Foolish Mortals

Chapter 9

gour-man-dize

ɡo͝ormənˌdīz

verb

indulge in good eating; eat greedily.

synonyms: overindulge, binge, feast, gorge, surfeit, gluttonize

It was time.

I took a deep breath as I stared at the urn standing on my kitchen counter. It looked like it could be a cookie jar, or a place to keep my spare keys. It didn't look like a dead friend.

"That's Isaac," I told myself aloud, blinking hard.

I'd been able to pay a fee to get the ashes from the county, as nobody else was going to. Apparently they were more than happy to get rid of unclaimed bodies, as they had a surfeit. I sighed and reached forward, clasping my hands around the urn and lifting it. Surprisingly heavy. I juggled it under one arm as my phone began to buzz and I reached for it.

"Hey Robbie," I said as I carefully set the urn back down. Definitely didn't want to spend the evening sweeping my friend's ashes up from the kitchen floor.

"Hey Jack. I'm with Devon, we were about to head out, but we never set up where to meet. Want to go to the usual place?"

"No, actually... I was thinking maybe we could go to Dubliner. It's in Fremont." I held my breath, hoping I wouldn't have to explain myself.

"Sure, sounds good. See you in like an hour?"

"Cool," I agreed. "I'm bringing... uh... Isaac, with me. Figured we can maybe wander around the neighborhood and find a good place for him."

"Yeah, we can talk about it." Robbie's normally shy voice got choked up over the words. "Thanks Jack."

"No problem, Robbie. See you guys soon."

By the time I arrived in Fremont, it was completely dark. As I walked towards the more populated area of the neighborhood, I spotted the famed Fremont Troll, keeping its eerie, stony watch underneath the bridge. I hesitated, using my phone as a light to peer around it for the dumpster. 

I had picked this bar for its proximity to the place Isaac's body had been discovered. I knew it was a shot in the dark, but I thought maybe I could find Simone hanging around the area. I figured if we didn't see her at the bar, we might at least see her wandering around the neighborhood, or in another establishment. And if not - hey, at least I was trying something. Which was more than Liam had been doing these past few days. 

I made my way up a few more blocks, avoiding the curious stares of passing party goers. I let out a breath of relief as I pushed my way into Dubliners, a small dive bar that was crowded with noisy college students, hipsters, and one small bachelorette party in the corner. The warmth stung my nose, along with the heavy scent of spilled beer and whiskey.

"Jack!"

I glanced up at the shout of my name and saw Robbie and Devon perched on bar stools, tucked into a corner. I hurried through, shoving my way into the crowd until I reached them. They'd saved me a stool between them, and I hopped up into it, placing the urn gingerly on the bar.

"Hey guys, thanks for saving me a seat," I said, raising my voice over the din of the bar. "I brought a friend, hope you don't mind." I gestured to Isaac in the urn.

"He's welcome anytime." Devon was clearly already a few shots in, drunk and slurring his words. He clinked the urn with his glass of whiskey. "This one's for you, buddy."

I swung around to wrap one arm around Robbie, hugging him to my side and patting his cheek. "Hey Robbie. How're you, darlin'?"

"Okay, I guess." Robbie stared down at the bar, dabbling his finger in a drop of spilled whiskey. "It's hard."