I had been stuck with working overtime and, having finished my last drop-off, headed for the nearest bar. I was slap bang in the middle of theater-land and most people were heading for some performance of whatever took their fancy. In an indifferent mood to start with, the jostling through the crowds was only pissing me off, but I managed to find a little establishment that wasn't too busy. The plan was to down a couple of beers before going home (thinking of my license) to a bottle of something harder, so I dumped my lid and jacket by my feet, ordered a drink and sat watching the soundless news on the television in the corner.
The place was almost dead, with only a few people sipping away. Even at this early an hour there were a few who were worse for wear, one of which was a man trying his luck with some unfortunate female. His attempt, loud enough for all to hear, was laughable. I was hoping for some witty putdown but was left slightly disappointed and, hearing a trace of emotion in her voice, turned around to see. The drunk stood over a table, at which sat a smartly dressed redhead nursing an empty glass. She became more distressed at his presence, getting up to leave only to find her way blocked by his arm. Turning around on herself, she made tracks for the backdoor, only for the drunk to follow.
As the rest of the patrons returned to their drinks, I abandoned my beer and wandered out the back. Ready to help if need be, I got there in time to see the drunk receive a kick to the stomach that had more in common with Buffy than her best friend Willow. Looking at me as the man regurgitated his wages, I got my first proper view of her. Pausing as my mind came to terms with the idea of being within touching distance of Alyson Hannigan, I found my tongue to splutter out a few words.
"Are you alright?"
"All things considered..." she replied.
"Tell you what," I said. "Let's get out of here."
Nodding in agreement, I took hold of her hand and led her back through the bar, stopping only to grab my gear. With the hints of tears in her eyes, I asked what was wrong. It turned out that she and her partner, Alexis, were supposed to see a show together but he 'phoned to say he couldn't make it, leading to an argument. Our meeting seemed to be over as she spoke of getting back to her hotel, luckily my brain was working so I offered her a lift. Reaching the bike I dug out my spare lid and handed it to her.
"How about we go the scenic route?" she suggested, her eyes lighting up.
"Fine." I said, getting on and starting her up.