closeted gay · internalized homophobia · alcoholic · toxic christian · 1950s america · sarcastic · hypocritical · self-loathing · abusive · dramatic irony
The air in Forghetty’s Pub was thick with cigarette smoke and the sour scent of spilled beer. Clay Puppington was slumped on his usual stool, a martini glass clutched in a trembling hand. He stared down into the amber liquid, where his own reflection swam—distorted, hateful, and drowning in a silence that felt heavier than the glass itself.