บท 9: The Partaking
The second bottle was already consumed fast. The indication on the liquid line had receded and it was less than half of the bottle, and my guest was still sober as I was; I, who was taking a controlled drink. Just like in the first bottle, she hit the second greedily as if I might put a stop to her binge and cut short her satisfaction.
I checked the time in my watch and it was only eleven past. The effect of alcohol on her was beginning to manifest, and so did the showing of her loathsome behavior which began to hit my nerves, coupled that with her appearance that I was not expecting to be such worse, my attitude towards her had greatly changed. It changed during that time when the full light of my bulb shined on her and brushed aside the darkness-aided covering of her tent to expose a disquieting revelation. To me, she was no longer a person but an animal. If I was just making an excuse to make myself feel not to be guilty, then detesting her to the utmost would just be the best excuse. She seemed to read what was on my mind and quickly shot me her reply to my deep musing. "I don't like you the first time you approached me. I don't like you at all," she said.
Her words took me by surprised. She was like a gusty wind with an unpredictable erratic movement. In a given moment she was mute, and then the opposite would come unexpectedly. She said the words while shaking her head hard causing the saliva that had settled on the sides of her mouth to be forcefully spewed out spraying the table with her scum. The slurred speech and the droopy eyelids were both turned into a synchronize mode creating a comic face talking in a slow speed audio. She had difficulty sitting straight and had to anchor her elbows on the top of the table to hold her front upper torso from slumping down forward, while never a second attempted to release the glass from her hand.
"That so? When did you change your mind?" I said.
"The moment I found out that you're not obnoxious." She said it with a thick tongue while her mouth made a pout and vigorously pointed it from side to side. Her sniffing which I hardly noticed before had also revealed itself markedly. So she found me obnoxious then. The impudence of a tramp!
"Glad that you and I are friends," I said.
"You really glad?"
"Of course I am. Are you not friend with me?"
She cleared her throat. "I become suspicious when people ask me that."
"So, you're suspicious now?"
"Ask me that question when I'm not drunk."
"So, you're drunk now."
"Is that a question?"
"No, I'm just repeating what you said." She cleared her throat again and again.
"I need some drink," she said.
"You're already drinking," I said. She lifted her face and tried to open her half-closed droopy eyes to look at me, to look at my face if I was making fun of her.
"Water," she said. The booze had dried her throat and wanted to flush the dryness from the lining of her esophagus. I made a sigh and went to get the water pitcher from the top of the safe. Even with my small intake the accumulation of alcohol was having an effect on my system and my annoyance was starting to take hold on me. How long could I keep my patience? I couldn't seem to see an opening; she was still so normal. The alcohol had not had an effect on her alertness even when she had already drunk more than a liter. I mumbled a curse at the uncooperative situation. "Is that a curse?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm cursing the numbness on my foot." Jesus, she seemed to hear everything. I took another walk to the bathroom. As I relieved myself a thing entered my mind. I noticed that for once since we started she had not entered the bathroom. Soon she had to expunge the toxic liquid from her kidney and that realization lightened me up. She would use the bathroom later, and she must, before the crack of dawn.
"Is there something in your mind that you want to share with me?" she said, after I took my seat.
"Huh, wh— what? What do you mean?" Her question caught me off guard.
"I've been noticing that you're constantly in deep thought." she said.
"I've always been in deep thought as my face suggests, but don't take it seriously because it suggests the contrary," I answered defensively.
She cleared her throat twice, then sensing something was inside her nostrils she decided to pick it with her index finger and followed it by the blowing of her nose. Her act nearly triggered me to throw my glass at her. The shaking of my hands in anger which I tried unsuccessfully to suppress had to be hidden from her sharp eyes. I had already concluded sometime ago that her eyes had had full suspicions on my every move. Better to make my actions inconspicuous from her mistrustful eyes than to be offended repeatedly by her suspicions and accusations. I had been holding my temper for a long time, and I was afraid I would not be able to keep a hold on it much longer.
"I heard a lot about you. People told me you're getting richer by the day. You have lots of productive deals, so they say, and I assumed they're paying off, "she said. She's opening another front to abuse me.
"You believe so much in gossips. If I believe tales whispered to me like you do in believing others, you might be surprised to learn what people were telling about you behind your back and —"
"And?" she said, repeating the last word of my speech.
"And they were numerous," I said, satisfying her query.
"You're making me laugh," she said, snorting.
"Yes. Those whispers were truly laughable," I said.
"For all I know you're one of them who talk behind my back." I wasn't expecting that accusation, but I understand her malicious mind was progressing into its excellent form.
"That's absolutely wrong," I said.
"Then how do you know people were talking about me?"
"They were the ones gossiping about you not me. That was how I came to know." She cleared her throat again, this time in one long aherm sound.
"You said numerous. I want to hear one."
"Oww, don't waste your time, they were just inane and frivolous."
"I said I want to hear one!" she yelled. She had raised her voice and showed a facade of anger in her face. I could see her hands closed into fists. If I wanted to, I would be the first to give her a fast, hard smack on the face before she could ever lay a hand on me. I opted to totally ignore her. Her intimidation would not last the night. I took a glance at her and saw something that was not there before. Her droopy eyes had changed into piercing eyes penetrating me. The thunder inside her was roaring to unload. I will keep the peace as long as —
"Ok, I'll give you one. You mentioned me getting rich. Well, I still have a long way to get there, but you are already a rich lady. That was what they're telling me. You have lots of money" I said. There was a conspicuous alarm showing in her face. I had hit a raw nerve. She stared at me in silence and never was a blink made by her eyes on that eternal stare.
"You're an idiot if you believe those idiots," she eventually said after her long silence. I have money alright after begging. It can hardly feed me and yet these…those scoundrels are spreading nasty talk that I'm rich.
"They want to kill me. They want to starve me. They want people to withhold their support for me by spreading lies. There will be a proper place for those swine when I'm done with them." I didn't have to take her word to be true, but I could sense a trace of bitterness for being betrayed. She was upset that her secret had been compromised so she was delivering a veiled warning to the messenger, and hopping that that same messenger would deliver the threat to her betrayers. I honestly believed that I was on top of her list.
"I want to correct you in your accusation a while ago. I'm not saying things behind your back. I considered you a friend, and friends don't do that to their friends." I said. Her eyes was not on me when I said those lines. She was looking past me. I turned my back to look where her eyes were focused at. She was looking at the bottles on top of the rusty safe. Lying besides those bottles were a bottle opener, a can opener, and a knife with a serrated edge.
ของขวัญ
-- ได้รับของขวัญแล้ว สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง