That evening Dale and Tom came down to dinner almost simultaneously.
“How much work did you get done?” asked Tom as they entered the candlelit dining room.
Dale looked at his uncle as though he were crazy.
“You’re joking, aren’t you?” he replied, not even able to conjure up a smile. “I knew I should have stopped drinking way before I did.”
“Ah come on, you’re younger than I am and I pulled up all right.”
“Yeah, but I lost a whole day. I could have finished a dozen pages.”
Tom pulled Dale’s chair out then tousled his hair.
“You can do them tomorrow. I, for one, am glad last night happened. I woke up hard just thinking about it.”
At that moment Joseph sheepishly entered the room.
Dale noticed the difference in his demeanour immediately.
“Is everything okay, Joseph?”
Joseph looked
