Hush

"I'll be back after I drop off the hush hooch at Carl's," Winston said, giving her a wave. "Are we still doing that?" Marjorie asked rhetorically, making her Deep Disapproval Face. Winston paused at the door to the pub, looked up to quickly beseech The Almighty for strength, and sighed. "Yes, we are still doing that," he confirmed. "Carl and Fate have been hostile from day one of his existence and there's a direct line of communication between the two of them (because the situation is so contentious)," Winston explained. "Now that the old bugger is in his twilight years, they've got fewer opportunities to dig at, bait, and torture each other. The last time he spat on the ground, proclaimed something tragic was 'weak' and 'cheap theatrics', we got a global pandemic. It's very, very important that Carl stay punchdrunk and positive about life until he breathes his last." "They need counseling, him and Fate," Marjorie muttered, turning back to put the beer glasses away. And Winston laughed about that all of the way to Carl's place.