Chapter Text
The crowd at the bar was loud and scream-singing a Footie anthem. Jack slapped the back of his co-worker and wished him a happy retirement. After a very good bottle of scotch was gifted, Jack returned to the office to grab the tin of biscuits Dot had left for him. He had a rare two days off and planned to do some maintenance on his bike and deadhead his garden, but tonight he would get drunk and sleep it off tomorrow. Lately he’d been drinking a lot. He didn’t really care. He functioned perfectly at his job, he just needed something to distract from all these feelings. Jesus Christ, these feelings.
Looking at the clock and realizing he couldn’t buy another bottle of liquor until tomorrow, he remembered the spare bottle he kept in the back of his bottom desk drawer. Tucked behind the bottle were Phryne’s arrest photos when she charmingly thumbed her nose at constabulary authority. His fingers brushed them, exhaled out all the wind from his lungs and grabbed both bottle and pictures in front of him. After staring at the face for a while, he grabbed pen and paper.
Stuffing an envelope with the letter, Jack left it in the out-going mail bin. He went home with a mind unburdened by regret, optimistic for the first time in months.