Read Online Jack & Jill by Kealan Patrick Burke - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kealan Patrick Burke
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groin injury.
"You'd think so," Chris said, and began to pick at the soggy label on his beer bottle. "I don't know. I need a vacation. And a new job. Before I burn that fucking place down."
I couldn't help it, I la ughed. He'd looked so sincere.
"Easy for you to laugh," he said. "Maybe I'll pull your stunt and call of f for three weeks." He raised a hand. "No...no judgment, swear to God. Just saying. It'd be nice."
"Yeah, yeah. I have a feeling I'm going to be dealing with your not-so-subtle jabs for quite a while."
The band finished mangling Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?", and graciously thanked the nonexistent audience for their nonexistent applause.
"I'd never," Chris said, and belched. The smell of stale beer rolled into my face, and I grimaced. "Sorry," he added.
I made a point of checking my watch. "Look Chris, if you're not done getting your drunk on, there's beer in the fridge at home, but we have to go."
"Will I have to share?"
"I don't drink, you clown, now come on." I slid off my chair and went to him. He raised his hands in surrender.
"What would I do without you?" he asked, rising unsteadily to join me.
"You'd probably have more hair," I told him.
"Ouch."
SIX TEEN
I drove, despite Chris's insistence that he was more than capable, and when we returned home the house was quiet and dark.
"Jesus," Chris said. "Leave a light on why don't you?"
"I told her if we were later than midnight to lock up and turn everything off," I explained.
"Very responsible of you, but potentially problematic for the vision-impaired drunkard."
"You're right. Next time I'll have her set a candle out for the souls of the recently inebriated." I squeezed his arm, then cracked open the door of the car. Instantly the night air rushed in to greet me, my breath forming clouds before my face.
"Hey," Chris said, as I was halfway out of the car.
"What?"
"We're gonna make it, right?"
"Inside?"
"You know what I mean. Be serious."
" Yeah, I know what you mean."
"Tell me honestly. No bullshit. We're going to make it. We are, right?"
I stared at him , the chill infecting me, and in that moment I saw the depth of his pain. The alcohol did more than make an emotional jester out of him; it forced his guard down too. Sitting there with the dome light scalding his face with shadows, I knew without a doubt that I loved him, and that I was sorry for what I had put him through.
"We are," I said. "And if we don't, it won't be because we didn't try."
He nodded, and watched a moth trying frantically to get at the light from the other side of the windshield. "Good. Because as hard as things have been, I can't even imagine what my life would be like without you in it."
"You'll find out soon enough if you don't get me out of this cold, Chris."
"All right, all right," he said, opening his door and stepping out. "Christ, you say something nice and all you get in return is whining. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my world."
I waited for him to come around to my side of the car and looped my arm around his w aist, ostensibly to support the drunken fool, but also because I just plain wanted to. We'd forgotten how to be intimate with each other, and as part of the healing process, I figured it was time to start remembering.
* * *
"I'm gonna use the little boy's room," Chris said, as we stepped inside. I closed the door behind me and quickly flipped on the light, just in time for him to realize he was headed straight into the kitchen counter. He stopped short, raising his hands and looking over his shoulder at me to see if I'd caught the near-collision.
"Good one," I said.
A sheepish grin and he rounded the counter, back on course to the bathroom.
On the small table in the sunroom, a red number 1 was pulsing in the phone's LED display , and while I listened to Chris's off-key whistling, I debated whether or not to check the message. I set my purse down on the table and decided it could
"You'd think so," Chris said, and began to pick at the soggy label on his beer bottle. "I don't know. I need a vacation. And a new job. Before I burn that fucking place down."
I couldn't help it, I la ughed. He'd looked so sincere.
"Easy for you to laugh," he said. "Maybe I'll pull your stunt and call of f for three weeks." He raised a hand. "No...no judgment, swear to God. Just saying. It'd be nice."
"Yeah, yeah. I have a feeling I'm going to be dealing with your not-so-subtle jabs for quite a while."
The band finished mangling Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?", and graciously thanked the nonexistent audience for their nonexistent applause.
"I'd never," Chris said, and belched. The smell of stale beer rolled into my face, and I grimaced. "Sorry," he added.
I made a point of checking my watch. "Look Chris, if you're not done getting your drunk on, there's beer in the fridge at home, but we have to go."
"Will I have to share?"
"I don't drink, you clown, now come on." I slid off my chair and went to him. He raised his hands in surrender.
"What would I do without you?" he asked, rising unsteadily to join me.
"You'd probably have more hair," I told him.
"Ouch."
SIX TEEN
I drove, despite Chris's insistence that he was more than capable, and when we returned home the house was quiet and dark.
"Jesus," Chris said. "Leave a light on why don't you?"
"I told her if we were later than midnight to lock up and turn everything off," I explained.
"Very responsible of you, but potentially problematic for the vision-impaired drunkard."
"You're right. Next time I'll have her set a candle out for the souls of the recently inebriated." I squeezed his arm, then cracked open the door of the car. Instantly the night air rushed in to greet me, my breath forming clouds before my face.
"Hey," Chris said, as I was halfway out of the car.
"What?"
"We're gonna make it, right?"
"Inside?"
"You know what I mean. Be serious."
" Yeah, I know what you mean."
"Tell me honestly. No bullshit. We're going to make it. We are, right?"
I stared at him , the chill infecting me, and in that moment I saw the depth of his pain. The alcohol did more than make an emotional jester out of him; it forced his guard down too. Sitting there with the dome light scalding his face with shadows, I knew without a doubt that I loved him, and that I was sorry for what I had put him through.
"We are," I said. "And if we don't, it won't be because we didn't try."
He nodded, and watched a moth trying frantically to get at the light from the other side of the windshield. "Good. Because as hard as things have been, I can't even imagine what my life would be like without you in it."
"You'll find out soon enough if you don't get me out of this cold, Chris."
"All right, all right," he said, opening his door and stepping out. "Christ, you say something nice and all you get in return is whining. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my world."
I waited for him to come around to my side of the car and looped my arm around his w aist, ostensibly to support the drunken fool, but also because I just plain wanted to. We'd forgotten how to be intimate with each other, and as part of the healing process, I figured it was time to start remembering.
* * *
"I'm gonna use the little boy's room," Chris said, as we stepped inside. I closed the door behind me and quickly flipped on the light, just in time for him to realize he was headed straight into the kitchen counter. He stopped short, raising his hands and looking over his shoulder at me to see if I'd caught the near-collision.
"Good one," I said.
A sheepish grin and he rounded the counter, back on course to the bathroom.
On the small table in the sunroom, a red number 1 was pulsing in the phone's LED display , and while I listened to Chris's off-key whistling, I debated whether or not to check the message. I set my purse down on the table and decided it could
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