Part 11: It's five o'clock somewhere

Orange juice didn’t make vodka go down any easier at nine thirty in the morning. When Molly first poured the concoction she reasoned that after a twelve hour night shift, her body should respond like it was nine thirty at night. But the Screwdriver burned in her throat more than it normally did. If the buzz hadn’t kicked in half way through, she would have poured it down the sink before she reached the bottom of her first glass.

With the buzz, a sense of ease spread across her body, quieting the nagging voice that told her she’d fumbled her chance with Irene. The more she drank, the quieter the voice got. So she kept drinking.

Her second glass was easier to justify than her first, and pretty soon she smiled as she contemplated her third. The bottles sat shimmering in the sunlight on the walnut dining table, ready to be poured. Even when a knock at the door startled her, she kept looking back to the table, debating whether she should have another. At least until she saw who’d come to visit.

“Dad?” she said. His eyebrows knitted together, sending a jolt of panic through her. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been trying to reach you for four days and you haven’t returned my calls. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Oh shoot.” She’d seen the calls, but between her trip to the hospital and worrying about Irene, she’d forgotten to call him back. “I’m sorry, dad. Things have been really busy, but let’s talk now.”

She let him inside.

“It’s not that urgent,” her dad said as he shut the door behind him. “I just got worried. And your sister hadn’t heard from you either.”

“I know, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. So what did you want to talk about?”

He sighed. “Really, it’s nothing. It’s just that the doctor wants to put me on some new medication for my cholesterol. But I’ve been reading about it online, and I’m not so sure I want to be on this.”

Though she almost always gave her dad the same health advice, he always came back to her when something changed. She smiled all the same. “Sure, we can talk about some options. But it’s really best to make a decision with your doctor.”

But he didn’t answer. He wasn’t even looking at her. Turning to see what had captured his attention, her eyes landed on the vodka and orange juice, with the empty glass right next to them.

“Are you drinking this early in the morning?” her dad asked slowly.

Heat rose in Molly’s face. “It’s just to— to make it easier to get to sleep. So your doctor—”

“To sleep,” he repeated. “Why are you having trouble sleeping?”

Molly leaned against the kitchen counter and shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, dad. I just didn’t sleep well yesterday, so I thought I’d try this to see if it would help. Let’s get back to your cholesterol medicine.”

“Is this is about work?”

She pursed her lips.

“Elizabeth said work has been upsetting you lately,” he continued.

“A better diet and more exercise can certainly help,” Molly said, forcing a smile. “And until that kicks in, there are a few prescription options to lower your cholesterol much sooner. So you probably want to go back to your doctor—”

“I think it’s time for you to look for another job.”

All pretenses of a smile disappeared. “Well, it’s really none of your business.”

“You promised me that if nursing got to be too much, you’d look for something else.” His stare bore into her so much that Molly had to look away.

“It’s not too much.”

He pointed to the bottle of vodka. “You’re drinking by yourself. At ten in the morning. And I don’t believe it’s just to sleep.”

“It is,” she growled.

“Molly, it’s okay if your job is overwhelming you. But turning to alcohol to make things easier isn’t going to solve anything.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then tell me what this is about.”

“It’s nothing!” She looked in time to see a tear streak down his face. “It’s nothing,” she choked out.

Heartbreak accompanied the tears in his eyes. “I just want to make sure you’re all right. I don’t want to lose you too.”

“Dad…”

“Especially not if it’s something we can prevent.”

It wasn’t something she’d rely on permanently. She just needed to push through the guilt from last night. The alcohol allowed her to do that. Once she got a good night’s rest, she could make a new plan to save Irene. And once Irene was safe, Molly’s world would be in balance once more. There wouldn’t be any more drinking, and she could even quit and make her father happy.

She blinked away her own tears. “I’m fine. I just need to get some sleep.”

His shoulders slumped as he turned to face the door. “Please call me tomorrow so I know that you’re okay.”

She shook her head, knowing he’d keep checking up on her until she convinced him she’d stopped drinking. “Okay, dad,” she said to get him to leave.

As soon as he left, she poured herself another glass and downed it in a few gulps. It burned more than the first two, but with it came a renewed sense of peace. Her dad would be fine. So would she. And so would Irene.

With a second knock at the door, she gripped her glass. Why couldn’t her dad just believe her for once? Slamming her glass down on the table, she wrenched open the door.

“What?” she said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, hello Ms. Cooper.” Her landlord smiled sheepishly and she relaxed.

“Hi, Mr. Angenent.”

“I just came by to give you a notice that your lease is up next month. Here are your options to renew.”

Her fingers brushed against his as she took hold of the envelope. But when she tried to take the notice, he didn’t let go.

“I hope everything’s okay,” he whispered. “I was upstairs and I thought I heard some yelling.”

Molly wanted to answer, but the smell of sausages filled the air. Looking up from a crossword puzzle, she saw a woman with curly, rust-colored hair that she recognized as Mrs. Agenent standing at the stove. Molly took a sip of almond-flavored coffee and set it down on a birch wood dining table.

And then the world around her starting shaking. Mrs. Agenent quickly turned off the flame on the stove and moved away in case the pan crashed to the floor. Molly stood and walked toward the woman, trying to urge her under the dining table. The floor moved so much that Molly fell and heard something large creak behind her just before Mrs. Agenent screamed.

The envelope fell to the ground as Molly fell back into the door.

“Are you all right, Ms. Cooper?” Mr. Angenent asked.

“Fine,” she said. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and winced when it caught on the ice block that had formed in her chest. “Just a little tipsy.”

Mr. Angenent raised his eyebrows and Molly’s stomach twisted.

“I added a pick-me-up in my morning orange juice. Today’s going to be a bit rough.”

“Ah,” he said with a knowing smile and a wink. “I like to add a little amoretto to my morning coffee.”

Maybe that’s why he fell over so easily in her vision. “I’m thinking it might be a good idea to stop after today. Alcohol in the morning isn’t great for you.” She looked at him pointedly. “You know?”

“Oh, I think you’re probably fine,” he said with a wave as he bent down to pick up the envelope. “To be honest, I didn’t even realize you’d been drinking until you fell over like that. Maybe just eat some food with it and you’ll be fine.”

All she could think to do was nod, a smile frozen on her face.

He handed her the envelope, patted her arm and said, “Have a good day!” before he headed back home.

Shuffling back to the table, she picked up the empty glass once more, ready to pour herself one more drink. But as she gripped the vodka, she picked it up and stared into the clear liquid.

She had been drunk at the club when she had her first vision as well. Could alcohol be a potential trigger for the visions? It hadn’t been present during every vision, so she wasn’t sure. Maybe it still had to do with being emotional. But alcohol certainly didn’t hinder the process, and a few drinks in her system made it easier to get through the emotional mess required to trigger a vision.

Setting the vodka down, she smiled. She didn’t have to be scared to trigger a second vision with Irene anymore. She just needed a plan to get drunk, go into the hospital, and run into Irene. It sounded like it should be the start of a terrible plan, but then she remembered what Mr. Angenent said. He hadn’t realized she’d been drinking until the vision started.

Perhaps it was the vodka, but she had a feeling everything would work out just fine.

_____________

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