Chapter Thirty Eight

The heavy bottle clanked against the granite counter top as Jon grimly set it back down after pouring himself a generous two fingers of whiskey. He wasn’t normally a man for the hard stuff but then again thankfully not everyday was as shitty as this one had been. Taking a long swallow, he grimaced as the alcohol kicked his stomach hard. Glass chinked against crystal as he topped up the drink once more and then headed for the balcony. A gust of wind slammed against him as he stepped outside, making him shiver and zip up his coat to the last. The heavy clouds seemed to zip over the city’s skyline, enshrouding everything in a damp mist in their wake. Setting the whiskey down, he cupped his hands to light a cigarette. He’d been doing pretty good on cutting down lately but right now he didn’t give a damn. The nicotine seeping into his system along with the punch of the alcohol gave him a pleasant light headed feeling. Blinking to clear his mind, he took another sip from the glass and listened to the distant sirens and car horns that made up New York’s never ending melody.

Once his initial anger had simmered after finding out that Dot had told the kids about the divorce, he had actually managed to have a somewhat civil conversation with her. He didn’t blame her for being so bitter, in fact he was somewhat amazed they’d come as far as they had. She’d been there from the start, when he was a scruffy long haired nobody scrounging for a record deal all the way through the dizzying heights that the nineties had brought. Taking a long pull from his cigarette, he watched as the smoke was instantly whisked away in the wind. The next gust brought a fresh squall of rain with it, instantly quenching his smoke. Tossing the sodden filter in the ashtray, he grabbed his glass and hastily made his way back inside to the warmth of the apartment. Once the door slid shut behind him muffling the sounds of the city, the silence and emptiness of the place hit him.

“Fuck this!”

Pulling off his coat, he flicked open his phone to call Richie before remembering he wasn’t due back in town till tomorrow. “Shit!” Flinging his coat on the back of a nearby chair he strode over to where he’d left the bottle, sloshing a generous measure back in the glass. Just as he was about to throw it all down his neck, his phone came to life, ringing noisily in his pocket. He smiled gratefully as Jenn’s name flashed back at him.

“Hey baby”

“Hey yourself! How’s things?”

Cradling the phone under his chin, he scooped up his glass and headed for the recliner, landing in it with a thump as he sighed down the phone.

“Truthfully? Pretty crap right now!”

Jenn’s worried voice came back down the line softly. “Trouble at home?”

“You could say that………”, pausing to wearily rub his face, Jon could feel his temples starting to throb, “Dot told the kids about the divorce while we were away…”

Jenn was silent for a moment, debating whether to tell him what Steph had told her that afternoon. The last thing she wanted was to come between them. The decision was taken out of her hands however when Jon continued speaking.

“ ……I need to talk to Steph and the rest of the kids tomorrow, sort this out with them myself.”

“Yes, you do.” Jenn’s voice faltered slightly. “Jon…..I’m sorry for all this, it’s not easy on any of you.”

Jon smiled into the phone, crooking an eyebrow, “I know baby, you know what would make it easier?”

“What?”

“If you came over here tonight, what do you say?” Right now as he lay sprawled across the comfortable recliner he could think of nothing better than having her beside him.

“Into the city?” Jenn snorted and laughed. “I’d get lost! Might be able to find you by Christmas!”

“You just get yourself ready, I’ll have a car to pick you up in twenty…..okay?” Jon knew he was panicking her but heck he couldn’t bare to be alone a moment longer than it took to get her here.

After a moments pause, Jenn agreed and hung up. Dropping the phone on to his lap, he smiled and took another swallow from his glass. Maybe today wouldn’t end so bad after all.