Second Chances

Chapter 25

“My name is Nicole.”

“Why are you answering this phone?” I asked, trying to hold myself together, but I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks.

“I was just getting ready to call Mr. Fallon a cab. He came into the bar I work at and now he is quite inebriated.” She told me.

“Since when do bartenders call cabs from the customer’s phone? Don’t you people usually use the bar phone?” I was seething with anger and hurt more than words could express.

“I was getting ready to use the bar phone but then I saw your face pop up on his phone that was sitting on the bar and recognized you from last week. I figured it would be better to talk to you, make sure he gets home okay.” 

“Yeah, by the looks of that picture I’m sure you want to make sure he gets back to me,” I snapped at her.

“Picture? He sent you the picture?” She asked, sounding shocked.

“Yeah, the one with you all over him. I thought I had made it clear last week that shit won’t fly with me,” I said, rolling my eyes even though I knew she couldn’t see me.

“I had nothing to do with that picture. You can’t tell but I was trying to pull away from him,” Nicole told me.

“Really?” I asked incredulously.

“Yes, really. One minute, he was sitting there, drowning himself in gin and tonic muttering to himself and staring at his phone. The next minute he unbuttons his shirt and then pulls my face to his cheek. When I didn’t make the kissy face the first time, he made me retake it. He is the one that put my hand there… I promise. I saw how pissed you got last time… I wasn’t about to mess with it again.” I could tell by the tone in her voice that Nicole was telling me the truth.

“Motherfucker why would he do that?! That god damn son of a bitch.” I started muttering under my breath, trying to figure out why Jimmy would do something to hurt me on purpose like that.

“BUT.” Nicole said, cutting me off from cursing at him.

“….but what?” I asked, hesitantly.

“I can tell that after a while he regretted doing that.” She told me.

“How so?” I asked.

“He kept saying he was a fucking idiot for what he did, that it was a mistake.” Nicole explained. “And he kept saying that you’re the best thing that ever happened to him.”

“He told you all this?” I asked her.

“Not exactly, he was mumbling to himself and his alcohol.” Nicole explained with a chuckle. “I overheard some of what he was saying between refills.”

“Dammit why didn’t you cut him off?” I asked with a groan.

“I tried. He kept buying rounds for the house and then drinking most of them.” Nicole explained, and then lowered her voice slightly. “I made his last two gin and tonics just tonic though.”

I chuckled. “Good, I appreciate the effort. So where did my dumbass end up?”

“Society.” The bar was only a block and a half from my apartment. “Actually you know what, it’s closing time and I’m almost done. Where do you live? I can bring him to you. I wanna make sure he gets there.”

“I’m at Madison Green; I can meet you halfway if you wanna walk with him…” I told her. “It’d probably be easier than getting a cab at closing time.”

“That’s true. Give me about five minutes to lock up and I’ll be on my way.” I could hear the clinking of a few glasses as she spoke. “Do I have your permission to put a bar t shirt on him so he’s not walking down the street half naked with me?”