3words January 11/30

Today’s 3words are: NFL, TWIST, CRAZY

And my ongoing story is…

 

“That game was CRAZY,” Ken yelled, shaking his head and sipping his whiskey.

Steve nodded, almost choking on his upturned beer bottle. “Next one can’t possibly compare.”

“No!” screamed Ian, slamming a now-empty can against his forehead. “Now you’ve-”

“Jinxed it!” laughed Bill, adding cider to his snakebite.

I watched from the kitchen, TWISTing my water bottle top. “You ought to pace yourselves,” I said, remembering how I used to be deliberately sick so I could keep drinking. “Three more games.”

They all turned and jeered.

Our NFL “quarter-final” weekend, being a part-recorded four-game marathon.

But it wasn’t the same.

 

 

3words January 10/30

Today’s 3words are: COMPREHEND, RELAX, QUARTER.

And my ongoing story is…

 

I hadn’t COMPREHENDed: it’s never ending.

I used to think I simply had a drink now and then, when I felt like it, to RELAX, to socialise, to be more like my truer self with friends. And strangers.

But it’s everywhere. Everyday.

“What’s up with the computer?”

I looked up, smiled at Lisa, and refocused on the screen. It wasn’t even a QUARTER way through the latest scan I was running.

She snorted. “You been watching porn again?”

“Again?”

“Please.”

I shrugged. “I tried to stream the Derby game.”

“Just go down the pub.”

I didn’t know what to say.

 

 

3words January 9/30

Today’s 3words are: BARK, DVD, COURSE

And my ongoing story is…

 

Lisa looked at me like I might BARK like a cuckoo.

I was  on the sofa, flicking through the TV guide, hoping to find an interesting film. I had meant to rent a DVD heading home from work, but had been so desperate to escape the pub invites that I forgot.

“Are you still in weird mode?”

I smiled. “If you mean am I drinking, then-”

“Of COURSE I mean that,” she stressed, stomping to the kitchen.

A bottle snapped and hissed open.

She shouted, “You don’t have to lord it over me.”

“I wasn’t, I’m not, I-”

“Just don’t!”

 

3words January 8/30

Today’s 3words are: CLAIM, MIDDLE, FIVE.

And my ongoing story is…

 

I couldn’t concentrate at work.

I was assigned to electrical, and half the TVs were tuned to circling news stories, and the Paris massacre dominated. One shopper CLAIMed to have seen internet footage that couldn’t be shown on TV.

All I could think about were my kids. How all these people who get caught in the MIDDLE of something unexpected are somebody’s children. How would I feel…

I wanted to go down the pub and hide, and I so very nearly did. Instead, I drove home to spend FIVE minutes with my children, not that they thought anything of it.

 

3words January 7/30

Today’s 3words are: FEET, SHARPEN, SQUEAL.

And my ongoing story is…

 

I stared at my breakfast, picked up my coffee and sipped, closing my eyes.

Lisa watched me. I wasn’t psychic: every time I glanced away she looked at me… the moment I glanced back she looked away.

She said, “Is it part of this Dryathon thing?”

“What?”

“For cancer?” she said, an edge SHARPENing her voice. She wiped Alex’s mouth. “The TV ad?”

“No,” I said, finishing my coffee.

“You just chose to quit? After a lifetime?” She snorted. “Come on, kids.” She snapped to her FEET.

“I’m not done,” Alexa SQUEALed.

“Nor me,” wailed Alex.

“I said come on!”

 

3words January 6/30

Today’s 3words are: UNSEE, SQUASH, BOWL.

And my ongoing story is…

 

I dropped my keys and wallet in the BOWL Lisa once decided we needed in case one of us (me!) was too inebriated to do whatever needed doing, should it ever.

I wasn’t aware of any such event, but perhaps I had been UNSEEingly drunk?

“Who’s that?” Lisa called from upstairs.

“Who do you think?”

“Kev?” She stepped into view on the landing, half-dressed for her ladies SQUASH night. “The hell you doing?”

“It’s my watching-the-kids night.”

“Well, I know that,” she snapped. “You’re dead-early.”

I shook my head. “I’m just not-late.”

She cocked her hip. “For you, that’s dead-early.”

 

 

3words January 5/30

Today’s 3words are: CHIP, TOUGH, STAY.

And my ongoing story is…

 

Back to work after two weeks off for Christmas and New Year.

It was TOUGH.

I couldn’t get to sleep last night.

And when I somehow did, I couldn’t STAY there.

I didn’t realise how much the booze stopped my brain over-reaching.

At work I was more CHIPper. The store manager even asked who had given me a personality for Christmas, cheeky little…

But then the guys invited me down the pub for the Liverpool cup match, which was nice, but I couldn’t stand another night there not drinking, so simply went home and spent some time with my kids.

 

3words January 4/30

Today’s 3words are: DEMON, SECOND, STRUGGLE.

And my ongoing story is…

 

I STRUGGLEd all day with a pair of DEMON wet itches that I could never quite scratch.

The first was all over my tongue, but mostly toward the rear, where I wanted to swallow sweet relief, luxuriating in its warm kick. Yet if I tried to reach it I simply gagged and made myself sick.

The SECOND was just under my skin, so close I could see it dancing, tormenting me as it oozed through my hairs and pores.

We had Sunday lunch in the family pub, but all I could see were the quenched mocking smugly from the bar.

 

 

3words January 3/30

Today’s 3words are: WORSE, FRIEND, PANT.

And my ongoing story is…

 

“You driving?”

I leaned against the bar. “What?”

Phil grinned. “Sorry, mate. Thought you said OJ.” He rolled his eyes and nudged my shoulder, like it was the funniest thing ever.

“I did.”

He shook his head. “We best check your manhood with the barmaid.”

“You can’t call her that.”

“Who? Sal? She’s heard WORSE.” He leaned toward me. “Heck, I called her worse in the gents boxing day.” He laughed as she approached. “Beer for me, love, and an OJ for my gay FRIEND.”

I stood up straight. “Phil, you can’t-”

“Keep your PANTies on,” he said, cracking up.

 

3words January 2/30

Today’s 3words are: SLUMP, GRAB, SIGH.

And my ongoing story…

 

“What do you want?”

“What?”

Lisa SIGHed. “To drink? It’s Friday?”

“I don’t.”

“What?”

“Want anything.”

She stared at me. “You don’t want me to get you anything?”

“No.”

“Fine.” She GRABbed her beer and headed toward the lounge. “Get your own.”

“No.”

She stopped and sighed. “What now?”

“I’m not drinking.”

“It’s Friday.”

“I quit.”

She laughed. “Since when?”

“New Year’s.”

“You were wasted yesterday.” She shook her head and SLUMPed onto the sofa.

“From drinking the day before.”

“So this is day one?”

“Two.”

She stared at me. Then chugged her beer and winked. “Good luck with that.”