Now Angel hurting. She know Sue know the truth but too good to nag. She know Sue one good person she can depend on the rest of her life, but she know too Sue ain’t putting up with her killing herself in her midst. She know Sue gone say something, but Sue don’t say nothing until she finish her second wine. This after Angel ask her to have a third wine. Somebody got to stop her. She keep on, she be asking to stay for a eighth and a ninth wine. She be asking to stay till the place close down.

So Sue say, “You gone miss that ball game, girl.”

She say she already late. She motion for another drink. Sue reach over and put her hand over Angel’s glass and say, “Don’t do that, girl.”

“Late already,” she say. “One more won’t make no difference.”

She know her speech and stuff messed up. It embarrassing, but the barmaid, she bring the drink. And Sue reach out, put her hand over the glass and say, “Don’t you give her that shit, woman.”

Girl back up and say, “Ma’am? ” Real nice like.

“Don’t you give her that,” say Sue.

Girl say, “ Yes’m, but ma’am, she order it, ma’am.”

Girl look at Angel.

“Thank you, hon,” she say. She reach and take the drink and give the girl some money. Then she tip her a dollar and the girl walk away. Angel grab this drink and slosh some of it out on her. She know it but she can’t help it. She don’t know what went wrong. She shopping and going to the ball game and now this done happened again. She ain’t making no ball game. Ball game done shot to hell. She be in perhaps two three in the morning.

Sue now, she tired of this.

“When you goin to admit it?” she say.

“Admit what?”

“Girl, you know. Layin drunk. Runnin around here drinkin every night. Stayin out.”

She say, “I don’t know what you talkin about,” like she huffy. She drinking every day. Even Sunday. Especially Sunday. Sunday the worst because ain’t nothing open. She don’t hit the liquor store Saturday night she climbing the walls Sunday afternoon. She done even got drunk and listened to the services on TV Sunday morning and got all depressed and passed out before dinnertime. Then Alan and Randy have to eat them turkey pot pies again.

“Alan and Randy don’t understand me,” she say.

“They love you,” Sue say.

“And I love them,” she say.

“Listen now,” Sue tell her, “you gonna lose that baby and that man if you don’t stop this messin around.”