Grief Stricken Choices

Chapter 2

When Colt got home from the funeral, the first thing he did was loosen his tie and unbutton the first three buttons on his shirt. Then he picked up the nearly empty whiskey bottle on the coffee table and gulped the rest. He then opened a new bottle taking a big drink out of it, feeling the familiar warmth flow down in his chest. He didn't bother with glasses anymore, just drank straight from the bottle. 

He took his suit jacket off and threw it over the couch and sat down with the whiskey bottle in his hand. He grabbed the remote control off the coffee table and turned on the TV. He flipped the channels until he found a basketball game. He couldn't tolerate watching movies, TV shows, or the news so he stuck with ESPN. 

Colt had been getting so many calls on the house phone that he unplugged it from the wall. He put his cell on silent, and every once and a while, he would check it to see if he had a text or call from Jared. He would only text back because he didn't want to talk on the phone.

For the next three days, Colt stayed on the couch, only getting up to go to the bathroom, get something to eat, or open another bottle. However, he hardly ate anything. In the whole three days, he had only eaten two sandwiches and a brownie. 

On the third day, he finished his last bottle and needed to take a trip to the liquor store. He had finally made his way down to some shorts after wearing his dress pants and shirt for the first two days. He decided he needed to take a shower and get dressed. He was one of those people who could drink all day and still function properly, so he made to and from the liquor store with no problem. He purchased five bottles of whiskey to make sure he was set for a couple more days. 

When he got back home, he stripped back down to just his jeans and continued watching the game on the couch.

His phone dinged. It was a text message from Jared. 

J: Just checking in to see how u are doing.

C: I'm fine. Just going thru Audrey and Zack's stuff. 

Which was a lie. He hadn't stepped one foot in Zack's room since the day of the accident. He had gone in to wake Zack up for school. He'd only been in his own room twice, only to get nice clothes for the funeral and to put Audrey's wedding rings in her jewelry box. Any time he needed something clean to wear he got it from the laundry room where Audrey hadn't finished laundry.

J: Ok well if u need anything call me.

Colt didn't reply. He decided to check his voice mail while he was holding his phone. There were a few messages from people checking on him. A few bill collectors and one from his boss. "Hey Colt, Jared said you weren't doing so good. I understand that you need some time off. So, give me a call in the next day or two and let me know about when you think you might be back. Take care of yourself." Colt deleted the message and turned up the TV.

Three weeks passed by with Colt doing the same thing day after day. He screened his phone calls, and when someone was at the door that he didn't want to talk to, he didn't answer it. He lost around ten pounds from lack of nutrition. He used all his money in the checking and savings accounts. On his kitchen table was a pile of pink slips of disconnection threats on his utilities. His boss had called several times, but Colt never answered.

He was passed out when he heard his name being called from afar. It wasn't until someone smacked his leg that he jolted awake. He saw Jared standing by the couch, staring down at him. Colt sat up as Jared looked around the living room at all the empty bottles everywhere. He hadn't been inside in a while and had never seen it such a mess. Colt ran his fingers through his hair and asked, "How did you get in here?"