“I am not wearing this dress,” I said and walked into my living room. Walsh let out a slow whistle. “Gross, you’re my brother.” “It does look good on you,” Mika added. “It’s too tight,” I said, tugging at the waist of the dress.  “I’ll suffocate while I’m there.  I need to be comfortable while I’m doing this reading.  I don’t need to pass out … Continue reading Barfly: Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Walsh asked. I shook my head.  “Of course I’m not,” I answered, “but I have to.” He nodded and pushed the bundled stack of papers to me.  “What are you going to say to him?” Running my hands over the papers, I shrugged my shoulders. “You haven’t given it any thought?” “Oh, I’ve given it thought.  … Continue reading Barfly: Chapter Twenty-Three

  I did write Stellan that letter like the cab driver suggested.  I folded it up, put it in an envelope, and placed it on my kitchen counter. It’s now two weeks later and it is still sitting on my kitchen counter. I never knew how long two was exactly until now. Two weeks is fourteen days. Two weeks is three hundred and thirty six … Continue reading Barfly: Chapter Twenty-Two

  After seventy-two plus hours of not hearing from Stellan, I hauled my ass to a bar with Mika so I could sit and wallow in the comfort of a martini glass. “Have you been drinking all this time?” Mika asked. I shook my head. “Are you lying to me?” I shook my head and signaled the bartender for another drink. “I have copies of … Continue reading Barfly: Chapter Twenty-One

  “You’ve reached Stellan.  Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” Sighing, I hung up the phone and dropped it onto the counter of my bathroom.  I had managed to loose my best friend and more importantly my boyfriend in the span of a short night.  I couldn’t call either to talk about either.  I looked at my … Continue reading Barfly: Chapter Twenty

  I sat up and stared at my phone into the wee hours of the morning.  I had spent ninety percent of that time shedding tears in sadness and in anger.  I was sad because Stellan’s phone was still going straight to voicemail and he wasn’t returning my calls and angry because I had left to go confront Roman.  The more I thought about the … Continue reading Barfly: Chapter Nineteen

  I stood in Stellan’s kitchen quietly stirring a sauce he had tasked me with while he was pounding away at a carcass of pour cow.  “You know that piece of meat is already dead don’t you?” “I’m just following the recipe instructions,” he answered. I watched him for a moment longer and then returned to my mind-numbing task.  It was sadly the only thing … Continue reading Barfly: Chapter Eighteen

  “Well hell,” Walsh said. “Well hell?” I asked into the receiver.  “That doesn’t sound very exciting and it doesn’t sound like you’re happy for me.” “I’m completely happy for you baby sister.  I just can’t believe you finally got a boyfriend.  I was afraid Maddie would just end up having an old spinster for an aunt.” I grunted at his comment.  “I would never … Continue reading Barfly: Chapter Seventeen

  “I do not want to go to this cook out,” Roman said as he stomped around my apartment like pouting a five year old.  He collapsed onto the couch in huff, crossed his arms over his chest, and stuck out his bottom lip. “Are you finished?” I asked. “Why do I have to go?” “Because my circle of friends and Stellan’s circle of friends … Continue reading Barfly: Chapter Sixteen

  “Let me in the goddamn building.” I stared at the buzzer and then hit the button to let Mika in.  She did not sound in any better mood than when she had left me on Monday.  It was now Thursday and she seemed even more pissed than before.  Sighing, I saved the work on my laptop and then closed it. “Was that Mika?” Stellan … Continue reading Barfly: Chapter Fifteen