The Dysfunctional Affair

Hangovers

In the morning, I felt like crap. I had passed out at my dining room table. Ivan and Zeke were still passed out. I thought about pointing out they were crappy body guards, but the truth was, I didn't care. They deserved to be passed out. I didn't remember most of the night. There were over a dozen whiskey bottles scattered around the room.

Even more surprising, Alex and Sebastian were both passed out in my living room. At some point, we had called in reinforcements, probably for the booze and not our protection. Anubis, my largest Great Dane, let out a small yowl. There was an empty bottle of whiskey next to him. He stood up, took two steps, and face planted. My dog was drunk. He flopped onto his side and let out the yowl again. It was a sound I had never heard from him.

Marduk, his brother, answered the yowl with a similar noise. Baldur got to his feet and staggered to the water bowl. He lapped at the water, one foot off the ground, his butt slightly lower than the rest of his body.

"The Great Danes are drunk!" I shouted.

"Jeez, Nadine," Ivan groaned.

"My dogs are drunk. How did my dogs get drunk?" I asked.

"I don't remember," Ivan answered. "I don't remember much after Alex called me. Did they ever come over?"

"Yes," I kicked Alex's leg. She groaned. "My dogs are drunk."

"It was your idea," she rolled over. "You're the one that gave Anubis an open bottle to commiserate with us about your upcoming nuptials."

"Wow!" Anthony walked into the room. I hadn't heard him enter. My dogs all yowled again. "Are they drunk?"

"Yes," I snapped at him. "In theory, it was my idea. I feel bad for them."

"You should feel bad for yourself. Your mother is going to pick out invitations this afternoon. You're getting married on Valentine's Day." Anthony told us.

"That's impossible. It's January. These things take time." I told him.

"Not with your mother." Anthony looked around. "Oh, I'm guessing that's what the whiskey was about."

"Yes," Zeke stood up. "We realized we couldn't talk her out of it, so Ivan came over with whiskey. She's done this before."

"I know," Anthony answered. "Hangover breakfasts?"

"If I eat, I'll die," Ivan told him. "I need to call work and Amy."

"That's why I'm here," Anthony said. "Amy called and asked me to check on you. She's the one that told me about Melina picking out invitations today. Amy called work for you and said there was a family emergency. Zeke, you good?"

"I'm great," he started singing I'm Getting Married in the Morning.

"Stop or I'll shoot you," I told him. "If you keep shouting, I'm going to shoot you too. And we are not having breakfast, my head cannot stand the idea of pots and pans banging around. I don't think the reality will be any easier on me." I glared at Anthony. He smiled back.

"Hey, if she shoots you, you might be able to get out of the wedding," Ivan offered.

"Is there any more whiskey?" I asked.

"No, the dogs finished off all the bottles," Sebastian sat up on my living room floor. "After everyone passed out, there were a couple of bottles left. Anubis, having had a taste, decided he wanted more. They managed to figure out how to open the bottles."

"How do you know that?" I asked Sebastian.

"Because I didn't drink like you guys," Sebastian looked at me. "I had three shots, and I can handle that. I did attempt to take the bottles away from the dogs, but Baldur snapped at me."