Lesson 5: Speech & Actions

Ray sat on the stool by the bar with the bartender polishing the 5th glass, and the everyone crowding the place, someone on the stage pouring their heart out with karaoke. He chugged his 2nd glass of scotch, closing his eyes as the burning liquid hit heavy on his belly like an avalanche of charred coal. He looked at his watch before he registered Patricia entering the door. Ray stood and waved at her. Patricia sat before him.
“You look like hell,” Gabriella said.
“Because I am,” he said, stuffing his mouth with another glass of alcohol. His breath reeked that Patricia’s nose squinted, Patricia struggling to keep an unaffected visage. “Anyway, I just need someone to talk to.”
“What is it?” Gabriella asked.
“I think…Patricia is seeing someone else.”
“What makes you say that?” Gabriella’s hand trembled that she set them on her lap underneath the table in case Ray noticed.
Ray wept. “When I wake up, I never see her sleeping by my side, and she comes home late all the time these days.”
Gabriella dared not to lock eyes with him. Her temples pulsated. She placed her hand on Ray’s, caressing it. She pitied him. She felt guilt. She wished she never entered his life. Why did she have to win her heart?