The Favoured, The Fair and Ms. Vérité Claire

9 Not Tonight, Josephine (Part 2)

"'If you must know, I am in love with the most beautiful creature the Lord ever made, and she won't have a man who drinks so I've not touched the stuff since I promised her I'd give it up.'"

Seeing as how Orson was doing the accents, Julia twisted under her seatbelt to face him, tracing with bleary eyes the long line of his nose in profile. He simply went on.

"'Got you on a leash, has she?'" the drunk says. "'Does she want a man or an obedient dog?'

"'As far as I'm concerned she can have anything she likes. She's an angel, she is.'

"'And only for that you'll let a poor old soul drink alone? Let's have just one. She'll never even know.'

"The Irishman sighs. 'I am sorely tempted, but I won't lie to the woman I mean to make my wife.'

"'I see,' the drunk says. 'And might I ask the name of the angel who's stolen your heart?'

"'Katie Sleane,' the man says proudly. Then he thinks on it and decides he'll stay and take a cup of tea.

"'And where did you meet this angel when she came out of the heavens?'

"'In front of her family's farm. The pink house on Pine Road," he says.

"We should all be so lucky,' says the drunk. 'Let's have a drink to celebrate the matter.' The man tut-tuts and the drunk laughs. 'Surely, the bride to be wouldn't object to a toast in her honour and you can't have a proper toast with tea.'

"'Well...' the man thinks it over.

"'Sure she wouldn't begrudge or notice a small drop of whiskey in your tea. In her honour, as I said.'

"'Well...'

"'Come on. Come on. She'll never know. Just between two friendly strangers, where's the harm?'

"'Alright,' the young man says, and he orders a shot. 'But just one.'

"'What she doesn't know won't hurt you,' the drunk says.

"The whiskey comes, strong and dark. The man pours it into his hot cup and savours every drop while they toast to his love. When they finish, the drunk stands from his chair and wraps himself up in his scarf.

"'You're leaving?' the man asks, sort of confused.

"'I've been drinking since lunch and it's time to go home,' says the drunk. He calls to the barman. "My friend here will pay for his tab and clear up mine too.'

"'Just a minute!' the man says. 'What makes you think I'll be paying for all those empty glasses?'

"The drunk smiles and says, 'Cause if you don't, I'll march right over to the pink house on Pine Road and holler, Katie Sleane! Your fella's down at the pub drinking whiskey in his tea!'"

A smile broke on Julia's face. Not a laugh exactly, but Orson tried not to seem too pleased with himself.

"Is that a joke or a true story?"

"It's a joke," he said.

"That's not a joke."

"You wanted to laugh didn't you?"

"It's a story."

"Fine. It's a story and the moral is, is not what people say, it's what they do."

He pulled up to Julia's building and seemed a little surprised when Julia invited him upstairs. She ignored it. He accepted. "Yeah, okay."

Leading the way up the stairs to her unit, Julia paused, unable to stand her ballet flats one second longer. As she bent over to remove them she nearly spilled out of her dress. Fortunately, Orson was behind her. It dawned on Julia that it was the first time she was bringing a man up to this apartment; the first man in nearly four years period.  Of course she had wondered, as any curious human would, whether Orson was actually  interested in or even attracted to her, but the answer seemed to be a safe, resounding, meh.