“Oh yeah? Is your missus wife number two?” I ask as I fit the blood pressure cuff over his arm.
“No, wife number three. My second wife passed after twenty years of marriage. First, second, third… it all becomes irrelevant. It’s more about the moment. Back in my day, you didn’t live together for fun. Kids these days can get away with it. Don’t get me wrong, wife number three is great, but we didn’t need the ring.” Old Man Duffy is too candid. I’m not sure his wife would be overly happy, but I find this entertaining.
Looking in his file, I answer, “Duly noted. Okay, well, your blood work looks good. Cholesterol is a little high. Let’s have you draw blood again in a month just to be safe,” I advise.
“I follow your advice, Doctor. But take some advice from me, young man. Go and enjoy life. Don’t be afraid to have some fun with the ladies. No need to be shy or scared.”
I can’t help but laugh at his unsolicited advice. “Well, Mr. Duffy, we’re not all as wild as you are.” I smile before heading out of the exam room.
* * *
My glassof whiskey clinks with other glasses over the table at Matchbox.
“To a new beginning?” Jake offers as a toast.
“To Lucas Kade, officially back on the market for all the ladies to faint over. I’m just happy for you, man. The last year has been, well… interesting,” Nate admits.
“Thanks, guys. It’s a relief for sure and never thought I would be having a toast over the death of my marriage. But hey, what’s life without a few bumps?” I admit, and we all drink our whiskey.
Admittedly, we all down a bit more than planned in one go.
“Fuck, this stuff just tastes better with every sip,” Nate mentions as he holds the glass up to look at the liquid.
“Pour me another round,” I request and hold out my glass.
“So, what’s on the agenda, Lucas? Are you venturing back into the dating world? Tinder? Rebound screws?” Jake questions with a grin.
“Haven’t you heard? Lucas has a thing for the town vet.” Nate flashes his eyes at me.
“Oh, so you already took the bullet and moved on,” Jake comments.
I shrug my shoulders. “No. We’ve just been catching up, nothing has happened.”
“Well, now you can screw her without any guilty conscience, not that you had to have one before either,” Jake mentions.
Nate returns with drinks in hand and mentions that Abby and Jess arrived. I look at the two ladies leaving their coats and winterwear near the door. It’s a quiet night at Matchbox, which means they’re easy to spot.
Jess and Abby walk to our table, and we all quickly move so everyone has a spot around the big circular booth as everyone greets each other. One of the puzzle pieces that fall into place is Abby who sits next to me.
“Hi,” I smile.
“Hey,” she grins. Her face goes long, but her mouth still remains with a wry leer. “So, why are we all here?”
“I didn’t tell you?” I thought I did.
“No. Someone celebrating something?” she asks as Nate hands her a glass of whiskey.
“My brother is officially a divorced man.” Nate almost seems proud, and it kind of concerns me.
Abby immediately looks at me, and her face freezes as she connects the dots and thinks of something to say. “That’s… that is… well, great? Congrats?” She isn’t confident with her choice of words.
“I’m relieved, to be honest,” I admit.
“Right.”
I try to grab her hand under the table, but she doesn’t seem receptive and moves to brush it off. She even goes into conversation with Max. Internally, I’m lost. This vibe is new to me.
A few minutes pass with everyone in their own conversation, but I can’t shake the feeling that I need to speak with Abby.
