I bent down and got on my knees and looked in the first barrel of quilt material and said, “You can’t throw these away, they’re beautiful. Where’s the pile for remnants?” I turned to look at Lira straight faced for the first time since the binge began. She was looking back at me.

“The drinking has to stop. It absolutely has to stop, Ian. You should go back to work when you’re ready and stop buying animals without consulting me,” she said as she turned to throw some flowery material onto the donation’s pile.

She was serious and I took her seriously. An hour later when the power cleanse was finished I got Lira’s suitcases and put them in the car. I took one of the cow’s riding bikes quilts which I thought was so creative of Lira. On the way home, she explained how the bowl of cereal border was from my morning of eating breakfast in the full Monday morning sun, and as far as I can tell, no sins were committed.

I sat up, still aching from the marathon run, and returned a call to Cortez Reed my partner. I said two, “yeps,” one, “you don’t say,” and one, “is that right?” then I hung up the phone. He was the only colleague I had spoken to since this whole sorry mess with Trees Smith began. Now I had to drive to Madrid to take the case files on a due diligence order to the new attorney working on the case, Michael Plank.

Cortez Reed said, “The boy has raped another woman and wants you to defend him again.”
“I don’t care what that son-of-a-bitch wants I am not going to take the case,” I replied.

I showered and dressed in clothes that felt like sticky cardboard with a head full of pulsing throbs and an ache for some vodka and water. I had to deal with getting the files to the new attorneys in Madrid and then return to Ahimsa so Lira would not have to tend the cows for more than a day or two.          

When I arrived I checked my watch to see the time. I had made it to Madrid in less than eight hours. I spent the night in a nice hotel, the Hotel Constantine, and called the new attorney Michael Plank. We agreed to meet here at the hotel bar to pass the materials on to him. I arrived early and waited in the bar and that was my first mistake. I had two vodka and waters and that was the start of some very difficult thinking. Michael Plank was polite and accepted the boxes of documents out at the cars. He helped me get the boxes into his trunk. We spent time going over some historical data on Trees’ life and other points of interest. He also informed me that Trees had escaped the handcuffs of the overnight crew and was found a few hours later sitting at a bus stop drinking a beer. He advised me to be careful as he was pretty pissed-off that I had refused to take his case.

Michael joined me for a drink and then left for home to his family. I stayed a while longer in the hotel bar without drinking. I heard myself say, “I am not really a drinker. I know the ills of alcohol and avoid such poisons in all its many forms. I like to take care of my body and watch my diet and distain people who cannot control themselves.” So I left the bar and went back to the hotel room. I was looking forward to a night of green grass dreams amongst the coral colored walls of the hotel room.