Derby

 So, this was it huh?.

 It made sense. 

I turned the object over in my hands a couple times and attempted to think back. 

The day (and night) before we had our 6th annual Kentucky Derby party, complete with Horse racing, Cucumber sandwiches and enough Bourbon to float a Pony. 

   We were mostly drinking Mint Juleps, which, when made correctly, are hard to beat on a hot summers day. Later when we retreated to the lounge, I was well lit, but I thought a few Negronis might sharpen me up a bit.
  We drank, talked, and drank some more. 

in our conversation, It came up that possibly, one of our usual crowd was absent because, "last he was here time you made him drink a shot at gun point" 

True, but, because he wouldnt drink Potchine, it was justifiable in my opinion.

 My friend went on. "I mean, the big knife is one thing, but guns, I don't know..." 

The big knife. 

Yep. Knives and drinking had a long running partnership in this crowd. 

From playing "Mumblty peg" with a switch blades to "five Finger Fillet" with an 18' Scottish dirk, We all had scars. The "big knife" was an oversize Crocodile Dundee monstrosity that I used for carving up the late night grapefruit. People liked the big knife because, usually, by the time it came out we were lit, and just as usually, it meant it was time for grapefruit. Not the same with a .38 caliber revolver. "Ok," I said "Tell you what. I'm going to let you in on something" I drew the .38 from its spot under the bar, and held it up, letting it glint in the electric Tiki torch light. "That's not loaded is it?" asked one guest nervously. "well" I said "Let me check...I swung the cylinder out and gave it a spin... nope"...

"C'mon, you guys think I would pull a loaded gun on you in my drunken stupor?" 

A few guests shrugged, but said nothing. I guess it did not seem out of the question. Sometimes things got crazy, and you just went with it. Another night at the 821.  I put the gun away, and shook up another Negroni. We needed something to liven things up. I needed either more or less booze, something to set my mind straight.
"I'll be right back" I said.
I left my station behind the bar and headed up stairs.
 But, I never made it back. My 10 or so Mint Juleps topped off with so many double Negronis had found me. I was told that when everyone came up from the lounge some hours later they found me on the couch leaning slightly to one side, squinting vaguely towards the television.
All I would say was "I'm Done"
In the morning I could remember that I had left the lounge on a quest. We needed something, something important, and I had gone to get it. 

But what was it? 

Not a clue. 

My wife offered some help
"When we found you up here you had that..."
She pointed at an object on the coffee table.
"you were cradling it like a baby"
"Ahh...it's all clear to me now.." I said, as I rolled the object back and forth in my hands.
It was important after all.
It was a grapefruit.