed the bottle on the ground. “There is no way I’m going anywhere with you hung over like this. I’ll just tell everyone you weren’t feeling well. Which is technically the truth. I need to get going so we’ll continue this conversation about how much of an idiot you are later.” She stomped out the door while adding “Maybe,” under her breath.

I tried to follow her out of the room, but got one foot wrapped in the sheets and proceeded to step on the empty bottle with the other and landed on the ground. Fortunately, I was able to turn my head to the side so I didn’t break my nose, but the impact still hurt.

Half in my room and half in the hall I heard Tyler cackling from the bathroom. I wanted to get up, but the fall sent the world spinning again and I opted not to move and just close my eyes, until it stopped. I heard him walk down the hall then stop and kneel down next to me. With his face on the floor next to mine he was blowing hot breath that smelled like a combination of mint, Jager, and last night’s 2:00 am pizza into my face before he started to poke me in the forehead, over and over until I moved.

I tried to slap him on the side of the head but only caught a tuft of long curly hair. He yanked away with a yell and deftly jumped over me. Ty had a myriad of faults, exponentially more than most, but had the almost magic ability to drink all night and get up just as spry as if he hadn’t had a sip. For me, it would be hours until I was fully functional.

Nearly out of reach, I lunged for his pant leg but he barely slipped my grasp. I lay my head on the floor in defeat and felt so rough I considered spending the day where I was on the floor.

“Sounds like you pissed off the wicked bitch of the west again,” Tyler taunted.

With a groan I pushed myself op off the floor. “She’s not that bad!” I snapped. He was on thin ice with me already and insulting Kris wasn’t a smart move right now.

“Says the guy who smells like Jager.”

I looked at Tyler sideways as he filled his thermal mug. Strangely he was dressed in his gray janitor jump suit, on a Saturday, when never happens. “Why do you have your uniform on?”

“I’ve got to work.”

“On a Saturday?” Tyler hated to work period, much less on a weekend and since he got enough seniority to not work weekends at the museum, he never went in unless it was an emergency then he bitched about it the whole time. Today he just looked nervous and not pissed.

“Yeah. Picking up a shift for Tommy.”

“Really?”

“Extra money you know.”

I instantly knew something was up. If the Saturday shift wasn’t enough, the Ty Tick was on strong. If Ty was lying, or up to a scheme, he’d grind his back teeth. His tick was the reason everyone loved to play poker with him. “So what’s going on?”

Ty looked away and ground his teeth harder. “Nothin’ man.”

“BS!”

“I’m just working on something and when it all plays out, I can pay you back for the last few months’ rent. Look, I’ll be back later.” Tyler grabbed his coffee and bolted out the door.

Something told me this wasn’t going to end well. Tyler worked as a janitor at the museum and if he had a scheme involving something, there it was serious. Though he tried to live his life from one scheme or con to another, it never actually worked out for him. That’s why he was working at the museum and not in IT, like I was. He got kicked out his junior year for sneaking into a professor’s office and taking pictures of the final. The idiot got caught on the way out and then promptly expelled. A friend got him the museum job, and when I graduated the next year I moved in with him because he could hardly afford the rent when his last roommate moved out. Not so much moved out but went to jail.

Kris was mad. Epically angry that I moved in because of her hatred of Ty and fear that he was going to be a bad influence. I argued that I made it through school just fine as his roommate until he got kicked out, but she was afraid that with her no longer living on the floor above me to keep me on track that I’d change.

Despite doing well at work and being in line for a promotion, she still hounded me to move out. Usually loudly when Ty was in the other room so he could hear. That would just piss off Ty and he would either make snarky comments when she was there or wait till she left then just go off on a massive rant about how terrible she was and how I needed to dump her.

According to Ty the single life was better. No restrictions and unlimited fun, allegedly. His odd look notwithstanding, Ty’s ability to talk to anyone and legendary alcohol tolerance assured that I would regularly get up in the morning to find a random girl in the kitchen looking for food while wearing one of his t-shirts. It was always awkward for me trying to get breakfast while making small talk with women who almost universally sported facial piercings, odd colored hair, and tattoos and more often than not didn’t remember Tyler’s name. Eventually I stopped using his name all together after I figured out that part of the time he gave them a fake one anyway. Those were the days I thanked God I had Kris.

I got myself some coffee and aspirin, then crashed on the couch while I wrestled with what to do. I was at a crossroads in life and didn’t know which way to go; single life that’s a party most of the time or being tied down forever. Kris made the latter sound great while Tyler made marriage out to be a prison sentence. My gut told me to bite the bullet and go by a ring, but the constant drum beat of Tyler’s never-ending proclamations that marriage was hell on earth gave me pause every time I was ready to get engaged.

Kris said I had a year left. Either figure out if I wanted to be together forever, or not at all. In her mind five years was more than enough time to decide. Maybe she was right. Probably right, actually. Kris was right about most things. I loved her, and missed her when she wasn’t around and thought about getting a ring last Christmas but Ty talked me out of it. He said I hadn’t “played the field”, and “hadn’t really lived”.

Maybe he had a point. I didn’t date anyone seriously freshman year, then when sophomore year rolled around I ran into, literally ran into, a pretty blonde freshman at a football game and dumped an open soda on her. I apologized and offered her my hoodie since hers was soaked. She was too nice to take it at first but eventually did. Though it was windy and I was freezing in only a t-shirt, it was well worth it. By halftime I was hooked and we’ve been together ever since.

Sure, we fight like any couple, but usually get along really well and agree on all of the important things. Except Ty. Kris never like Tyler and Tyler never liked Kris. She thought he was a bad influence on me and he thought she was stuck up and led me around on a leash. As I lay there with a pillow over my face to block out all of the light I thought back on our biggest fights and 75% of them at least, involved Tyler in some fashion.

Still hung over but knowing I needed apologize, I tried to call Kris but she declined it. After three more aborted calls I texted an apology. My phone showed she read it, but didn’t respond to that either. She clearly wanted space so I gave it to her and took a nap.

The sleep was fitful at best. I would wake up at least every hour and check my phone but nothing. Two more calls and several texts around lunch time, yielded the same result as before. I finally sent a text asking if she was physically okay as I was worrying. She eventually replied that she was safe but didn’t have anything to say and would call me later … maybe. With a growl I tossed the phone to the far end of the couch, pulled a blanket over my head and went back to sleep.

© 2018 Robert Crouse All Rights Reserved

Links to the other chapters are below

I – II –III– IV– V–VI–VII–VIII– IX

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