033. Too Much


My sleep was disturbed by a warm body pressing up against me and for a minute I wasn't sure what was going on...then I smiled, it was Lorraine. I thought she'd never come to bed.

I wrapped my arms around her, but as I pulled her closer a whiff of her breath stopped me short.

"Kiss me," Lorraine mumbled at me, or at least that's what I think she said.

I pulled further away from her though. "You're drunk again," I reached out and flicked on the bedside lamp.

Lorraine immediately squinted. "Am not," she slurred.

"Yes, you are," I insisted, frowning at her, this was happening more and more lately and I didn’t know why.

"I'm NOT," Lorraine insisted, twining her arms around my shoulders. "An' even if I haf had some'ing to drink I can hold my liquor."

I shook my head at her, Lorraine had begun drinking years ago, before we started going out, before it was legal too, it didn’t really bother me...well, not exactly.

But what was going on now was totally different! A glass of champagne at someone's birthday was fair enough, but the way Lorraine was acting...she would have to have been drinking alone tonight for no reason at all.

"C'mon, Georgie," Lorraine tried to be cajoling and tried to snuggle up to me, but she misjudged the distance and almost knocked me out of bed!

I managed not to, but in doing so, I threw my arm out and whacked my elbow against the bed side table.

"Sorry!" Lorraine gasped, before dissolving into giggles.

I was holding my elbow and trying not to curse a blue streak. There was something else, though, usually I loved the sound of Lorraine's laughter, but not when she'd been drinking. It sounds more like nails on a chalkboard then.

"How much did you have tonight?" I asked rather bluntly.

Lorraine stopped mid-titter. "Oh, who counts," she shrugged, "turn off the light, Georgie, it’s too bwright."

It wasn't that bright, but I turned it off anyway, then immediately wished I hadn't, Lorraine draped herself over me and the smell of wine on her breath was overpowering.

"Uh...look, Lorrie, this...isn't the best time," I muttered, trying to wriggle away from her. "I have to get up early tomorrow..."

"You always seem to get up early," Lorraine chided me, "'how 'bout you get some'ing else up instead."

I probably would have laughed if the whole thing wasn’t so serious, if Lorraine hadn’t drunk too much wine...again.

"I can't be late for this class," I told her, glad now that I couldn't see the look on her face in the darkness. "Really, I can't."

"You s' mean," Lorraine wailed, letting go of me and moving to her side of the bed. "You act like you don't love me at all."

I didn't say anything, because...really...I didn't love Lorraine when she was like this. I had no idea what to do about it, I mean I couldn't very well tell her to stop drinking, could I? She's my wife, but I don't own her.

"Well?" Suddenly there was a rustle of bed covers. "Arn’t you gonna say some'ing?"

Before I could there was a thud and I sat up worried. "Lorrie?"

"I'm fine, I jus' fell over," I could hear her struggling to get up.

I leaned over to help her up, but she batted my hand away.

"I don't need you help!" She snapped. "Af'er all you don't wanna help a drunk."

"I didn't call you a drunk –" I protested, this was getting out of hand…

"Yes, you did," she accused me, finally getting up, but she wasn't very steady on her feet at all, she gave a sniff. "That’s what you really think."

I closed my eyes...what was I supposed to say?

"Look Lorrie, I'm sorry, really...I don’t think you're a drunk, please don't cry."

It was too late for that, Lorraine had burst into noisy tears...it was a sound much worse than her drunken laughter.

I crawled across the bed to hug her, I thought for a second she'd pull away, but instead she practically fell onto of me, sobbing harder.

All I could think was that at least this wouldn't last for long...she'd fall asleep soon enough.


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