God Is a Comedian

So while Kevin was out finding alcohol, I cleaned up the bar. The bar was filthy due to the lack of recent care. I washed the dust and grim off of the wooden bar. I cleaned all the tabs and the counter behind the bar. I washed all the tables off and put the chairs in their right spot. I then wiped the dirt off the windows and mopped and swept the titled floor. I cleaned the rather repulsive bathroom and even painted a few spots on the wall that needed to a new coat.

When I was finished at the bar I went home to get dressed for the wake. It took me longer to find something to wear than I thought it would. After going though my closet twice I finally decided on the dark blue dress I wore to a funeral a year ago. I took a quick shower, got dressed, did my make up and hair, then I headed back to the bar. The bruising in my nose had went from a ugly green and black to a more normal blue color. I still couldn't see any permanent damage and it was relativity easy to hide the majority of bruise with make up.

There was already a few people at the bar when I got there. I saw that Tommy had gotten Jenny to help with the food but the alcohol still wasn't present. Then Kevin walked in with Joey Ice Cream carrying three white boxes. I pulled a bottle out and read it as Tommy walked over. "Kosher." I said, confused. Where in the hell did they get Kosher wine?

"Thanks." Tommy said sarcastically.

"It's alcohol and it's free. What more do you want?" Kevin asked as Tommy pulled him outside. I set the boxes of Kosher wine behind the bar. I was hoping that Tommy had went to get something more appropriate to drink because I didn't feel very comfortable with serving the stolen wine.

A few minutes later they re-entered carrying a lot of bottles. "Hey, everybody. We got scotch." Joey yelled loudly to the crowd. I hit Joey for being so obnoxious.

Tommy then leaned over the bar and whispered, "If Dokey asks you anything, you say we were at the hospital all night."

"What's going on?" I asked in the same low tone.

"Dokey's trying to put some things together. Jimmy shooting his mouth off not helping us."

"Okay. You guys were at the hospital all night. I got it." I said. Tommy walked away to be social and not appear guilty. So there I was. At the wake of a man my brothers killed. A wake attended by a man that wanted us all dead. I saw no way of all of us getting out of this ordeal alive.

Since Jimmy wasn't present I was left to run the bar. Joey helped out on occasion, but only if a cute girl was near by. But he ran off when Dokey sat down on the nearest stool. "Hey, Allie." He said, but his eyes were on Tommy, who was talking to Matthew, Huey's young son.

"Anything I can help you with, Dokey?" I asked, even through I already knew what he was going to say.

"Yea, can I talk to you for one second?" He asked, returning his eyes to me. Dokey looked nothing like his older brother. He had none of kind, father-like appearances that Huey had. His tall skinny frame and stern face held no warmth or empathy.

"Yea. Of course. Sorry I couldn't make the service." I apologized.

"That's okay. I wanted to ask you about the night Huey died. Were you at the hospital all night with your mother?"

"Yea."

"You were there when Huey got there?" He asked.

"Yea. He brought a pie into the waiting room." I said, remembering him handing it to Jenny.

Dokey laughed softly. "Did you hear that Huey and Tommy were saying?"

"No. I didn't."

"How long were you there?"

"All night and most of the morning. Then I went home to sleep. But all us, Tommy, Kevin, Jenny were there just waiting to hear about Sean." I explained.

"Kevin and Tommy were there all night?"

"Yea. I doubt my mother would have let anyone leave." I joked.

Dokey laughed with me. "Thank's for your honesty, Allie." Dokey said before he walked away. The minute he left, I finally exhaled. A few minutes later my calmness was shattered when Jimmy walked in with his girlfriend, Jonnie. It was clear that he was already drunk.

"Hey, everybody. Are you enjoying my bar? You're welcome. Hey, Dokey." Jimmy pointed at Dokey, who was sitting in one of the corner booths. "Your brother, man. Bummer. We came to pay our respects. Our condolences." Dokey just continued to smoke his cigarette. Jimmy then stumbled over to the bar and said to me, "Three shots." But inside of Scotch I gave him three shots of the Kosher wine. I doubted that he would notice.

I was watching Joey try to talk a girl into sleeping with him, when the phone rang. I turned around to answer it but Kevin beat me to it. "Firecracker…..uh….I'd…..I mean….Hold on." Jimmy pulled the phone from Kevin's hands. I watched as Kevin walked quickly out the door.

"Who the hell is this?" Jimmy asked as he put the phone to his ear. Tommy walked over as Jimmy hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"That was Dokey."

"He was just here." Tommy said.

"Still is. He's in the basement" Jimmy explained.

"He's calling us from our own basement?" I asked, confused.

"He wants us to join him. Including Allie." Jimmy said with no emotion in his voice.

"Is he out of his mind?" I asked.

"Jenny's down there with him." That seemed to seal the deal.

So I followed my two brothers downstairs. The only thing worse than having someone threaten you is having them threaten the one person you love most. How Dokey knew Jenny was the one for Tommy, I don't know. But he knew. I don't think I've ever seen Tommy look that scared.