"I started drinking again." Willard interrupted me. I wasn't sure what to say to that. He hadn't said four words since we sat down to eat and now he pops out with this?

"When?" I asked. It seemed like an appropriate question.

"Tuesday," he answered.

I smelled the heat of his breath and sighed.

Who starts back drinking on a Tuesday?

The waitress slid up to the table and I handed her my glass. She poured with the pitcher held sideways so that the ice would tumble in ahead of the tea. I thanked her and set it back on the table. Willard put his hand over his coffee cup.

"Remember when dad died?" He asked me. "Remember that stupid green carpet that they laid out over the hole? Why do they do that? Do they think they are fooling anyone into thinking it is grass?"

“I don't think that their intent is to fool you." I told Willard. "I think they mean to..."

"I drank dad's brandy," He said under his breath. I think he was hoping that I wouldn't hear him and he wouldn't have to say it again because I didn't hear him. But I heard.

"You did what!!"

People turned and looked at me. I didn't care, none of them knew the sin I had just heard my brother speak of. I knew Willard was a drunk. He always had been and that's all he would ever be.

"You couldn't find anything else to get drunk with?" I was really yelling now. "You didn't have a bottle of sherry in the pantry or anything!!"

"You know I don’t keep alcohol, not even sherry." Willard said softly. He raised the coffee cup to his lips and set it down without drinking any. "I had to steal the brandy from mom's house."

"Jesus." It was all I could say.

Willard looked at me for a while and then asked if my sandwich was any good. I told him it tasted like shit and pushed the plate over to him. He slid it away to the edge of the table so the waitress could pick it up.

"I don't like food." He said.

"You like brandy though, huh?"

Willard bowed his head and started talking that way, looking at his lap. "They called me on Monday morning while I was in the shower. I heard the machine get it and almost forgot to check it before I walked out the door. I was doing up my shirt when I saw the light blinking and I pushed the button. They fired me, didn't even tell me to my face. I just got back in bed with my clothes on and went to sleep. Woke up on Tuesday and didn't have anything to do. So I thought what the hell, I walked over to mom's, stole the bottle and climbed back into that hole."

"Jesus Christ" I said.

“You know what surprised me the most? I drank that whole bottle by myself. It's been twelve years since I've even smelled alcohol and I drank that damn bottle like a champ. Dad would have been proud."

"Dad rolled over in his grave when he heard that bottle open Willard."

The waitress came and asked if I didn't like my sandwich. I told her I wasn't hungry anymore and waved it away. She put the check on the table with her name, Jodell, scratched into the paper.

"Now what are you going to do?"

Willard didn’t answer right away. I think he was waiting on me to say something first. When it became obvious that I wasn’t going to make any offers he said.

"I got a bottle of Turkey in the car, its warm but I'm going to try to finish it before I get home. Then I'm going to go to sleep."

"Do you have any money?" I asked.

Willard shook his head.

I reached in my pocket and dropped a twenty on the table. That would cover the bill and leave him enough money to buy what his heart desired.

"Leave a tip," I said and walked out of the diner.