This Picturesque Life

Tania had to leave to work, she almost called in sick but Olivia told her to go; no one's skipping out on work just for her sorry self. So Tania regrettably left, shortly after John and Eric took Ashley, promising to come back after. Olivia told her not to worry, that if she ended up having to work till late to just go home. Allison nodded and told Tania she'd be there with Olivia, she had no plans. The two ate lunch together when Allison got a text message from Garrett, he wanted to take her to a movie in an hour; she was about to say no when Olivia stopped her. She told her to go have fun, be in love and enjoy his presence. Allison could sense the bitterness in the advice, but knew it wasn't directed at her; just romance in general.

As soon as Allison was gone, Olivia put on her shoes and took a nice stroll down the busy street. Past the library and the school, she kept going past the grocery store and the convenience store; all the way to the liquor store. She didn't have to be responsible at the moment, Ashley was safe at her grandparents; and damn it she felt she deserved a drink right now.

Olivia walked through the isles, picking up a big bottle of Bacardi Gold, a Smirnoff Vanilla, and a big bottle of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum. She smiled at the cashier as she paid with debit and walked out carrying the paper bag with a bit of struggle; but it'd be worth it. When she returned home she opened up Captain first, planning to go from rum flavour to rum with a hint of vanilla to full fledge vanilla.

She sat down blasting the sounds of Classic Rock as she drank it in large gulps. By the time she was halfway through she was up dancing to AC/DC and all the other great artists of the past. She changed the station to some new music; which was filled with mostly hip hop and dance beats, but she didn't mind as she opened up the Bacardi. Pink's So What came on and she jumped on the couch to it, not even noticing the tears that decorated her cheeks. As she was taking the final swigs of the Bacardi she turned off the radio and turned the TV on. She turned into a mindless zombie as she watched CSI repeats, taking sip after sip of the Vanilla flavoured vodka.

It was 8 when Eric was carrying Ashley through the hallways headed towards the apartment. He had wanted John to come put Ashley to bed, but John had to go pick up Tania from work, as Tim came and recollected his car from her. The day was spent with lots of good times, Ashley was all smiles and her grandparents and aunt spoiled her ruthlessly. And she never once let her father out of her sight; having to deal with being passed around within the family.

Currently the little girl was cuddled up to her father, as she sucked on her thumb; totally exhausted from the exciting day she had. Eric put the keys in the lock and turned them, entering the house to the slight smell of alcohol. He crinkled his nose up in confusion as he closed and locked the door; he contemplated looking for Olivia but thought better of it. If she was drunk he didn't want to deal with her, instead he walked Ashley to her room putting her in her pyjamas and into bed. With a kiss on her forehead he turned off the main light and closed the door, leaving it only open by an inch. He walked down the hallway into the living room where he heard the sounds of infomercials. He found Olivia passed out on the couch the empty bottles littering the ground beside her, one spilling it's contents onto the carpet; that’s why the smell… he sighed.

He picked up all the bottles placing them on the table; he got out carpet cleaner and sprayed it on the carpet where the vodka spilt. He stood up quickly and glanced at Olivia contemplating leaving her there or not. He sighed as he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, tucking her in. She mumbled incoherently as she shifted in her sleep. He was about to leave when her mumblings formed a tiny sentence "Eric… I need you…" He shook his head and walked out the bedroom, heading back to his parents house.