He Was My Brother (Greg)

Honestly, Greg never thought he and Sean could ever see too much of each other. He had always missed the man’s company, but now that he was in the same vicinity as him again, well, it felt like a bit of the good life had returned. It wasn’t something he had planned on, but it was something he was learning to cherish. In no way was he jealous of his friend and his lover. Greg knew that eventually, he would make more friends. Once he was sober enough to remember the people he met around here. Already he was building quite the reputation for being a drunk. He’d been called worse things in his life.

Greg was pleasantly surprised to find himself in a bar he hadn’t been to yet. The scenes around town were starting to get old, and he was glad Sean knew the place well enough to let his old college friend try something new. The drive to the bar had been pleasant and filled with Greg’s jokes. Something to fill the void that alcohol simply couldn’t.

“Are you sure you know what I like?” Greg had asked Sean, who left before Greg could say or do anything else. He slid into what seemed to be a comfortable booth and sighed, his hands folded in front of him on the table. He was secretly hoping that they would just have a good time, and not talk about anything that would make him cry.

Taking the drink, Greg laughed before taking a sip. “Mm, seems you do know what I like after all,” he smiled at Sean. “I haven’t got a lot to say. Other than visiting all the bars in town, and looking for a bit of work, my life hasn’t changed much.” Indeed it hadn’t. He was emotionally the same, still distraught and unwilling to deal with reality. “I will accept your drink offer though.” Anything, to avoid talking about feelings. Damn Sean and his psychotherapy.

The only person Greg missed in New York, was Nathan. The place had so many memories, but that was the most prominent one. It didn’t matter where he went now, Nathan wouldn’t be there. He had a few friends he had left behind in New York, but after Nathan had died, his friends started drifting away. It was his own doing, since he pushed everyone away in order to work through his legal affairs. It was a total disaster. There had been no binge drinking little more than a year ago, so now he was making up for lost time.

Greg smiled at his friends, his eyes bright. “What was that about not saying anything, hmm?” He seriously doubted he could guess/remember Sean’s favorite drink. Everything was the same to him. Lifting his glass in the toast, Greg allowed their glasses to come together, “Huzzah,” he said in response to Sean, taking a sip of his drink. “May the night begin.”

There was time to deal with reality, Greg just didn’t feel like it right now. “Well I’ve been trying to help Ms. Gold with her campaigning, but I don’t exactly get paid for that.” He gave Sean a quizzical look. “And, well, who needs an architect exactly?” He asked. The work would remind him of Nathan, but it didn’t matter really. Everything reminded him of Nate, it didn’t matter what he did. At least if he was working, it would keep him preoccupied.

Greg couldn’t let go of his glass. The drinks had become a shield. He quirked up an eyebrow. “Since when have you owned a boat?” He was making assumptions, but that was alright, Sean wouldn’t judge. “In any case, that sounds lovely. I’d be up for that.” Greg smiled a bit, taking another swig of his drink. “How’s Josh? You two getting along splendidly as usual?” He was genuinely interested in knowing about his friends.

Bragging made life memorable. Erika Young wasn’t ringing any bells, but still, that didn’t matter as much as what she was offering. Greg simply nodded along without asking anything, before grinning like mad. “Please do, I have too much time on my hands,” he said, taking a swig of his drink. Too much time to think about his life and what he wished he had done and what he wished he hadn’t done. “We might get along, being strangers in the same town and all,” he said, fishing for some more information about this Erika. “Be sure to give her my number as well.” It would be a welcome distraction, and if a friendship ensued that would be a bonus. But it didn’t really have to happen either.

Laughing with Sean, Greg placed a hand to his forehead in mock shame. “Ah, the things I tend to avoid. It just seemed to make more sense, you coming to the Big Apple than me coming to some small boring town,” he said, not trying to insult the place or the people he now called home. Greg’s eyes lit up, and it wasn’t from the liquor. “Next weekend. I think I’m free,” he said with a smirk, mentally scratching out ‘drink ‘til you’re passed out’ from his day planner. “Can we fish around here? Or are the boats for show?”

Greg practically spat out his drink. “Do I want to know where said pain in your knees his coming from?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. While Greg really didn’t want to know about their sex life, and was hinting at it, really he knew that Sean was talking about getting up there in years. It wasn’t something Greg wanted to think about. “On the plus side,” he said, tilting his drink around playfully, “this stuff seems to affect me more than it used to.” He was truly glad everything was well between his two oldest friends.

“It’s no rush really,” he said, trying not to sound too excited because God forbid that Sean thought he was excited about potentially having a job. Of course, Sean would already know that, he could read minds. This didn’t really bother Greg that much, so long as Sean didn’t tease him too much. “Sunday nights are perfectly perfect for drinking though, so you can tell me the verdict on Monday afternoon,” he said a grin on his face and a drink in his hand. Every night was perfect for drinking. Unless there was no alcohol or immobilized. It was a hobby, of course...

Perhaps Sean could make a list of Things To Do in Pilot Ridge. A list that didn’t consist of every bar, club, or restaurant that served alcohol, like Greg’s List had. Greg smiled grandly. “Well if you supply the boat, I can supply the rest.” He had bought a fishing rod and a tackle box along with a bunch of other hobby type things to get his mind off of memories. Knitting things, and photography things. Literature things such as books. He had no idea how to use any of said stuff (except reading, naturally), but he was determined to learn, even if it meant looking like a fool in the process.

“Oh, don’t thank me just yet,” he said, though the subject had been dropped between Greg’s laughter. He really didn’t want to be reminded of something he missed. Of someone he missed. Greg rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah...” he said, before laughing again. He was only teasing. The last time someone mentioned the buddy system had been, well, a long time ago.

“On that note though...” Greg started waving his arms over his head frantically, getting one of the server’s attention. Once he accomplished that, he started to make eating motions with his fake fork and knife. It seemed to do the trick as the server went behind the counter to grab two menus. “I’ll put the food on my bill,” he said, a dapper smile on his face.

“So what are you doing with your summer when the high school’s fresh out of minds to mold?” He asked, trying to keep the subject matter, although he suspected Sean had asked him out for a specific reason. Sean was just one of those people Greg could read like a book. It was probably due to years of knowing the man.

Greg laughed and shook his head. “No my friend, reliving college would require a new body.” Oh how great it would be to bounce back so quickly from a drinking binge. Alas, those days were good and gone. Now drinking was done to keep from being lonely. He supposed that rang true in college as well, but that had been a little more light hearted. Greg couldn’t imagine trying to get through the classes Sean took while hung over, but he never had to deal with that, since he was in a different stream altogether. How he got his degree didn’t matter as much as the fact that he had one.

“Lunch will do, no need to harass the piss out of me,” he said, a glimmer in his eye. Leave it to Sean to bring out the hardcore music when it wasn’t necessary. Something awful was playing over the speakers in the bar as they conversed, something Greg only noticed because they were talking about music now. He cringed, “Music just isn’t the same anymore.” He chuckled to himself. “I really do sound old.”

“I really am looking forward to it,” Greg admitted, unafraid to let Sean how mind numbingly bored he had become since moving to Pilot Ridge. Well, he supposed that anyone would find such a quiet life boring after having to deal with the murder of a spouse and all the legal matters involved. Yes, Pilot Ridge was boring when compared to such a life. Greg just wasn’t at that grateful stage. Fishing would give him a push in that direction. “Can you teach me to crochet as well?” And for once, Greg wasn’t trying to be a smartass, he was genuinely interested.

“Oh no no no no, oh contraire my friend, I need that summer trip!” Greg didn’t want to sound desperate, but well, you couldn’t always stop things from happening. If Sean and Josh didn’t want to go anymore, he would have to find a way to get there on his own. Maybe do a little hitchhiking. It would be an adventure, just not as good solo. “I wasn’t sure, since we haven’t spoken about it in a while.” He shrugged. He didn’t want to bother Sean all the time, only some of the time.

“A BBQ...” Greg smiled, looking down at the table. His fingers fidgeted with one of the mini-menus that were always on the tables. “Yup, that’s it. I’m having ribs!” He was ready to order food, and perhaps another drink. “Yes, a BBQ does sound nice,” he cast Sean a smirk, “will there be ribs? Or is it a BYOM?”

Greg scoffed. “Well I don’t know about you, but I think I’m still in pretty good shape.” And with that, Greg flexed his biceps, which clearly hadn’t been put to good use in a while. Still, he wasn’t as bad as he thought he could be. He laughed. “Really I’m more concerned with what’s going on on the inside.” Like the state of his liver, for example.

“I know!” It was nice to have someone to sympathize with. “They’re only getting stuck in your head because the lines are the same over and over again, for three or four minutes straight.” Greg made a puke face and then giggled to himself. Why did music have to be so terrible these days? “I think you should ban bad music at the school. And if not you, then somebody should.”

Greg frowned a bit. “I’ve tried watching some YouTube videos, they really don’t help.” He laughed and sighed. “Apparently it’s easier to-” But Sean was already saying the same thing and Greg held his breath. “I want to make a scarf for winter.” It was a small goal, but hey, it would probably keep him away from bars a little longer than usual.

Sean sipped from his cup, which was growing empty. He would need to either request a refill or switch to a different type of liquor in a few minutes, although he had time to make that decision; the bartender looked busy enough. “No, we’re still planning on going. I think all three of us could use the time away.” Sean smiled then, but the words were true. “Josh is very excited; he’s never left the country before.”

“I’m really excited... too...” Greg’s eyebrows furrowed as he paused, staring at Sean. It took a lot of effort not to let his jaw drop. “He’s never been out of the country?” Greg laughed a bit, before touching his chin and letting his hand fall to the table. “You’re joking, this is a joke, right?” It was just hard to believe that someone our their age hadn’t been out of the country before. Well, if it wasn’t a joke, Josh was going to have one hell of a time! Especially with the trip they were planning.

Greg had tried to be a vegetarian once. It seemed like a good idea. But he quickly became like a small child who wanted something simply because he was no longer allowed to have it. It was probably best to allow meat into his diet, instead of going on burger-binges while claiming to be a vegetarian. He was a happy omnivore now. “Is it BYOB too?” He asked with a smirk, because he’d probably end up consuming more alcohol than food. And he would understand if that was too much to accommodate.

Playing with the small menu, a server did finally approach them and Greg ordered a half-rack of the beloved ribs. “I didn’t think I had the munchies,” he informed Sean. It was vital information of course. “Don’t do anything else on my account, really, I’ll be happy just to be around people.” He was happy just thinking about it. “I have this great recipe for ribs, Nate and I found it online, but tweaked it to our liking.” He smiled, his finger brushing repeatedly over the rim of his glass.

“Oh I’m not worried,” Greg said, and to prove his point he took another sip of his drink. Well, he was sort of worried, but Greg didn’t want to let the fear of dying stop him from truly living.

“Okay, I’ll get you a pair of earplugs for Christmas,” he suggested and then laughed. “I’m sure the school would love that,” he said, responding to his own comment. Maybe he didn’t need too many friends if this whole talking to himself thing would continue. “You should sing along with your students, that might shut them up,” he suggested, in a very loving tone of course. The children were their future.

Greg just kept on laughing. He just assumed Sean was being a stick in the mud, because unlike his friend, Greg couldn’t read minds and often, he missed hints. “Well good! I’m excited!” And he really was. Greg could be an ass sometimes, but he was a lovable ass.

Raising his hands in defeat, Greg’s eyes grew wide. “Well no, I wasn’t planning on beating any records at the barbeque.” He said, another grin breaking across his face. He would have his usual, and might even try to stay sober for as long as possible, so he would actually remember people when he milled about town.

“Good,” Greg said simply, because Sean knew Greg was a people person. Lately that side of his personality hadn’t been nourished, but anything seemed possible now that he was starting over. It wasn’t east, but nothing about life had been easy so Greg wasn’t expecting anything less. “I’ll be sure to e-mail it to you.” He said with a small smile.

Nate, he was around every corner. It was why Greg took another sip and why he seemed to be perpetually doing so. Maybe he really did need counselling.