Page 36 of Sapphire Spring

He shook his head.

She read the bottle’s label again. “Is this Dr. Brody apsychiatrist?”

He shook his head again.

“What kind of doctor are they?”

“He’s a dermatologist.”

One eyebrow went up, and she nodded. “Soa skin doctor prescribed you a powerful, take-as-needed antianxiety medication.You’ve gotpretty greatskin. Why so nervous aboutit?”

A day before, he would have kept his mouth shut or found aredirect, but it felt like telling the truth, or just a little bit more of thetruth than he usually did in a moment like this, might save him from anothermiserable and hungover morning, another long march of shame back to a temporarysobriety he’d soon obliterate. He wanted something different, and so it seemedlike his only choice in this moment was to do something different.

“It’s Chadwick.”

Shirley nodded. “Your friend with the Maserati and theyelling?”

Mason nodded.

“Do you take it every day?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Just when…”

“When what?”

“When I’m trying not to drink too much.”

“Soyou use these as a replacementfor alcohol?”

The lie he wanted to tell rose inside of him like a columnof magma. But something about the patient gaze of the woman in front of himplugged the volcano. “Sometimeswithalcohol.”

“Which could be fatal.” Shirley opened the bottle, turned,and upended it into the toilet. Then she hit flush. The sky-blue pills spunbefore they vanished. In his mind, he heard them singingBye, Bye, Byeby NSYNC. Was it his mental illness or his sanity swirling down the drain? Onlytime would tell. And if he’d lost his mind, she’d have to deal with theconsequences. She lived right next door. He followed her downstairs.

She gestured to the bottle-filled bags on the counter.“Obviously this is going to take me several trips.”

She started transferring the grocery bags into the cardboardbox they’d found in the garage. Throughout this entire ritual, it had seemed asif nothing he had done had offended her or surprised her. Like she had seen itall before. Was she a plant? Had his dad moved her in next door so she couldspring on him in a moment like this? That couldn’t be true. His dad didn’t careabout him that much.

“You’re coming to lunch with me and some friends today.”

“Today? Really? I mean, I’m not exactly at my best.”

“Two hours to clean up. How’s that sound?”

“Wow. Okay. Um… Shirley, seriously. I’m a mess. Why wouldyou want to introduce me to your friendstoday?”

She looked him dead in the eye. “Because they’re the kind offriends you need, Mason.”

To his surprise, she managed to hoist the entire box off thecounter with both hands and hardly a wince.

Boy, she was strong for her age. “Get the back door for me.”

He complied, and she stepped out into blazing morningsunlight that drove knives through his eye sockets. Halfway across his patio,she turned and winked. “Oh, and Mason, you might want to go take care of yourcar.”

She headed off in the direction of her house, leaving Masonto wonder what in God’s name he’d just done.

12

“Not today, tiny demon.”

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