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    All This for a Bottle of Wine
    All This for a Bottle of Wine
    All This for a Bottle of Wine
    Ebook73 pages1 hour

    All This for a Bottle of Wine

    By Chris Fryer

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    About this ebook

    Brian and DJ head to Paso Robles to get a special bottle of wine for Brian's girlfriend, but they come to discover that something terrifying is happening at the winery and suddenly they find themselves fighting for their lives.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChris Fryer
    Release dateAug 12, 2010
    ISBN9781476120751
    All This for a Bottle of Wine
    Author

    Chris Fryer

    I graduated from Sonoma State University with a Bachelors of English (Creative Writing) and now I live in Sacramento, California. I am currently working on my Masters in TESOL.

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      Book preview

      All This for a Bottle of Wine - Chris Fryer

      ALL THIS FOR A BOTTLE OF WINE

      By Chris Fryer

      Published at Smashwords

      Copyright 2010 Chris Fryer

      one

      Ellison & Tucker called to tell me they lost my shipping address. I’d ordered the specific bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from their winery over two weeks ago and, being the passive guy I am, I didn’t think to phone them with my concern. Then they called me the day before Valentine’s to explain how their inventory showed a bottle set for sending but no address attached to its destination, so it had just been sitting there for two weeks without guidance. My bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon (well, Julia’s bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, considering it was her favorite and her gift) was in the storage room of Ellison & Tucker about four and a half hours south of the specific restaurant (Julia’s favorite) where I’d reserved a candle-lit dinner for two at 8:00pm tomorrow.

      Great.

      So I hung up the phone, turned to my computer, Googled directions to Paso Robles, printed them out, and reached for my wallet and keys. It was already two-thirty, I noticed, scanning my small unkempt bedroom for reasons not to go. All I saw was the framed photograph on my desk—Julia had made it for our two-year—and under a snapshot of us happily enjoying our anniversary evening at an expensive San Francisco restaurant, the words: BRIAN AND JULIA FOREVER. Her smile in that image only made the quest all the more necessary. She’d do the same for me, I reasoned.

      I had to leave soon in order to get back before midnight—latest, depending on traffic. I’d only driven that far south once before, when I took Julia to Ellison & Tucker the first time. My cousin used to work there—gave us a nice discount, too—and Julia fell in love with their selection right away, a wine aficionado like her mother.

      I didn’t need much for road trip supplies. This wasn’t exactly a trip.

      Basically ready to leave, I decided to take my backpack to the kitchen and fill it up with snacks and sodas. DJ had brewed coffee earlier and I eyeballed the pot for a while before choosing to bring some along in a thermos, reckoning a good boost of dark roast couldn’t hurt. The more caffeinated I became, the faster I’d drive. Plus I’d need all the energy I could muster driving eighty down I-5, the dullest stretch of asphalt I’d ever navigated.

      DJ was in the livingroom playing Motor Storm on the PS3. He grunted and groaned as his vehicle cartwheeled viciously over rocky terrain and exploded in slow-motion across the screen. I stirred three spoons—better make it four—of sugar into my thermos and watched him through an open door. He paused the game and stood up, still wearing pajamas, and stretched his arms.

      Fuck, he muttered, noticing me in the kitchen. He laughed. That game’s fucking hard. I nodded. I screwed the top onto the thermos and turned to grab my assorted snacks. DJ started toward me and motioned toward the backpack. Where you going? he asked. You going to class?

      I patted my pockets to make sure I had my keys and cellphone. The microwave display read 2:44pm. No. I— Part of me wanted to lie. I knew he’d laugh. I’m going to Paso Robles to get Julia some wine that she likes.

      Paso Robles?

      Yeah.

      DJ thought about that. He said, That’s far, isn’t it?

      I nodded.

      He laughed and shook his head. Kinda last minute, isn’t it?

      It’s not my fault, I said, moving toward the front door. DJ followed. The winery lost my address and they didn’t even call me until this morning—until like an hour ago.

      Bastards.

      I know. I had a hand on the doorknob.

      You’re going now? DJ asked, looking at his watch.

      I have to. I want to get back as soon as I can. It’s like a four hour drive.

      DJ whistled. He said, "You must be in love."

      I smiled and shrugged. I’m in a hurry, that’s what I’m in.

      I opened the door.

      Wait a second, my roommate said, I’m coming with you. Let me turn off the Playstation.

      He was gone into the other room before I could tell him otherwise. In a flash he was standing with me in the doorframe, a coat on his back and pants pulled over his pajamas. In one hand he had the blue digital camera he’d gotten for Christmas. Just as I noticed it, DJ lifted the lens toward me and flashed a photograph. Nice, he commented. I finally have a reason to use this thing now.

      There was no reason to tell DJ not to come along. I was glad he’d offered, actually. The guy hadn’t been out of the apartment much these days and a road trip would be good for him. It kind of felt like taking the dog out for a walk. DJ had been living the carefree life of a bachelor, playing videogames and watching online episodes of Arrested Development since being fired from Macy’s. His company would be appreciated. It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed my mind that DJ would want to go—we’d been roommates for four years and I knew he loved random adventures like this. But having the winery call me the day before Valentine’s and tell me that there wasn’t any way for them to have the bottle shipped here on such short notice (And whose fault was that? I had wanted to shout) was shocking enough to set my mind’s sight on getting that wine and nothing else.

      I took one last look into the apartment and thought again about what I was about to do. This was an eight hour drive for the sake of a single bottle of wine. This was insane. No other way to look at it. DJ zipped up his jacket and

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