The Cabin

Chapter 48

Simon sat in the dark on the edge of Melanie's bed, listening to the silence that was enveloping him. He was tired, his body ached, and his eyes were burning. He couldn't remember if he had slept. He couldn't remember going to the cabin. The last thing he remembered was sitting in his hotel room, anxiety building, wanting a drink. He vaguely remembered wanting to climb out of his window, something very unlike himself. He couldn't imagine he would have gone through with it.

His phone vibrated and the screen lit up, garnering his full attention. He picked up the phone, seeing a message from Sam.

"Where the hell are you?"

He frowned, looking at the date on the screen. He'd had blackouts before, but never while on the job, and never for days at a time. He really needed to sort himself out. Maybe a stint in rehab during the break before the tour was called for. It wouldn't be the first time. He had been forced into rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous once in college. He hadn't gotten fully sober, but had been able to control his intake until he created his company, 19 Entertainment. He hadn't gone to rehab then, but had gotten back into the habit of attending AA meetings again and sobered up for the second time.

Then, he took on the girls.

He knew immediately upon meeting them that they would be huge. They were just what the industry needed. There had been nothing but boy bands and a few R&B girl groups at the time. There hadn't been a girl group in the pop genre in years. The girls were wonderfully chaotic and had larger than life personalities. They didn't need him to succeed, they just needed him to get their foot in the door, and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to take them on.

But with the chaos of trying to tame these five boisterous young women came the urge to imbibe. They weren't just clients. Whether he wanted it or not, they had instantly become daughters to him. He had to act as peacemaker, keep them reigned in, be a shoulder to cry on, all while keeping them convinced they couldn't succeed without him. It was much more than he had thought he had signed up for. But he didn't have a choice. He had to keep the girls happy, keep them from killing one another, in order for them to reach their full potential and bring in the money.

One year in and he was immediately back at the bottle. Just a few drinks here and there to calm himself before bed soon became weekend benders whenever he had the chance, then a few drinks daily just to keep up with everything.

Three years of sobriety gone.

He looked up and found himself standing at the top of the stairs. He couldn't remember standing up, let alone ascending the staircase. Geri and Mel were sitting in the living room drinking tea. They had been conversing, but had stopped when they had heard him enter the room.

The ungrateful bitches had probably been talking about him behind his back.

He caught himself and shook his head, not sure where the thought had come from. He could vaguely hear the girls talking to him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He couldn't control the expression on his face or the words coming from his mouth. He wasn't really sure what he had said. A short conversation was had, then he walked to the kitchen, his body on autopilot. He was just along for the ride.

He must have blacked out again. He was sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. He wasn't keen on bacon, but it was on his plate and he was cutting into it. He stopped what he was doing, moving on to his eggs instead. He looked curiously around the table, not sure when everyone else had joined him.

Had someone laced his drinks with something? Was this a lasting affect from something he had consumed?

Was it permanent?