Addiction – (uh-dik-shuhn)
Inability to disengage from repetitive and/or harmful activities or stimuli
“Another.”
In a hole-in-the-wall establishment on the west side of White River City, Clint obliged his customer, an off-duty officer who sat slumped on a broken stool at the end of the counter. Like so many towns and cities in the Rust Belt, White River City was a shadow of its former self. Only a couple of generations ago, a kid could graduate from high school, get a great union job in one of the local factories, start a family, and retire with pride. Today, that wasn’t the case, as the factories were replaced by more and more hole-in-the-wall establishments each and every year.
“Another.”
Again, Clint filled a shot glass with the bar’s well vodka. Officer Grant Carroll had lost count, and as the clear liquor made its way down his throat, he entered that magical point of binge drinking, where either the burning would stop, or the vomiting would begin. He reached for his chaser, now a watered down pop, and gently sipped on it. A mixture of bile and booze met the cola halfway up his esophagus, and this time the pop won the battle of the liquids, with a light assist from gravity. Officer Carroll belched, and then exhaled the rotten stench of cheap drinks, burgers, and fries.
“Another.”
“Maybe you oughta wait,” Clint began.
“Another,” Officer Carroll sternly banged the shot glass on the counter twice.
