City life is millions of people being lonesome together. -- Henry David Thoreau
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I'd inherited this bar from my uncle a few years ago. He had no kids, my aunt had died before I was out of diapers. He was so crushed by her loss he never remarried. He used to tell me that she was his once-in-a-lifetime girl and there was nobody that would ever come close. It was only decades later when he was in his twilight years that someone in the family had let slip that he'd been diagnosed with a deep depression, and the only thing that had kept him going was this bar, his place.
It was quiet tonight. The after work crowd had filtered out to find some dinner and head home. It was too early in the week for date night and there were only a few regulars left.
I pulled glasses out of the washer and set them on the rack to finish drying. I'd worked here a few summers during college before I went off and did my office job. That's what an MBA was for, right? Getting a good job in a high rise, neckties, meetings and eventually you make your boss a success. So I had thought until I found myself in that soulless environment where stabbing people in the back to get ahead was far too common. When my uncle passed away and left this place to me I thought about selling it but decided to try my hand at running the bar instead. He did okay for himself though he was a man of little means, he had his third floor walk up apartment upstairs. It was only in the last few years that I found out he had owned the building for years, but sold it when things had gotten tight. He'd put in a lot of upgrades into the bar and he told me he didn't want to be a landlord any more. He got the apartment and the bar in the deal free and clear.
"Hey Ricky can I get one for the road and my tab."
"Sure thing Stan." I reached over and poured him another beer. He knew his tab, he was a regular and slid a twenty across the bar and just nodded. It was plenty to cover with a little leftover for me. I thanked him and told him to be safe on his walk home.
I went back to cleaning. When I was done with what I could do before closing I stepped into the backroom and brought back a case of beer. I rotated the bottles into the cooler when I noticed that the guys at the end had stopped talking rather suddenly. I'd heard the door open but I thought it was just Stan leaving but someone else had come in. I looked up and saw her I felt my mouth go dry.
Standing by the door looking up at the chalkboard display of specials and drinks was a woman with short blond hair wearing a pair of faded jeans and a black leather jacket. She turned to look around and eventually locked eyes with me and gave me a quick smile and walked towards the bar. She had a beautiful face, bright eyes, and an easy smile.
"Hi." She leaned over to look at the tap handles and gave a little squint.
I snapped out of my reverie and greeted her with a smile. "Hi, what can I get for you?" I slid a napkin in front of her. She scanned the bottles behind me.
"Hi. Can I get a Cosmo please?" She asked as if unsure if I even knew what it was.
"You sure can." I stepped away and got the ingredients, reaching for the top shelf vodka rather than the bar stock. I garnished the glass with a little twist of lime and set it on the napkin and poured her drink from the frosty shaker.
"Thanks." She lifted the glass and took a sip and looked up over the rim of the glass noticing I hadn't moved away. Her eyes opened a little wider.
"Sorry, it's been a while I just wanted to make sure I got it right for you."
I watched as she ran the tip of her tongue across her upper lip and, after a beat, nodded. "It's good, thanks." I nodded and went back to filling the cooler with bottles. The guys had started talking again but there was a charged feeling in the place like we had an alien in our presence and we were all trying to act normally.
I brought an empty box back to the store room and grabbed some other supplies and brought them out to find Eddy leaning on the bar next to the blonde. She seemed stiff, leaning back in her chair for some distance as her fingers tapped the napkin next to her drink. I could tell she wasn't in the least receptive to whatever pitch he was making.
"Hey Eddy, you want another or are you headed home to that lovely wife of yours. Penny said last night that she had enough leftover lasagna to feed the entire firehouse."
He gave me a withering look over his shoulder and settled his tab. He wasn't a bad guy but he had a little vanity problem, and it was deserved. He'd been in a couple of those hot fireman calendars they made for charity a few years earlier. Unfortunately after a few beers he tended to forget he had a wife and kid at home. Lucky enough all the regulars knew him and he never made any headway with any women from the neighborhood. If they didn't know him, they knew of him.
"Can I get you another?" I asked as she drained the last of her Cosmo.
She looked at the cellphone next to her drink and quickly set it back down. "Sure, why not?"
"Are you new to the neighborhood?" I asked pouring her drink.
She just smiled. "Do you guys have a menu? It appears that my date ghosted me."
My eyes widened at that as she shrugged off her jacket and slipped it over the back of the bar stool. She was wearing a black long sleeve tee beneath with a vee neck showing a little cleavage.
"I hope the guy sees his shrink soon. He'd have to be crazy to pass on a date with a girl as pretty as you."
Her eyes went as wide as her smile. "If you're fishing for a big tip you're doing it right." She said with a laugh.
"No we don't have anything prepared, just the snack shelf." I turned and pointed to a shelf of packaged snacks. She asked for a bag of pretzels and I obliged, even pouring them into a little dish and set it next to her glass. Her expression changed, her cheeks coloring slightly pink. "Thanks... for everything." The soft light glowed in her eyes. "I hope Eddy enjoys his lasagna." She popped a pretzel into her mouth and looked down at her drink.
"He will, Penny is a great cook." I said laughing. "She comes in with him sometimes."
She looked around at the small bar, not lingering on the other two guys sitting watching sports highlights on the TV. "This is a real locals hangout huh?"
"Yea, not much to draw in the tourist crowd. It's a working class neighborhood, it can get pretty busy around happy hour but most people head home before ten. I usually only stay open late on holidays or if someone wants to have a get together. A few folks will come in for birthdays and such because they don't have room in their apartment. Sometimes I'll get catering in for them. A lot of times they'll cater it themselves."
"You own the place?" The end of the question dangled as she fished for my name.
I nodded and introduced myself. "Rick. I inherited it from my uncle. He passed away with no kids of his own to leave it to."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"You never answered my question. Are you new around here?"
She blushed and took a sip of her drink, nearly draining it. "I didn't." She looked around and no one else was in hearing. "I'm kind of new, I'm subletting a friend's place around the corner."
"Well, welcome to the neighborhood then." My statement left the question hanging.
"Cassie." She reached over the bar and shook my hand. "Thanks for handling Eddy. What do I owe you?"
I shook my head. "It's on me. My version of a welcome basket."
She laughed and put her phone in her little bag and slipped a folded bill under her glass. "Thanks Rick."
She stepped behind the stool, her tee pulled tight over her chest showing her terrific figure as she shrugged her jacket on and zipped it about half way.
"I hope we see more of you around here." I sounded awkward, even to my own ears, but she still smiled.
"Well I committed to renting for six months while my friend's away so unless I find a nicer place in walking distance you probably will."
"There aren't any, this is the best place." I said grinning.
"I already like it." She gave me a wink and turned for the door. I took her glass and wiped down the bar.
