WORD COUNT: 750
*What you are about to read is written for the
750 Word Project 2025
for February. Please enjoy this fun little story. I love comments and criticism so please let me know what you think, good and bad. I hope you get a bit of tickle reading this fun little tale.*
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Pam pulled open the frosted glass door of The Grotto, Big Splash Waterpark's 'adults only' bar. The Grotto provided an escape from the shrieking and screaming of kids and young families overrunning the water park. A foggy cloud of chlorine followed her into the dimly lit bar.
The place was nearly empty, it being barely 11:00 am. An older man nursed a beer, likely taking a break from his grandchildren, and two bartenders competed at some complex game involving flipping bottle caps. Pam was delighted at the dry heat inside; she had expected to feel chilled out of the humid jungle air of the waterpark while still in her bathing suit. She strode to the bar and slid onto a stool.
"I'm sure people grumble about $7.50 for a Dixie cup of beer but I'm the first to do it today," she said, glancing up at the drink specials.
"He was first," the woman bartender said, her head nodding toward the older man.
Pam sighed. She wanted a beer, something, anything, to soften the thought of chasing her kids around another day at the resort. That $7.50 price tag felt too steep. She looked at the various signs decorating the wall behind the bar. Some were funny, some were tropical. The vibe was seedy tiki hut, perhaps using humor to soften the sting of drink costs.
She nodded toward one sign.
"Topless women drink free?" she asked, looking at Remy, identified by his nametag. He shook his head and waved his hand at the sign, brushing it away. His attractive face screwed up in a disapproving frown.
"A joke," he said with a mild French accent, "The owner thinks he is funny."
The other bartender, the woman with clear dark skin and black curled hair, cleared her throat. Her name tag identified her as "Eman."