Avoidance [Myk]
Posted: 16 Jan 2014, 10:01
There comes a time in every man’s life—no matter how stubborn he is—that he has to give up and give in. Where he has to admit that he’s probably going a little bit insane, or that the world around him is actually something akin to Alice’s Wonderland: he has to accept it and move on. Caspar, in one way or another, is determined to move on. The weather is crisp and frigid; the coat that he wears constantly might be in dire need of a dry clean, and he reminds himself daily that he’ll need to find a place where he can get it cleaned properly. Doesn’t matter, really—he finds himself indoors more often than not. In the kitchen at Arbor Vitae he hardly has time to be cold. He moves a lot, running back and forth to prepare the meals. And what with all the ovens and stoves, the griller and the fryers, cold doesn’t get a say.
When not working, Caspar goes out and gets drunk. He stays out until sunrise, a lot of the time. And then he’ll go somewhere neat to get breakfast, and soak up the alcohol. He might then see a movie, or go sit in a park somewhere to read. He’s not too keen on going home anymore, as he’s decided that he lives in the hub of hell. Hell incarnate on Earth. He knows he ought to try to do something about it – sell the flat, and buy another one in a more sane part of town. For some reason, he hasn’t quite got around to it yet. He goes home only to sleep, and even then, his sleep is fitful. He’s turned into an insomniac. It’s not doing a lot for his psychological or emotional wellbeing.
The Harper Country Pub is small as far as pubs are concerned, but that doesn’t bother Caspar much. The place serves alcohol, and that’s all that he needs. It’s about 1am. It’s the middle of the week. The only other customer is an old guy who reeks of urine, seated at the far end of the bar counter, mumbling to himself. Every now and again the man’s mumbles become shouts. The bartender ignored the old man, as if his presence is to be expected. As if he’s here every night. Caspar watches him with vague recognition; not because the man himself is familiar, but because Caspar assumes that sooner or later, that’s probably where he’ll end up. Alone, insane, always drunk, sitting in the corner of a bar with only the voices in his head for company.
Not that Caspar has any voices in his. Not yet, anyway.
His poison of choice tonight is espresso martinis. The coffee keeps him awake, and buzzing. The vodka makes him happy, and forgetful of his woes. He keeps ordering them, one after the other, a book propped open—reading, until the words become too blurry and he can’t absorb what the book says. He shoves the book back into his backpack.
Normally he would change after work, but not tonight. He’s still wearing his checked chef pants, and the white chef shirt. The bartender wipes the counter in front of Caspar, just as he’s finished putting the book away.
“Oh good. You leaving mate? I was just about to tell you we were closing,” the guy says cheerily. Caspar grunts—he wasn’t leaving, but he supposes he should, now. He downs the last of the martini, not sure that he’s quite as drunk as he wants to be just yet. Doesn’t matter. He’ll just have to stumble along until he finds the next best place. He grabs the heavy duty winter coat from the chair beside him, pulling it up over his shoulders. He dons the backpack and saunters out of the pub. He pauses on the footpath, the steam billowing instantly from his mouth and nostrils. There’s not much else in this part of Gullsborough, he’s realized. There’s a lot of greenery. Parks. Licking his lips, Caspar turned around and went back into the pub. From the bartender he managed to buy a bottle of vodka.
It is cold, yes. He probably shouldn’t be drinking alone on a park bench in the middle of the night. But the alcohol has already impaired his judgment. So he thinks – why the hell not?
He finds a park bench and all but falls down into it. His long legs stretch out in front of him. He cracks open the bottle of vodka and takes a long, hard swig. The liquid burns on the way down, warming his throat and his insides. That’ll work.
When not working, Caspar goes out and gets drunk. He stays out until sunrise, a lot of the time. And then he’ll go somewhere neat to get breakfast, and soak up the alcohol. He might then see a movie, or go sit in a park somewhere to read. He’s not too keen on going home anymore, as he’s decided that he lives in the hub of hell. Hell incarnate on Earth. He knows he ought to try to do something about it – sell the flat, and buy another one in a more sane part of town. For some reason, he hasn’t quite got around to it yet. He goes home only to sleep, and even then, his sleep is fitful. He’s turned into an insomniac. It’s not doing a lot for his psychological or emotional wellbeing.
The Harper Country Pub is small as far as pubs are concerned, but that doesn’t bother Caspar much. The place serves alcohol, and that’s all that he needs. It’s about 1am. It’s the middle of the week. The only other customer is an old guy who reeks of urine, seated at the far end of the bar counter, mumbling to himself. Every now and again the man’s mumbles become shouts. The bartender ignored the old man, as if his presence is to be expected. As if he’s here every night. Caspar watches him with vague recognition; not because the man himself is familiar, but because Caspar assumes that sooner or later, that’s probably where he’ll end up. Alone, insane, always drunk, sitting in the corner of a bar with only the voices in his head for company.
Not that Caspar has any voices in his. Not yet, anyway.
His poison of choice tonight is espresso martinis. The coffee keeps him awake, and buzzing. The vodka makes him happy, and forgetful of his woes. He keeps ordering them, one after the other, a book propped open—reading, until the words become too blurry and he can’t absorb what the book says. He shoves the book back into his backpack.
Normally he would change after work, but not tonight. He’s still wearing his checked chef pants, and the white chef shirt. The bartender wipes the counter in front of Caspar, just as he’s finished putting the book away.
“Oh good. You leaving mate? I was just about to tell you we were closing,” the guy says cheerily. Caspar grunts—he wasn’t leaving, but he supposes he should, now. He downs the last of the martini, not sure that he’s quite as drunk as he wants to be just yet. Doesn’t matter. He’ll just have to stumble along until he finds the next best place. He grabs the heavy duty winter coat from the chair beside him, pulling it up over his shoulders. He dons the backpack and saunters out of the pub. He pauses on the footpath, the steam billowing instantly from his mouth and nostrils. There’s not much else in this part of Gullsborough, he’s realized. There’s a lot of greenery. Parks. Licking his lips, Caspar turned around and went back into the pub. From the bartender he managed to buy a bottle of vodka.
It is cold, yes. He probably shouldn’t be drinking alone on a park bench in the middle of the night. But the alcohol has already impaired his judgment. So he thinks – why the hell not?
He finds a park bench and all but falls down into it. His long legs stretch out in front of him. He cracks open the bottle of vodka and takes a long, hard swig. The liquid burns on the way down, warming his throat and his insides. That’ll work.