I find the bar, mosey on up to the counter, and ask for the most expensive Scotch they have. My brother comes in and sits next to me after I’ve had at least two drinks and am working on my third.
“Starting already I see?” he asked me.
I didn’t make eye contact. I just nodded.
“I need to get ready for this great four-day weekend from hell that I’m about to embark on.” I finally faced my brother. “I mean of all places, we are at South Padre Island because AB’s woman got the urge to do a road trip for her birthday and wanted to go to the beach.”
“Well, at least we found a pretty decent hotel. This resort is pretty nice.”
We’re staying at the Pearl, which sits right off the beach, and I did have to admit the place was nice. The bar was and is just what I needed.
“So what’s on the agenda today? Do you know?” I asked him.
“I haven’t got the foggiest. I think Tiffany and Marie are cooking up something for us to do. So be prepared to play nice.”
I sighed, “Yeah, I won’t make any promises.”
As you can see, I haven’t been the best person to be around. I can’t put a finger on why I’m so moody. I mean sometimes it’s the littlest things that irritate the hell out of me. No one really likes to be around me much, except my brother and AB. For the life of me, I still haven’t figured out why they put up with me. I truly can sometimes be a complete asshole.
I drink more than I should too, which could be the reason for my fucked up attitude and moods. I won’t say I’m an alcoholic. But hell, what thriving alcoholic do you know will admit they can’t live without it. Look, I drink to keep the demons at bay in my dreams. Since I can hold my liquor, I have to start kind of early, so I can be good and fucked up when I lie down.
AB came up on the other side of me.
“Starting early, I see.”
“Yup. Don’t judge me,” I told him.
“Yeah, okay. Will you please just try not to be too big of an ass on this trip?” AB asked.
I looked at him.
“What on earth do you mean? I am a very pleasant drunk, if I do say so myself.”
AB huffed, and my brother smirked at me.
“Yeah well, just take it easy on Tiffany; she already thinks you don’t like her.”
“No. Actually she doesn’t like me,” I corrected.
“Well, hell. Can you blame her? Every time she sees you, you’re mouthing off at someone, getting into heated arguments over dumb shit. Then your brother and I have to come in and save the day before shit gets ugly,” AB informed me.
I ordered another drink.
“Well, shit. You don’t have to butt in, you know. I know how to handle myself.”
“Uh-huh, we know you do.”
He rolled his eyes and ordered himself a gin and tonic.
“Well, look. This trip isn’t about you, so can you please try and play nice?” my brother asked.
I took the drink I had to my mouth, but not before saying, “I can’t make any promises.”
Okay, so throughout the night I stayed on my best behavior. I drank as much as I could during dinner and in the restaurant at the hotel. Not once did I say anything untoward. I looked around the room at the company I kept and sighed.
My brother and his wife, Marie, who—if I hadn’t said it before—is a knock-out, are smiling and touching each other. They don’t care who is around to witness their public displays of affection. I mean sometimes it’s nauseating to see. But I have to admit that I’m envious of my brother. He has a great woman by his side that he loves and adores, and she feels the same way about him. They have three beautiful kids, and I think they are trying for one more. I know I don’t have that kind of happiness in the cards for myself, but at least one of us gets to enjoy life.
Now AB, or Abraham Butler, has been our best friend since childhood. He’s about the same height as my brother and I, and around the same build. He works out with us all the time. Well, I haven’t seen the gym in a while, but I still got it. So he’s in shape. He’s dark-skinned, and according to what some of the ladies say, he is easy on the eyes. I think Tiffany agrees, because she can’t get enough of him no matter how flakey he is with her. Tiffany is a stunner in her own right. She is about five seven and has curves in the right places. She is caramel in color and has shoulder length hair that she wears long and straight along her beautiful oval shaped face. She seems to be a sweetheart so, for the life of me, I don’t understand what she sees in AB.
AB is a player by definition; the entire definition. I typically see his ass with a different female almost every weekend. But most of his time, he spends with Tiffany. I’ve asked him if he and Tiffany were serious about each other, and he always says, “Well, I’m not sure about how she feels. But me; I’m not ready for a committed relationship.” It’s fucked up; I know. I asked him if she knows he’s not ready, and he claims she does. But sometimes I’m not that sure. I mean Tiffany seems to be a bright woman who when we are out can probably get almost any man she wants. I mean I sometimes see schmucks trip over their feet staring at her. So something has to be wrong with this picture. She can’t just accept AB’s treatment of her and not want more.