Luck of the Draw

Chapter 36 - Dream Weaver

Mickey nearly choked on his wine, and he sat up spluttering helplessly until she whacked him on the back and brought him a chunk of paper towel.

"Get that on my sofa and you pay for the cleaning or re-upholstery."

He waved her away. "Nothing got on your sofa; it's all on my pants... again."

"Mickey this is serious. If you breathe a word of this I will never speak to you again... I might even give the nurses at the clinic your home phone number."

"Jesus, Carly! That's downright nasty!"

"I'm warning you."

"Fine. Okay. Who the hell would I tell anyway?"

"Nobody, that's who. Absolutely nobody."

"I swear. Okay?" He finished dabbing the spots on his pants and got up to refill his glass. "So Sally Hundwinter is a senior partner in Harry's."

"Mickey!"

"Hey! Christ, I'm just making conversation with you."

She sniffed and went back to stirring the sauce on the stove. "Sorry."

"Fine." He drank some wine and shuffled about the kitchen behind her. "Do you think you can do what she wants?" A shrug of the shoulders. "Well do you know how to do something like that?"

"It's like chemistry. I was an A student in chemistry."

"So that's a yes."

"I don't know. Spices are peculiar, they don't all like one another and they don't all go with everything."

Mickey chuckled. "That sounds like my collection, we should introduce them."

She stopped stirring and turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, just kidding you."

"No, really, Mickey. What do you mean?"

"Nothing! It's just that some cacti are used as food in certain areas."

"Do you have any?"

"Not food really... no. I don't."

"You said not food. What do you mean?"

"Carly, I don't have anything that can help you."

"You said not food, which implies some other use, now what is it?"

"Good God woman, can't you take no for an answer?"

"No."

"Fine, but this stays inside these walls." He warned.

"Deal."

"Okay I have a small peyote cactus."

"Peyote. You mean you have a mescaline plant?"

"It's just a little one. It's part of my collection, Carly."

"Do you- you know?"

"Christ no! Mescaline is a hallucinogenic, it can mess you up big time. Besides, it's only about eight years old, they take years to mature."

"But it would depend on the amount, right?" She persisted.

"I don't think I like where this is going."

"Am I right?"

"I suppose. Yes. Sure, a small amount wouldn't be too dangerous."

"And you have a peyote in your collection."

Mickey's face closed and he avoided her eyes. "Whatever you're thinking, forget it."

"You really have one don't you?"