There is not a single thing to say about the old man that we haven’t said. My brother is still passing the whiskey, but we’ve all gone silent. My uncle Charlie, my dad’s older brother, leans his elbows on his knees. He’s so drunk he can barely sit. The other men are old as well except for my brother Ralph who is two years younger. Ralph is holding his liquor so far, but his eyes look a little glassy. I can drink them all under the table, so I bide my time.
(Avalon Literary Review Fall 2022)