"Fuck, Ash!" Flea said in alarm
"How many of those you had?" Gabe asked with a smile.
"Not enough!"
"Right, well, let's get you down. Waitress, get this lady another!" Flea shouted.
The crowd was like a tide and I was swept out into it. I grabbed a drink on my way through, finally being spat out near the doorway of my side of the shop, stumbling almost into Gabe's arms. He stopped me from going any further by placing two hands on my shoulders, his mouth on mine in the next moment. He tasted of rum and Coke and cigarettes, and all of a sudden, I couldn’t get enough. I shoved my hands under his t-shirt, but he stopped me. "Ash," he said, "we’ve got to talk."
"Oh, no we don’t, nothing good ever comes from that," I said, pulling away. The temporary bar was in this corner, so I swiped a bottle and lined up some more shots. "Jez, you want?"
"Yeah, bitch. But Ash, this is not your usual MO. You're probably going to regret this tomorrow." I shrugged as she downed one, then the other then passed two over to Shane. I walked through the doorway into our side of the shop, suddenly glad for the dark, cool space.
"Ash," Gabe said.
"What, Gabe? What do we need to talk about? We have sex, great sex, really, really great sex. Why does there have to be anything else? I’m hustling every damn day, trying to keep this place afloat. We’ve sold half of my grandmother’s legacy, I’m really focused on not having to sell the rest of it."
"So, that's why you've been avoiding our meeting."
I turned around to see Mum standing there, bristling like an angry cat. "Oh, fuck," I said, dropping my shot glass on the table.
"You, you are so intent on keeping me out of your life, you would look down the barrel of economic ruin and not even take a meeting with me?" Mum spat.
"Mum–"
"Do you have any idea how many businesses go under in the first year? I knew I should have put my foot down and insisted on selling this place, then given you the proceeds. It was Bill's bloody sentimentality–"
"Mum!" I snapped. "Shut up for a moment and listen. We didn't tell you because I'm thirty, and Tess is twenty-eight. We're grown women, it’s our choice whether we decide to bankrupt ourselves or not. We knew you'd want to sell, your 'subtle' attempts at advice were received loud and clear by Nan. Even on her deathbed, you harped on about it what a money pit it was."
"For this very reason! This is not the financial future I wanted for my daughters!"
"It's not your decision!" I said. “It's mine and it’s Tess's, until such a point as we choose to include you!"
"And what're your thoughts on this?" Mum asked, turning around to face Tess, who lurked in the background.
"Why ask me? It's not like you'll listen," Tess said.
"What? I always–"
"No, you don't. You talk over and harangue and shout until we have no choice but to lie or go along with what you said, whether we want to or not."
"You, of all people, are telling me off for taking control of your life? Of course, I do, someone has to. You let everything happen to you, Tess. You almost didn’t finish your degree, you let that thoroughly vile boy stay around long after his ‘use by’ date, now you’re jumping into bed with your own tenant! When will you start being proactive rather than reactive?"
"Like you?" she asked with a sneer. "I'm surprised you don't run a credit check on the waiters that serve you in restaurants, or the shop girls who sell you dresses. If it can't be evaluated through a cost-benefit analysis, what's the point?"
"Mum, Tess–" I started.
"Oh, don't you start!" Mum said. "You think I don't realise what you do? Always the buffer between me and my own child!"
"Hey!" I said.
“It's true," Tess said. “You're my self-appointed meat shield, whether I wanted one or not. Can't let Tess get in trouble with Mum. Can't let Tess make her own decisions."
“Girls,” Dad said, appearing in the doorway, "you're making a scene."
"They're making a hash of things, that's what they are doing!" Mum said. "Did you know what bad shape the business was in?"
"I knew it wasn't doing so great, but Cecelia, it’s their inheritance. You can't control every aspect of their lives."