Back at it

Perl placed her glass down onto the table. It sounded like lose change as the amber ice settled down. She let out a long full deep breath emptying her lungs, as the vapor of scotch filled the air. She closed her eyes, only for a moment, and the ice settled in a little more.

A short while later, her 13-year-old daughter Christine, was working the key and jiggling the lock. The door opened; she wore a bright gleaming smile. She giggled a lot and laughed a lot. She called back to her bus mate and friend, “Emma let’s go!” Bounding through the living room, they raced to her room right past the amber glass on the table. Closing her door, she peered down the hallway towards the living room. Emma’s voice in the background could be heard saying, “Christine, there's that smell again…”

Behind the door, the two girls went right back to it, discussing the latest rave from their school day. In the midst of having a good time and laughing, her phone lit up on the floor.

Hold on Emma, I gotta answer it, it’s my dad!
Hi Dad… Emma is here. No… it’s the same thing again. I don’t know… I don’t really care anymore. I gotta go Dad, I love you.

This time the door opened again and it was dark outside and inside. A handsome gentlemen came through the door in office attire. He flicked on the light breaking the silent darkness of the living room. Perl came to, opening her eyes she shuffled her position on the couch. Christine’s dad walked over to the warm wet glass on the table, picking it up and raising it to his face, he said, “Have you been drinking again? Tell me the truth…”