Ordinarily sleep was a special gift from the gods but tonight Jay’s sleep was interrupted by tossing and turning and that chilling dream again. He abruptly sat up in bed somewhat disoriented and strangely afraid. “Kayce is sleeping soundly and peacefully and here I am wide wake because of that same damn dream”, he thought to himself. He abruptly turned back the covers and slid his feet onto the plush, carpeted floor. The alarm clock reflecting 3:30AM on the night stand caught his eye and the brightness of the displayed time seemed to mock him. He slowly he made his way to the bathroom and sat down with his head in his hands, half-awake and half-asleep. He lit his first cigarette for the day and inhaled deeply. His chest tightened with the rush. The taste was gone but his body demanded the stimulant-like effect. This morning’s experience was not unlike many others, so many in fact, he did not want to contemplate them. His mouth felt as if he had been eating cotton all night and he knew what a cool drink of water would do for that. The ashes fell off the end of his cigarette onto the tile floor and that silently angered him. He pondered silently to himself in the half-light of the early morning. “Is this all”? He quickly downed two Motrin and returned to Kayce’s side. She stirred quietly as he touched her shoulder and sighed softly as he snuggled next to her. The alarm clock sounded almost immediately and his day began again.

His morning routine resurfaced as countless others had done. As he showered, the rich aroma of brewing coffee assailed his senses. He stepped out of the shower, wrapped the towel around his waist, went to the kitchen and poured himself a steaming mug. He felt queasy and uneasy as he returned to the bedroom to dress. His headache was lurking nearby and it was ever so slowly raising its ugly but familiar face. Kayce remained in bed and mumbled a half-hearted “morning” and he simply replied, “yeah”. He left the house without further comment and headed for his office downtown. The sun was shining brightly and that seemed to perk him up somewhat. Another day he thought.

As he stepped out of his car in the garage parking area, he saw a familiar and easily recognizable figure walking slowly and unsteadily down the street with his collar turned up against the cool, morning air. Damn, that’s pathetic: He’s drunk again. Something needs to be done about keeping those drunks off the street, he mumbled to himself. He impatiently punched the elevator button and ascended to his plush office overlooking the town square. He was the first one there so he went to the employee lounge to make the coffee. For a fleeting moment he wondered why seeing old McGreggor irritated him so. For some reason, and he did not want to pursue it, he knew it was fear. He immediately dismissed all thoughts of the drunken old man and returned to his office with a cup of coffee.

As he sat at his desk reviewing the agenda for the day, his secretary rang through, “The Mayor on line one, Jay”. Mechanically and with a familiar “what now” attitude he reached for the telephone and pushed the button, “yes, Mayor”. After what seemed an eternity, he re-cradled the phone and slumped back in his chair. He spun around slowly in his chair to stare out the window. Will that man ever understand, Jay thought. The sun continued to brightly shine but he considered, “Not for him”. His enthusiasm for this plush job was waning all too rapidly. I need a drink, he thought automatically. Also, again the thought, Is this all there is?