Dempsey stared at Greg. He didn't have to say anything.
"I get it," Greg said, and they returned to their silence.
When the waitress returned to their table Dempsey ordered a whiskey on the rocks. He wasn't thinking about his wife when Greg asked, but now he was. Contemplating their relationship immediately inspired a bout of depression. He knew the whiskey wasn't the solution but it would help numb the dull pain in his psyche. When was the last time he and his wife had a real conversation? When was the last time they were intimate? He couldn't remember. He knew that his dalliances didn't help. They filled the empty space that he wished was filled with her time and her body, but was not. He thought back to earlier in their lives, the long conversations at their favorite restaurant or sitting on the patio of his little duplex apartment. The crazy, all-consuming lovemaking. "What happened?" he thought to himself, and immediately realized how cliche it was. He swirled the whisky in his glass, staring into the moving liquid, then drank it all in one go.
"Easy, tiger!" Greg exclaimed.
Dempsey just looked at him again, his almost-dead eyes containing that knowing look.
"Let's get back to the office." Dempsey couldn't argue.
"I get it," Greg said, and they returned to their silence.
When the waitress returned to their table Dempsey ordered a whiskey on the rocks. He wasn't thinking about his wife when Greg asked, but now he was. Contemplating their relationship immediately inspired a bout of depression. He knew the whiskey wasn't the solution but it would help numb the dull pain in his psyche. When was the last time he and his wife had a real conversation? When was the last time they were intimate? He couldn't remember. He knew that his dalliances didn't help. They filled the empty space that he wished was filled with her time and her body, but was not. He thought back to earlier in their lives, the long conversations at their favorite restaurant or sitting on the patio of his little duplex apartment. The crazy, all-consuming lovemaking. "What happened?" he thought to himself, and immediately realized how cliche it was. He swirled the whisky in his glass, staring into the moving liquid, then drank it all in one go.
"Easy, tiger!" Greg exclaimed.
Dempsey just looked at him again, his almost-dead eyes containing that knowing look.
"Let's get back to the office." Dempsey couldn't argue.
