Chapter 2: The Perks Of Drunken Delights

The Parking Lot, Rocco's Bar and Grill, 5th And Grand Street, Baltiney, New York...

Quitting time had been a long way off as the dark brown eyes of a slumbering man in a disheveled and decidedly worn grey suit and in addition to wearing wrinkled white long-sleeve button-down leaned back in the driver seat of his light grey four-door sedan. He had been relegated to spending the night in the parking lot after yet another night of binge drinking, something he'd been more than likely doing as a result of having been recently divorced and rendered homeless following the awarding of his house to his unfaithful ex-wife in the settlement. He seemed to float on through the days since then turning up at a few bars and drinking the moment the place opened and lingering well passed natural closing hours. Many of the local bartenders found him to be quite a depressing sight and even attempted to get him to eat or sleep off his booze in one of their backrooms.

The latest bar owner, Rocco Morgan had worked out a deal for him to clean up the bar for drinks instead of payment despite Rocco slipping him cash on occasion which he turned around and either used for gas to travel or more drinks at bars when Rocco had elected not to serve him. The slumbering man had been as embittered about his losses as they come but always managed to become the life of the party whenever drinks were being poured or bought for him by other patrons who had taken a liking to his company.

They all seemed to be well aware of his story, a top neurosurgeon disgraced by a false Malpractice suit and an unfaithful wife that turned to drink rather than the comforts of companionship with anyone. He had a thing for old slow rhythm and blues songs that seemed to highlight the very aspects of his well-buried heartbreak over what his life had turned out to be.

Once the bars opened he was right at home with a drink and the old jukebox as he passed the time indulging in both while the other patrons either joined in or left him to his misery in peace. The embittered but lively drunkard had been partial to the dull colors of blue neon which is why he always seemed to circle back to Rocco's place no matter how long he'd stray to another establishment.

The two men shared an odd kinship, which always resulted in Rocco worrying about him and the conflict of accepting the dour man's money and plying him with drink when he knew all too well that it was the last thing he needed.

The formerly slumbering man in the driver seat had been former Dr. Richard Henry Grant and he was still stewing in his drunkenness from the previous late hours but unable to return to his small apartment on the opposite end of town due to Rocco confiscating his keys to prevent him from driving drunk. The concerned bartender accompanied him to his car, but cleverly took the keys when he got inside for the night and ensured he didn't take off until he was sure he'd been sober.

Richard was a middle-aged man given to rugged five o'clock shadow and the makings of a low-cut beard. His dark unkempt hair was nearly at his rather broad shoulders. The collar of his shirt was undone and he didn't in the least seem to care about buttoning it nor the cuffs of his grey suit jacket as he began to come around after having passed out amid the soft leather of his car's seat.

He'd been snoring rather loudly to the point that he'd even heard it himself when he was asleep. It was just another of the things that contributed to his ex-wife finding fault with him as she often complained about his frequent snoring to the point of making him sleep on the sofa in their living room.

Looking back, he possibly would have supposed it was the beginning of the end then as he'd been more inclined to have been at home following the lawsuit and the loss of his practice. If anyone from the old days had seen him, they would have immediately known he'd been a far cry from who he used to be turning to a bottle of booze whenever the sun came up and passing out by the time it was empty unless he needed to make a bit of cash to sustain his cramped apartment or gas in his car to travel between home, work, and the local bars.

Richard wasn't much for keeping track of time these days as he often found his days melding into one another after a few rounds of dark and light liquors that caught his fancy. He had been even less inclined to chase after the women that seemed to flock to him when in his drunken state which oddly enough contributed to him becoming the life of the party on most occasions.

He had his moments, being constantly drunk there were bound to be instances when fits of temper and the occasional bouts of withdrawal made him unbearable to deal with in the long term. He was more than likely to be more short-tempered and confrontational when he didn't have a drink than when he did.

The divorce had taken quite a lot out of him and turned his already crumbling world upside down so much so that he had not even seen nor spoken to his children since the final day of their court appointment. Likewise, he had no contact with his ex-wife even when it came to his only son and daughter and it was just as well, he had not had much of anything to say to her or them in a long while.

Despite being divorced, he had not had very many sexual partners due to the fact that he'd been much too indulgent in alcohol to participate in anything remotely resembling sex as a result of his inability to sustain an erection. Of course, he had gone through bouts of erectile dysfunction prior to his divorce and following the lawsuit which no doubt contributed to his wife's numerous affairs.

Richard's dark eyes opened to greet the new day and the onset of a light drizzle despite his profuse sweating due to all the alcohol he ingested the previous few hours. If he'd been cold, he didn't seem to be of the mind to care as his only concern seemed to be a half-empty bottle of rum that was sitting in the seat beside him.

"Well happy birthday to me," he said in something of a mock tone as he reached for it.

It took some maneuvering on his part as he'd still been having difficulty getting his coordination right even for a simple movement to grab the bottle beside him. He managed it after a series of short trials and errors and smiled drunkenly when he finally obtained his goal. He screwed off the top and turned up the bottle downing the dark brown liquid in a matter of minutes. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he lazily clung to the bottle, allowing it to rest between his chest and the steering wheel.

"That takes the edge off," he said briefly before leaning his head back against the driver seat headrest and closing his eyes once more. "Won't be long now."

He had been content to sit in his car and wait out the time for Rocco Morgan to open the bar, he had no other choice in the matter of course due to the fact that the bartender had his car keys.