They pulled into the rutted, dirt parking lot of the bar. The neon sign flickered and instead of Oasis, it spelled O__si. The windows appeared to be painted black or covered with something. No light escaped from inside. He chuckled, the 'O_yes' bar. He was pretty sure it should be 'O_No' bar.
"Quite a place, Elise. Not the kind of thing I usually do after dinner at Applebees."
"Yea, and we're going to talk about that...anyway...Why, what do you do afterward?"
"If it's nice, take a walk, or a drive. Go to the late show at the movies. Dance somewhere. Depends on the person, I guess. Do you go here often?"
"A few times. It's fun. A little rough, but it's exciting. Don't be afraid, I'll keep you safe."
"Phew! I feel much better," smiling at her. He climbed out the truck door and went around to open hers. She already had her door open and was standing up.
"You don't have to open the door for me, Jackson. Quit trying to flex your testosterone and make me look like some kind of dependent or subordinate. No more of your male patriarchy crap!"
He laughed. "Sorry. It's the way I was raised. Force of habit."
"Well, southern boy, you're up north now and women don't like to feel all helpless and fan our faces so we don't faint and crap. Opening doors and stuff is demeaning, so knock it off."
"Hmm. I guess that is one way to look at it. We southern boys, though, kind of think of it more as a sign of respect. Respect for womanhood and the pivotal position they play in society and the family. But I can see how it could, uh, be misinterpreted, by some."
He walked next to her as they approached the entrance and fought the urge to take her arm, open the door and guide her inside. Instead he stood by as she opened the door, he took it from her and they stepped inside. The place was not much better on the inside--maybe worse. Dark, peeling paint, broken furniture stacked up in the far corner, spills on the floor.
She guided him to a booth and they squeezed in. He sat on one side, she in the other. As always, he looked around, took note of everyone and everything. A number of folks sitting on stools or standing at the bar. Some pretty shabby looking, some business guys having their evening drinks before heading home; it was Friday, after all, he thought. Some couples sitting close and snuggling at the booths.
But it all looked old, worn, tired. Their was an illness here. Bad vibes. Evil humours. But Elise seemed to brighten and come alive. Not sure how many dates there were going to be after this one, he reflected. Something seemed to be going on in the dark, beyond the pool table, but he couldn't see clearly. A group of men surrounding something.
She noticed him looking around and appraising it. "Problem, Jackson?"
"No. It's...interesting." He hesitantly put his arms on the table, which rocked back and forth as he did so. Rings from old drinks and smudges of grease covered its top. He looked at the surface and thought about how badly the table need a good sanding, staining and multiple coats of polyurethane...after being disinfected with some bleach or something. Then laughed to himself, why waste the time. Better to just pitch it.
"Jackson, Jackson, it's alright. Sweetie, just relax and take it in. You'll be fine. And get me a drink."
"Sure, I'm sorry, I was distracted. What would you like?"
"I'd like a double shot of Jack and a beer chaser."
"Great. Any pie or anything?"
"Nope."
"I'll be right back." He headed for the bar and glanced at the back of the place again. The men seemed to be surrounding a woman who looked pretty unstable and was kind of just staring as the men put hands on her. A tiny thing, he thought. She looked young, too young.
He carried the drinks to the table. She downed her shot and drank half her beer. He sipped his beer. "So, Elise, how's school coming along? Not long before finals and summer, right? Any big plans for the time off?" He glanced towards the back again.
"My folks have a place at the Jersey shore. Party, party, party. If you're nice, Jackson, maybe you can visit."
"Sounds like fun. I don't get much time off. I have my MBA stuff both summer semesters and with working and all..."
"God, Jackson! You need to loosen up. Learn how to have fun. Live a little. Enjoy being young. Now, I would enjoy it if you would get me some more Jack and you need to finish your beer."
"I...sure. I'll be right back." He got up ordered a repeat of the first order, saw that things looked off in the back. The men were starting to pull her towards the emergency exit and she was weakly resisting. Either drunk or drugged, but clearly not in a position to fend for herself against the onslaught.
He returned to the table and stared at the back again. "Jackson, what the hell do you keep looking at? You're making me feel bad about myself."
"Sorry. You look beautiful as always, Elise, and your outfit is amazing."
"So, country boy?"
"So there is a girl in the back..."
"Woman!"
"Sure. There is a young woman in the back who is being manhandled by a group of men back there and she is either drunk...or more likely she's been drugged."
Elise turned around in her seat. "Yup. Looks like she's in for some shit. She should have been more careful. It'll be a good life lesson for her."
"I...well, I can't just sit here and let it happen, Elise. Not without trying to stop it."
"It's not your problem, Jackson! You're with me! Remember!"
"When I was in college, there was a party at a fraternity. I got pretty totaled and come one or two it was just me and this girl...woman. She was very, very drunk and could barely talk. I asked if I could see her back to her dorm and all she could do was stare. About then two of the fraternity brothers came in and each took an arm. 'Good thought, Jackson. We'll make sure she gets home. You should head out yourself.'
"I did and it turns out that five of them took turns on her until they were worn out. As a result of her life lesson, she left school that morning and didn't come back. I stayed away from that fraternity and severed relations with all the members. Some life lessons should not be learned, Elise."
"Jackson. IT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM! There're at least five of them. You're a big guy, but they're just as big. What can you do about it?"
