“That makes sense.” I said. “Thanks, Nunzio.”
“Hey. I just had an idea,” he said brightly, apparently buoyed by his success. “There’s a real easy way to tell if you’re drinkin’ too much. Just lay off the sauce for a while. Then see if there’s any big change in your thinkin’ or judgment. If there is, then you know it’s time to back off. Of course, if you find out that quittin’ is harder than you thought, then you’ll have another signal that you’ve got trouble.”
A part of me bristled at the thought of having to ease up on my drinking, but I fought it down . . . along with my flash of fear at what that bristling might imply.
“Okay, Nunzio,” I said. “I’ll do it. Thanks again. I appreciate how hard that was for you.”
“Don’t mention it, Boss. Glad I could help you.”
He reached out and laid a hand on my shoulder in a rare display of comradeship.
“Personally, I don’t think you have that much to worry about. If you’ve got a drinkin’ problem, it’s marginal at best. I mean, it’s not like you’ve been blackin’ out or anything.”
Chapter Twelve:
“Let’s see the instant replay on that!”
-H. COSSELL
“HEY! PARTNER! How’s it going?”
I had been heading back toward my room with the vague thought of getting a little more sleep. The hail from Aahz, however, reduced my odds of success noticeably.
“Hi Aahz.” I said, turning toward him. That put the sun in my eyes, so I stepped back slightly to find some shade.
He drew up close to me and peered at me carefully. I, in turn, tried my best to look relaxed and puzzled.