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Disclaimer: Grim Fandango belongs to LucasArts. I'm not making money with this story and I'm not associated with the company in any way.
IT'S LONELY TO BE ABANDONED
Everything was almost ready. His desk was empty and there was nothing that belonged to him in the room. It felt slightly sad to look at the bare room, but Nick drove the thought away. He had no time for feelings.
Especially not at the moment, and not because of such a matter.
He had got rid of most of his stuff the previous day. Fine, he had got rid of all of it, there was nothing left. He had given some of it to those few souls he had been able to tolerate, but most of it had been thrown away.
He wouldn't need fortune where he was going.
And to be honest, he had no reason to go back to his office. There was nothing to be done.
The room was quite big, Nick was sure no other lawyer had such an office in Rubacava. The thought had used to fill him with pride, but now it didn't mean much to him.
He had never had anything to remind him of her in his room. No pictures, not even a cigarette box, nothing. Not that she would have given him anything. And he hadn't asked.
Nick snorted at himself. He turned around and left the room closing the door for the last time. Someone would open it again soon, it wouldn't take long before Maximino found a new star lawyer to replace him.
The thought didn't bother him as much as one would have thought.
Olivia is probably gone already. That was the only thought strong enough to brake Nick's thick shell.
He had known about it for a week. The woman had told him that everything was over and that they wouldn't be able to meet each other anymore. It had come as a surprise to Nick, even though he had always known that they wouldn't be able to go on forever. It had been quite a shock when the woman had ended it all with no warning.
"That dirty slut," he muttered to himself. Saying the words aloud didn't make him feel any better.
He had been abandoned. He was usually the one who abandoned others.
Olivia hadn't left only him, but the whole Rubacava. The woman's club was closed, though Nick suspected that she would appear every now and then to keep it clean. Maybe she would even open it for a while if she was around.
If she has time to come back, he thought darkly.
The truth was that Olivia Ofrenda had found something better than him, even something better than Maximino.
It felt ironic that the man who had caused this problem was the very same who had offered Nick a salvation. The lawyer clenched his fists. It felt disgusting to think that Olivia could lie in the arms of Hector LeMans at the very moment.
He stepped in the High Roller's Lounge and looked around himself. There was basically no one there, it was a quiet night. His last in Rubacava.
Nick was not going to sit down and drink. He would have to be at the station the next morning and ready to leave everything behind. But there was one thing he was going to do.
He would have to say goodbye to the only person who probably cared.
Maximino had always thought that he was one of his best friends and Nick had made sure that the man continued believing so. He had nothing against the crime lord and he liked him, but keeping his shield shiny had been important.
He knocked at Maximino's door. There was no reply.
Nick tried again, but when nothing still happened he pushed the door open and stepped in.
The room was dim, but the lights of the Cat Track shone through the window and cast light on the man sitting behind his desk. There was an almost empty bottle and several glasses on the desk and when he looked at Maximino's position Nick didn't have to ask where the drink had gone.
Olivia must have told him, he thought and closed the door.
He had known that the woman's act would hurt Maximino many times more than him. Nick had known it had all been just a game and had never really let himself believe that she loved him, but to Maximino the kisses and gentle words had been reality.
It must have been quite a shock to have it all fall on him.
"Maximino?" he asked quietly. The man lifted his eyes sockets.
"Nick? Is that you?" Maximino's words weren't slurry at all. Nick had always wondered the man's ability to speak clearly no matter how drunk he was.
"Yes," he replied shortly.
Maximino sighed.
"She left me."
Nick didn't have to ask who and Maximino knew it too. The lawyer took a chair for himself and sat on the other side of the desk. He didn't really know why he hadn't left already. He had been years in Rubacava, maybe he was afraid of leaving the town for good.
He poured some of the drink in one of the glasses.
"You shouldn't take it that seriously. Worse things can happen in death," he heard himself say. He thought he should have listened to his own advice.
"Worse? What worse could happen? I loved her more than anything and thought that she loved me. Do you know what it felt like to hear that she was going to leave, Nick?"
Nick knew it better than well, but didn't say it. Maximino would just lose his nerves.
"No I don't," he replied.
They were silent for a while. Nick was starting to think that he should go and he made a move to stand up.
"You are going to leave me as well."
Nick froze. He hadn't told Maximino about his plan, but had emptied his desk in silence. Of course it made sense that Maximino knew everything that happened in Rubacava, but why did he have to mention it? The man's thoughts should have circled around Olivia.
"We have talked about this. I have said many times that I will leave once I get the money to buy a Double N-Ticket," he said carefully.
"You have had the money for a while now. Why do you leave right now?" Maximino asked. Nick looked at the man's empty eye sockets and was starting to feel that the man wasn't as drunk as it had seemed.
"Now is as good as any other moment. There won't be business in Rubacava for long anymore, it's better to leave while I'm on top," Nick said and put his glass on the table. He hadn't drunk at all, just held it in his hand.
He flinched when Maximino grabbed his fingers that were still wrapped around the glass.
"Don't leave me Nick. It's not worth it."
Perhaps Maximino wasn't very drunk, but he clearly wasn't sane either. Nick had never seen the man like that and he had to admit that it made him a bit nervous. Maybe Maximino had totally lost it because of Olivia?
"Maximino?" Nick asked and drew his hand back.
"Nick? You were always my friend, weren't you?" Maximino asked. He didn't seem to be aware of what he was doing and it was the only thing that stopped Nick from freaking out.
"Of course, but I still have to go," he said sharply. He would be gone the next day and the ticket had cost him almost all of his fortune. He was not going to leave it unused.
Maximino sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"Rubacava isn't what it used to be. Everyone leaves."
"Maybe you should too."
"Don't be stupid." Maximino turned to stare at the Cat Track. "I made this town what it is now. I will stay."
Despite that Olivia had hurt Maximino much more Nick noticed that the man took it better than him. The crime lord would stay in Rubacava until the end while the lawyer had immediately decided to go.
Part of him hoped the he could have had such stamina as well, and be able to go on no matter how hard it was.
Nick stood up, took a step back and left, leaving Maximino alone.
The End
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