and the dinner was delicious. It was a traditional Thanksgiving meal, and everyone was in good spirits, except Billy, who said nothing. Jack’s boys tried to engage him in conversation about playing football for USC, and Billy gave them short, terse answers and retreated to his room after dinner with Gabby. He surprised her by taking out a bottle of tequila and pouring shots for each of them. He had been hiding the bottle in a drawer in his dresser. Gabby looked shocked when she saw it, and refused the drink.
“That’s not cool, Billy,” she said softly. “I know you’re upset about your mom having a baby, or two of them, but getting drunk isn’t going to change anything.” Except his scholarship if he got caught.
“I’m not going to get drunk on one shot. I don’t care about my mom and her babies, and it’s Thanksgiving, for chrissake.” He had never spoken to her that way before, and when she refused the shot glass he handed her, he drank hers too. She had seen him get drunk before at parties, on beer, but she had never seen him have a serious drink, or do it because he was unhappy, not even during his parents’ divorce. It had only started once his mother had decided to marry Jack.
“You can’t do that when you’re in training,” she reminded him with a look of disapproval.
“Don’t tell me what I can do, and don’t be such an old lady,” he complained, and for a minute he sounded just like his father. Gabby was upset about it and left a few minutes later. Marilyn was surprised to see her leave so soon. But it had been easy to see that Billy was not in a good mood. It had almost ruined Thanksgiving dinner for her, except that Brian had been so sweet, and so was Jack. But Billy made it clear that he was not willing to share in their happiness. They told Jack’s two sons about the twins before dinner, and they were surprised but pleased. They hoped it would be two boys too.
She found the two used shot glasses in Billy’s underwear drawer on Monday morning, when she put his laundry away, and the bottle of tequila when she dug a little deeper. She felt her stomach turn over as soon as she found them, and called Connie immediately, and told her what she’d found.
“Shit, I don’t want him to turn into an alcoholic like Larry. I think he’s been drinking ever since Jack and I got married. And now he’s upset about the twins, so he’s doing it again.”
“That’s not a good enough reason,” Connie said, sounding unhappy at her end too. “I found a bottle of vodka in Kevin’s closet this weekend. He’s been sober since rehab, and he’s an adult now. I could say something, but he’d accuse me of snooping. He’s twenty-four years old, he’s a man living under our roof. But if he starts drinking again, his life will go right down the tubes. Mike wants him to start working with him now, and come to work full time when he graduates. But Kevin hates construction work, and he never likes working for his father. Mike is tough on him—he thinks it’s good for him.”
“I swear, sometimes I think they’re trying to kill us,” Marilyn said with a sigh, and Connie laughed. But it wasn’t funny to either of them. They both knew only too well that their sons’ futures were at risk. And Billy had so much at stake now. All his dreams were about to come true. “Let’s just hope it’s a bad phase and they’ll get their shit together soon. Are you going to say something to Kevin?”
“Mike’s going to talk to him tonight and lower the boom. He’s going to tell him that if he wants to live here, he has to stay sober and work for him in his spare time. And if he doesn’t like it, Mike says, he can move out. So it’s showdown time around here. What about you and Billy?”
“Billy is in training. He’s not supposed to be drinking. Maybe he just has ‘senioritis.’ Everyone says that their kids go nuts for a while, once they get accepted into college. For Billy, the pressure is off now
“That’s not cool, Billy,” she said softly. “I know you’re upset about your mom having a baby, or two of them, but getting drunk isn’t going to change anything.” Except his scholarship if he got caught.
“I’m not going to get drunk on one shot. I don’t care about my mom and her babies, and it’s Thanksgiving, for chrissake.” He had never spoken to her that way before, and when she refused the shot glass he handed her, he drank hers too. She had seen him get drunk before at parties, on beer, but she had never seen him have a serious drink, or do it because he was unhappy, not even during his parents’ divorce. It had only started once his mother had decided to marry Jack.
“You can’t do that when you’re in training,” she reminded him with a look of disapproval.
“Don’t tell me what I can do, and don’t be such an old lady,” he complained, and for a minute he sounded just like his father. Gabby was upset about it and left a few minutes later. Marilyn was surprised to see her leave so soon. But it had been easy to see that Billy was not in a good mood. It had almost ruined Thanksgiving dinner for her, except that Brian had been so sweet, and so was Jack. But Billy made it clear that he was not willing to share in their happiness. They told Jack’s two sons about the twins before dinner, and they were surprised but pleased. They hoped it would be two boys too.
She found the two used shot glasses in Billy’s underwear drawer on Monday morning, when she put his laundry away, and the bottle of tequila when she dug a little deeper. She felt her stomach turn over as soon as she found them, and called Connie immediately, and told her what she’d found.
“Shit, I don’t want him to turn into an alcoholic like Larry. I think he’s been drinking ever since Jack and I got married. And now he’s upset about the twins, so he’s doing it again.”
“That’s not a good enough reason,” Connie said, sounding unhappy at her end too. “I found a bottle of vodka in Kevin’s closet this weekend. He’s been sober since rehab, and he’s an adult now. I could say something, but he’d accuse me of snooping. He’s twenty-four years old, he’s a man living under our roof. But if he starts drinking again, his life will go right down the tubes. Mike wants him to start working with him now, and come to work full time when he graduates. But Kevin hates construction work, and he never likes working for his father. Mike is tough on him—he thinks it’s good for him.”
“I swear, sometimes I think they’re trying to kill us,” Marilyn said with a sigh, and Connie laughed. But it wasn’t funny to either of them. They both knew only too well that their sons’ futures were at risk. And Billy had so much at stake now. All his dreams were about to come true. “Let’s just hope it’s a bad phase and they’ll get their shit together soon. Are you going to say something to Kevin?”
“Mike’s going to talk to him tonight and lower the boom. He’s going to tell him that if he wants to live here, he has to stay sober and work for him in his spare time. And if he doesn’t like it, Mike says, he can move out. So it’s showdown time around here. What about you and Billy?”
“Billy is in training. He’s not supposed to be drinking. Maybe he just has ‘senioritis.’ Everyone says that their kids go nuts for a while, once they get accepted into college. For Billy, the pressure is off now
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