Things To Say Before I Go

Chapter 18: Nate

"Do you want another one?" Abby stood in front me, grabbing my fourth empty glass of beer. 

I nodded and she shook her head. "Look, I understand you're upset and yes, I agree that Jess might have been the one for you, but drinking yourself away does not help anyone." She refilled the beer and put it down in front of me. "Last one," she said, and went off to give another table their check. I knew she was right. 

I quickly downed my last beer and left some money to cover the tab on the bar. "Keep the change," I called out to Abby. 

"Make sure you take a cab!" she yelled back. 

I walked out to the street and hailed a cab. 

"You look drunk off your ass, man," the driver commented in what sounded like an Egyptian accent. I stared at him blankly. 

"I'm asking for a ride, not advice, Dr. Phil." I got into the backseat and gave him my address. 

I sat back in the seat and tilted my head back. Staring at the ceiling of that taxi, I had never felt more down and out in my life, even when I was unemployed. My head hurt like crazy. I looked out the window and watched the buildings of New York fly by. These buildings, this horrific traffic, all things I had gotten used too, living here for years. And for the first time I found myself wondering if this was really the place for me.

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I went to work the next day and sat at my computer, fighting through a hangover to get some case files finished enough to go into the filing room and be finished. I was on my fourth cup of coffee at least, and it wasn't even noon. 

"King, are you okay?" It was Jack. 

I hadn't talked to him in a while and seeing as he was my only real friend at work, I felt bad. 

"Yeah, I'm alright," I said, rubbing my eyes and running my fingers through my hair. 

"Dude, you look hungover," he said, quieter. 

"Accurate," I mumbled, looking at him through my fingers. 

He chuckled a little and said, "I'll be right back". He walked away towards the break room and I went back to my files. I wasn't back to work for very long before I heard my name being called. I turned around slowly, afraid I might topple out of my chair and saw Kelsey running towards me. 

She was a little out of breath. "Hey, what's up?" I asked. 

She inhaled a minute and said, "Not much. It's weird without her, so I just needed to talk to someone." 

I looked over into the building next door. Despite my anger towards Jess right now, Kelsey was right. It was strange seeing her desk empty. I couldn't help but want to see her sitting there, waving or winking at me, and finding this was all a dream. I shook my head. 

"You look a little rough around the edges, what happened to you?" she asked, putting her jacket on the seat next to me. 

I wiped my right eye and chuckled. "Hungover. Is it too obvious?" 

She laughed back. "Well either you got hit by a bus or you're hungover, let's put it that way." 

Just then, Jack came back from the break room with a smoothie. "Here. It's banana. It's sure to get rid of your hangover." 

I started sipping on it. "That's funny," Kelsey commented. "That's what Jess and I always do to get rid of hangovers."