girl, looking at a sight that haunts her to this day.
“Mommy…”
Chapter 4
“Cirrhosis of the liver!? What the fuck is that, Owen?”
“God damn, brother. Can you say it any louder? I don’t think the people on the other side of the field heard you,” replied a distraught Owen.
“Sorry. So what is it, exactly?”
“Basically, my liver is so scarred up that it can't function properly.”
“What does it do? Sorry, it’s been a while since high school biology. I know it like breaks down alcohol.”
“That, and a hell of a lot more.”
“Alright, so what options you got?”
“I either quit drinking and change my lifestyle, or get a whole new liver put up in me.”
Owen's brother cackled and rubbed his shaved head. “I'd bet anything, hell, I’d bet the dick right off my balls that you picked the second option.”
Taking a drink of a bottled beer, Owen nodded in response. “Hit it right on the head, brother. But there's a waiting list for it and it could take a long damn time before my name even comes up.”
“How long? A few weeks?”
“Months…years. I may not be alive when my turn comes.”
Ben, physically fit and wearing a plaid shirt with khaki shorts, took a drink himself. “So, cirrhosis is fatal?”
“More or less.”
“Then why the fuck are you even drinking then?”
“I probably shouldn't be. But I don't know...it's hard to watch a baseball game without a cold beer.”
“Lame excuse, bro.”
“That it may be. But, if I can put things on a weird positive note, I have a feeling that things are going to be alright. I actually have an appointment with a surgeon in Dallas tomorrow. I gave 'em a call on Saturday and they actually had people in the office to answer. It was their secretary, behind on work, or so she said. Sounded cute. Said that she had a cancellation recently and could fit me right in.”
“How about that...” Ben muttered. A look of disappointment crept on his face as he watched Owen take another drink, almost uncaring of his predicament.
“Hey look, Austin’s leading off,” said a focused and cheerful Owen. He was glad that the moment arose, for he hated this brutal feeling of guilt. He could feel the glaring energy of his brother’s judgement upon him.
It was a warm Monday evening. Loud chirping sounds of crickets were overpowered by the cheers of fans and parents as they watched the children play the great sport of baseball. The field was placed fairly close to a railroad, and trains would occasionally drown out all sounds whenever it thundered down the tracks. It was the same field that Owen played on as a boy. Back then, there was a chain link fence for boundaries and holes in the outfield that were never properly filled. Now, there was a state of the art sprinkler system installed within the field to keep the grass green and a metal wall that had many advertisements from local businesses drilled into the outfield wall for all eyes to see. It was Austin's first game of the year, and one could feel the enthusiasm from the kids as they took the field. Austin’s game was the last one of the night, as kids who just played the previous game sat with their parents and friends, snacking on refreshments in the stands. While the sun still hovered in the western sky, the lights above the field were already on, ready to illuminate the diamond once the sun finally set. The two brothers leaned against a chain link fence just outside the ballpark, so that they could somewhat legally consume their beverages, as the park forbid the consumption of alcohol on the premises. Even if they did drink in the park however, it was doubtful anyone would say anything, especially to the chief of the Adrienne Police Department.
Ben was 33 years of age and five years younger than Owen. While he made about the same grades as his brother, he wasn't quite the athletic baseball star that Owen was. Ben found
“Mommy…”
Chapter 4
“Cirrhosis of the liver!? What the fuck is that, Owen?”
“God damn, brother. Can you say it any louder? I don’t think the people on the other side of the field heard you,” replied a distraught Owen.
“Sorry. So what is it, exactly?”
“Basically, my liver is so scarred up that it can't function properly.”
“What does it do? Sorry, it’s been a while since high school biology. I know it like breaks down alcohol.”
“That, and a hell of a lot more.”
“Alright, so what options you got?”
“I either quit drinking and change my lifestyle, or get a whole new liver put up in me.”
Owen's brother cackled and rubbed his shaved head. “I'd bet anything, hell, I’d bet the dick right off my balls that you picked the second option.”
Taking a drink of a bottled beer, Owen nodded in response. “Hit it right on the head, brother. But there's a waiting list for it and it could take a long damn time before my name even comes up.”
“How long? A few weeks?”
“Months…years. I may not be alive when my turn comes.”
Ben, physically fit and wearing a plaid shirt with khaki shorts, took a drink himself. “So, cirrhosis is fatal?”
“More or less.”
“Then why the fuck are you even drinking then?”
“I probably shouldn't be. But I don't know...it's hard to watch a baseball game without a cold beer.”
“Lame excuse, bro.”
“That it may be. But, if I can put things on a weird positive note, I have a feeling that things are going to be alright. I actually have an appointment with a surgeon in Dallas tomorrow. I gave 'em a call on Saturday and they actually had people in the office to answer. It was their secretary, behind on work, or so she said. Sounded cute. Said that she had a cancellation recently and could fit me right in.”
“How about that...” Ben muttered. A look of disappointment crept on his face as he watched Owen take another drink, almost uncaring of his predicament.
“Hey look, Austin’s leading off,” said a focused and cheerful Owen. He was glad that the moment arose, for he hated this brutal feeling of guilt. He could feel the glaring energy of his brother’s judgement upon him.
It was a warm Monday evening. Loud chirping sounds of crickets were overpowered by the cheers of fans and parents as they watched the children play the great sport of baseball. The field was placed fairly close to a railroad, and trains would occasionally drown out all sounds whenever it thundered down the tracks. It was the same field that Owen played on as a boy. Back then, there was a chain link fence for boundaries and holes in the outfield that were never properly filled. Now, there was a state of the art sprinkler system installed within the field to keep the grass green and a metal wall that had many advertisements from local businesses drilled into the outfield wall for all eyes to see. It was Austin's first game of the year, and one could feel the enthusiasm from the kids as they took the field. Austin’s game was the last one of the night, as kids who just played the previous game sat with their parents and friends, snacking on refreshments in the stands. While the sun still hovered in the western sky, the lights above the field were already on, ready to illuminate the diamond once the sun finally set. The two brothers leaned against a chain link fence just outside the ballpark, so that they could somewhat legally consume their beverages, as the park forbid the consumption of alcohol on the premises. Even if they did drink in the park however, it was doubtful anyone would say anything, especially to the chief of the Adrienne Police Department.
Ben was 33 years of age and five years younger than Owen. While he made about the same grades as his brother, he wasn't quite the athletic baseball star that Owen was. Ben found
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