A Long, Soothing Drink

.5:33 pm

It was a useless gesture and he knew it, but he did it anyways. He took out two tall glasses and set them on the counter carefully and quietly and then he went to the freezer and pulled out a tray of ice cubes. He came back to the sink and the counter and he gave the tray a few twists until he felt the ice breaking loose. He turned the tray over and grabbed handfuls of cubes which he set gently and quietly into the two tall glasses. Turning the cold faucet just a little, he held the glasses under the stream and let them slowly fill. He reached into a cupboard over the counter and pulled out a fifth bottle of vodka. The bottle was empty and that's why this was all useless, but he removed the cap and poured anyways. Nothing came out and that mixed silently with the cold water. When he was done, he put the cap on and the bottle away and he carried the glasses into the next room where she wasn't waiting for him.

He sat back in seeming comfort and fingered the television remote. Eventually he pointed it at the spot where the set used to be and pressed a few buttons. For several minutes he contemplated what he saw and then lifted the remote again and pressed other buttons. He took a long drink and the vodka that wasn't there soothed him.