The snickering policeman

When the policeman entered the vestibule, he could barely suppress a snicker. I couldn't really blame him. To the world, a guy who has fallen for the ruse of a hopeless drunk countless times must appear the biggest fool who has ever lived. I was only the latest (according to the policeman, who was very familiar with the story, I was Fool #5). Her face twisted into an angry red knot, snarling, harsh words were uttered while the offending party and her meager belongings were hastily packed and removed from the premises. Otherwise, it was more civil than I had imagined it. Strangely, the night before I had spent hours in the ER with the very same person (only after spending many stupid hours convincing her that "three beers" wasn't the solution to her physical problem). As sad as the circumstances were, I felt nothing. Any emotional connection that had ever existed had been worn away completely. It ended just as I suspected it would three months earlier when it began.