through each day doing the things everybody else does.â
âYou know what my parents once told me?â I said. Beth shook her head. âThey once said they could see me as a professor, an absent-minded professor walking around in blue jeans and Birkenstocks.â
âSo why didnât you take their advice?â
âWho the hell listens to their parents? Besides, they made it sound as if I couldnât do anything else.You know the old adage, âThose who canât do, teachâ.â
âThanks for the continued slamming.â
âGive me a break. This is my pity party.â
âOkay, so what are you going to do?â
âI think, dear Beth, Iâm going to have another drink. How are you doing over there?â
âIâm fine.â
A quick pour, no water this time.
âYou know, I canât imagine going back to idiot bosses, snide co-workers, and inane projects.â The scotch was going down nice and easy. Too easily.
âAs far as I can tell, youâve about eliminated every job thatâs out there.â
âExactly. Thatâs why Iâm whining about it.â
âYou could always go back to school.â
âYeah, and study what exactly? No, wait; donât answer that. I know exactly what I should do.â
âWhatâs that?â
âI think Iâm going to sit back and spend Ellenâs money for a change.â
âCan you two afford that?â
âWe could just stop eating. I could stand to lose a few pounds anyway.â
We talked for hours going around and around. It kept coming back to the fact that I didnât want togo back to work. Iâd had enough. After we accepted that, the possibilities were endless. Reality blew, so fantasy ruled, at least until the phone rang. It was Ellen.
âHello, honey. Whatâs up?â I slurred into the phone. In the distance I heard a dog yelping. âI think your cat just beat the shit out of my dog.â
âThatâs nice. I need a ride back from the airport.â
I put my hand over the receiver. âBeth, Ellen needs a ride,â I giggled.
âI donât think youâre up to it. I know Iâm not.â For emphasis, Beth poured the last of the wine into her glass.
âI think youâre on your own,â I said into the phone.
âGreat. Fine. Whatever.â Ellen hung up.
I looked over at Beth. âI think sheâs pissed.â
âSheâll get over it, but it looks like Iâll need another bottle.â
We kept talking for another hour. I had pretty much forgotten Ellen was even coming home until I heard her stomp into the living room. She looked us over for a minute. I couldnât tell what she was thinking.
âHiya, honey,â I slurred.
âI need fifty dollars for the cab I had to take fromthe airport.â
âWhat?â I couldnât quite grasp what she was saying. âWhy do you need fifty dollars?â
âBecause you were too drunk to come get me,
honey
. What do you think, I just flew home?â
âThat would be coolââ
âEllen, Iâve got about thirty here. Aubrie,
Aubrie
!â Beth got my attention. âWhereâs your purse?â
âUh, itâs on the radiator by the door. Why do you need it?â
âIâve got it,â Ellen said.
âHey, donât take everything,â I yelled.
âDonât you worry about how much Iâm taking. If it hadnât been forââ
I couldnât hear the rest of what she said. She went out to pay the driver. Beth and I sat quietly dreading Ellenâs return. It didnât take long.
âNow that thatâs taken care of, what in the hell is going on around here?â
âWas there any change?â I asked.
âNo, Aubrie, there wasnât any change, and if there was change, I wouldnât give it to you.â
âYouâre pretty selfish, you know