Whine and Wine

I get into the car and drive to the wine and spirit shop.  My phone is buzzing the entire time.

My former colleague is being thrown a surprise party. Would I like to come?

Sure!

J.'s ex-wife Sandy says it is time we finally have that cocktail. I send a note of agreement. Her girls must have tipped her off about my Facebook activity. 

Kate's son is singing in a choir at a nearby church tomorrow. Would I like to join them for Mass? 

What could be the harm in that?

My cousin would like to join me for the football game later in the afternoon.  How about she stops by with chips and dips and beer?

Fine by me!

I am a little excited about my long endless days filling up before my eyes. I decide to buy some wine to go with each occasion.

A bottle of something called Be. Radiant. Chardonnay for Sandy.
A bottle of Malbec for the surprise party hosts.
Kate and I could polish off a bottle of anything but I choose a Chilean bottle in case she wants to sit and chat after Mass at my house.
Now what to get Charlotte and Jack?

It practically leaps off the shelf.

Middle Sister Vineyards Drama Queen Pinot Grigio.

Sold!

And I throw in a bottle of gin to go with the lonely bottles of diet tonic I have in my fridge.

I head to the mall for some shopping...but not quite Christmas shopping. I need new gear for my iPhone 5 that finally arrived after Scott had dumped me and I could not show it to him. I need some common household things. Because nothing makes you feel younger and more confident than buying a broom and an industrial sized bottle of aspirin substitute and a box of tampons.

And I am finding it hard to feel capable of moving again. I may need to eat something. I stop in the Chinese place to take a load off and eat an egg roll.

Another text.

It is my friend Rocky.

"Everything okay over there in your neck of the woods, Liza?"

I am beside myself at his kindness. An old friend. I dated him once. Charlotte may have had a date with him. He and I went to school together and became fast friends. One of the kindest guys you could ever meet. And a lovely wife and children to show for it.

I copy and paste the text I 've been sending. I make a few edits to personalize it to Rocky.

It is clear from his reply that he is heartbroken for me.  And just as baffled. He agrees that it is a crisis of some sort, but that has stopped making me feel any better. The Rock Man suggests that I am lucky that he flaked now, and not three years into marriage.

I suppose he's right...but all I want to do after having to think about it again is nap. I head for the car and bomb for home so I can take a nap and forget for a time.