The liquor bottle stood in the cooler, waiting for a customer to save it from the cold depths of the freezer. It had been sitting in the frozen abyss for nearly a month until correct preparations were made for its future. On October 22, its rescue came which, unfortunately, meant death for its hero.

Richard Parker, a middle aged man and regular customer at Spec’s Superstore, had just retired from a tiresome work day. He was looking forward to the start of the upcoming weekend when he would get to spend time with his companion. The next day seemed even more appealing because it would be his thirty-seventh birthday. What better way to celebrate than with a few glasses of wine from his favorite store- Spec’s? He thought. With his mind filled with joyful dreams of the day to come, Richard set his head on the plush pillow and drifted off into a light slumber.

Morning came within a few hours and Richard, slowly, opened his eyes and peered around his one bedroom apartment. It took him a moment to gather himself, but he could sense the importance of the day. Eventually he remembered that thirty seven years ago on the 22 day of October, he was pried out of his mother’s womb in the backseat of a taxi cab. Ah, the memories, Richard thought.

After about twenty minutes, Richard was in his gray Volvo and backing out of his assigned parking spot. He picked up his girlfriend on his way to his destination. He continued down the road until he saw Smith Street, turned, and kept going until he saw the address 2410. He knew every twist and turn by heart. Richard entered the store and exclaimed a hardy, “Hey Elijah.” The balding store clerk replied his usual, “How’s it going Parker?” This was always a rhetorical question. Richard opened one of the freezers around the store and put his hand around the first bottle of wine he saw. As he was about to pull it out, his girlfriend glanced around nervously and said, “Uh, how about that bottle Richard?” She pointed to a bottle towards the back of the freezer. Not giving the suggestion a second thought, Richard reached for the new bottle. He purchased it and he and Rachel- the girlfriend- went back to Richard’s apartment.

The night was young, but the sky was already turning a fierce shade of black. Rachel, chuckling to herself, pulled the drapes closed over the window, not wanting anything to spoil what was to come. Richard was “freshening up” in the bathroom. Rachel walked over to the worn couch and pulled the right cushion off of the top. She stuck her hand in the crease between the bottom and top of the sofa and pulled out a white envelope. This, she knew, was filled with Richard’s life savings that he planned to use to buy his own business some day. She placed the envelope and the cushion back into place and sat down just as Richard walked into the room. “Ready?” he asked with anticipation hidden in his voice. Rachel nodded and replied “Let’s have a drink first.” Richard got out two fine china glasses and filled each to the brim with wine. The couple picked up the glasses and toasted to the rest of the night. Rachel proceeded to pretend to sip her wine and set the glass down. Richard consumed his entire portion and set his glass down as well. Task complete, Rachel thought. Richard stood up and faced Rachel. “Now what shall we-…?“ Richard stopped suddenly and held his hands over his chest. He staggered a little, and finally fell back onto the floor, his body sprawled out on the carpet. A grin spread across Rachel’s face as she watched Richard twitch on the floor. She stood up from the couch and threw the cushion off of it once again. She grabbed the envelope and stuffed it into her pocket. Rachel turned to leave, but came back and crouched down into Richard’s face. “The power of perfectly placed bottles,” she whispered. She got up smiling and exited the apartment thinking, someone just got much richer.