Tip Of A Bottle

“Ya know, being the big brother has its perks but shit man.I hate having a little bro.Oscar was always such interesting little kid.He’s grown a lot since then but, still man he’s just such a paranoid freak now even at just 13 years old.Constantly talking about these freaky dreams he has been having.He’s just freaking me out man ya know?” Marco said with brotherly love and hate in his voice.“I don’t know man you know I’m an only child.Plus I would have been a terrible older brother, I suck with kids.” Jeremy responded.The two were sitting in a somewhat run down bar.The sides of the walls had splinters on certain edges and the bathrooms were coated in an old piss smell.While they only came for the alcohol they look like they came for a more exquisite event.Both being laced up in very nice jet black suits that are paired up with sleek black ties so silky you would think it was alpaca fur.Their shoes were looking spiffy and freshly polished, shining like a show room car.“Jeremy I wish sometimes I could just hand my brother over to you sometimes.I love him but these bottles are starting to get to me and I don’t wanna be like my dad.”Marco said.“Well, what was he like anyway?” Jeremy questioned.“Honestly…Im just like him.I drink a bit too much, come home with basically nothing to offer, and yet my brother looks up to me like drinking and drugs is the best thing out there.” Marco sadly stated.“I love him to death, so me being attached to a bottle since I was just 16 dude, I’m fucking 20 now and I still can’t let go.” Marco slams hist fist on the table leaving a tomato red mark on the bottom of his fist.A single tear rolls down Marco’s eye as he says to Jeremy “I just don’t want him to… to…. To turn out like me.” Marco stands up from his rugged old bar stool as he practically screams to Jeremy “LOOK AT US JEREMY, WE WERE AT A FUCKING FIREFIGHTER PARTY JUST AN HOUR AGO!”Marco suddenly lowers his voice down to the buzz of a phone.“And now look at us dude, ruining perfectly good rental suits by getting wasted and soiling them with old scotch and whiskey” Marco said in the same tone of an entire school losing a baseball game.“Im just lost Jeremy, tired of the bottle, Im just tired of it all” Marco stated truly defeated.“Marco I… I know how you feel, and I understand dude the bottle sucks, but there are other ways out.” Jeremy says before handing a business card to Marco.“Whats this dude? Don’t try and sign me up for some AAA meeting bullshit.” Marco exclaimed.“No no no dude, this guy is different, he helped out Rudy dude, Fucking Rudy.”He said with a certain tone.“Rudy?!? Alright now I know you’re bullshitting me Jeremy, that drunk can barely stand on his two feet at work let alone function.”Marco said.“Listen Marco, just take the card dude, the worst you could do is throw it out later.”Jeremy insisted.Marco finally gave in and snatched the card out of Jeremy’s hand.“Fine dude fine, but It better not be like AAA they didn’t help me at all” Marco replied.“Alright dude well Im gonna head home.After that party and a few too many drinks I need some rest before tomorrow, ya know fires don’t put themselves out.” Jeremy snarky said before walking towards the swivel door.He waved to Marco before pushing the door open and going with the fog of the night.“I need to get home, Oscar is probably wondering why Im not back from the party yet.”Marco took the last swig of his drink, swallowing his words with it before pushing the swiveled doors out of the way.Marco walks with his shoulders lunched forward looking half wasted, which for him is better than usual.“I always end up at that bar, no matter where I go the bottle always follows me.” Marco muttered to himself.“Im such a disappointment,What kind of example am I to follow Oscar?” He questioned himself.As he says this walking down the city streets where the lights never turn off and the crazy people never sleep, he passes by a store.The store is littered with books looking organized on one side but a mess on the other.The books are strewn about the entire floor singing it like a carpet would.Most of them have stains and look older than Marco himself.His curiosity pushes him to look into the window to explore a little more.He scans through the books like a machine slowly but surely reading some of the covers of the books.One seems particularly more apparent and sticking out from the crowd of literature.A matte black cover sticks out from the glossy look of the stained ancient books.This one looks a lot newer with crisp white pages spread open, looking beautiful when compared to the old stained books.“That book looks so out of place, how did he do it?” Marco confusingly questioned.“How did Rudy recover? How did he do it? It seems so impossible to let go, without the bottle…I can’t even be happy anymore.” Marco admitted to himself.With his baggage and his body, he slowly moved back along the path to his home.He continued walking down the sidewalk following the small cracks and bumps along the infinite walk way.Finally Marco makes it to the apartment complex door.Its worn wooden brown look is comfy yet poor.He creaks the door open before walking inside.He makes sure to walk past the landlord’s door as silent as the air.He manages a few creaks out of the floor board before the landlord opens his door.“So Milligan, Gonna tell your dad he’s late again on his rent?” The landlords word cut through the air.“I know sir, we are working on it as fast as we can I promise we should have it before the next payment.”“Milligan you guys are behind almost 2 payments, I gave you guys a break last time, don’t miss this one or you guys will be outta here, got it?” The landlord boomed.“Yes sir, we will get it done don’t you worry we won’t be late this time.”The landlord nodded before he closed his door while giving Marco a stern look.He continued down the hall looking at places where old memories still lived.Finally he got down to the apartment door he was searching for.Fidgeting with his keys trying to search through the sea of keys he had on his chain he finally finds the key to the door.With a loud creak the door showed a whole different world.Walking in he finds the same old place he has been home to many times.Small hallway leading down to a kitchen on the left and a living room dead ahead.He comes to pass the kitchen and finds its just the way it was left. The white tile now having an older brown lining around each piece.With the matching wooden brown floor with a simple cream rug in the middle.Moving to the living room it is seen with an old box tv illuminating the rest of the dimly lit room with whatever noise of sport or show playing out of it.The couch was right at the opposite end across from it.The old blue fabric and some stuffing coming out from old disagreements.And sitting there was Mr. Milligan himself.He seemed to be snoring asleep but you can tell he was defiantly not sober himself.He reached of alcohol and had the same brown stains that Marco had gotten on his rental.He sneaked past his father and creaked his brother’s door open.Fast asleep there in his bed was Oscar.Peacefully sleeping in his sheets.With relief in his heart Marco slowly closed his door before going to his own.Opening the door and turning on the lights we are greeted to a scene of a regular 20 year olds room.Music posters galore covered the wall with a singular poster of a nude woman in the corner.A desk sat to the left of the door, strewn with certain papers and a laptop in the middle of it.Marco finally walked into the room and before he even got the chance to changes he plopped on his bed and passed out for the night.“Just need to put the bottle down, thats all I need to do.” Mumbled Marco as he slowly drifted out of consciousness.