Lily shoved the door to the Port and Pint open, smirking as it slammed against the wall. She glanced back to make sure she hadn't broken the door. She had not; too bad, the damn thing was in her way after all and with the mood she was in, anything standing in her way had better watch out! The bar's few patrons turned to check out the noise, but Lily merely glared back defiantly.
The young woman stomped up to the bar, climbing onto a stool at the far left end of the bar, as far from the other patrons as she could sit. She huffed and grimaced as Rosalind, the proprietress, continued chatting easily with the two young men standing by the middle of the bar as they paid their tab. How long would she have to wait for some service, anyway?
As if sensing her annoyance, Rosalind turned to look her way, nodding to indicate she'd be there in a moment. She waved sweetly to the young men as they departed, and then made her way towards Lily's end of the bar.
"Bad day, love?" The barkeep smiled in sympathy, obviously not expecting an answer. "What'll it be?"
The question momentarily stumped Lily. All she knew was that she wanted a drink. Not having much experience with alcohol, she had no idea what kind of drink she wanted. This was hardly a butterbeer moment. "Something strong. Surprise me."
"I know just the thing," nodded Rosalind, turning back to the large display of bottles and vials she kept behind the bar. The older woman pulled several bottles of different colored liquors down from their racks and lined them up on the bar a few feet down from Lily. She ducked under the counter to retrieve a tall, narrow glass, which she filled with ice. After filling the glass with a little liquid from each bottle, Rosalind swirled it gently to mix the fluids together before topping the mixture off with a single cherry and handing it to Lily. "How do you like this?"
Slightly nervous despite her determination to Get Drunk, Lily gazed down at the strange concoction for a couple seconds before raising the glass to her lips and taking a large swig. The drink was sweet yet pungent at the same time, the unfamiliar burn of alcohol only partly disguised by a strong fruity flavor. Lily swirled the liquid around in her mouth a moment and then swallowed. Was it her imagination, or could she already feel the buzz? "Perfect," she replied before taking another gulp.
"I won't bother putting these back yet then." Rosalind gave Lily a sly wink before wandering off to check on the pub's only other patrons, who were seated at a table by the window. Lily paid little attention to the polite conversation the proprietress made, choosing instead to focus on her drink and the reason for her need for it. Jason Wexler.
"
Maybe we should see other people for awhile
," he'd said. As if he weren't the one who had pursued her for several years despite her protests. Against her better judgment she'd finally accepted his advances in their senior year at Wilson High, believing he was no longer the egotistical bully of his younger years. Lily had thought Jason had changed, but apparently she'd been wrong.
"
I just want to see what else is out there before settling down and becoming all domesticated. Don't you ever wonder about other people, Lils?
" No, asshole. Since I started dating you, I've had no eyes for anyone else, and more fool me to think you felt the same. I'm so bloody sorry if screwing me has gotten boring, Wexler. Sorry to cramp your fucking style.
Lily looked down – her glass was empty. After the first few sips it went down real easy. Disgruntled, she called out to the barkeep. "Hey Rosalind! I want another one!" Perhaps tomorrow she'd regret her manners, but right now they were the furthest thing from her mind. Right now she only wanted the fuzzy, glowing feeling that was creeping upon her to continue, and that required another drink.
The older woman chuckled. "Impatient, aren't we, love!"
Lily watched as the middle aged couple at the table stood to leave, hoping they'd hurry so Rosalind would come back more quickly. They didn't hurry, and Rosalind walked them to the door, locking it behind them as they left. Lily looked up towards the clock hanging in the back of the room. It was just past two. Crap. So much for another drink.
"Are you closing?" A small feeling of shame pierced through Lily's fog as she fumbled for her coin purse. "I should leave."
Rosalind walked back to Lily and put a hand on her arm. "No, stay. I can tell when a young lady is in need of a good drink and a good shoulder. It's part of the job description." The older lady stepped behind the bar and mixed two of the funny multi-colored drink, handing one to Lily and keeping the other for herself.
"I'm glad you like my drink, Lily, is it?" Lily nodded. "I call it ‘Rosie's revenge'."
"Does that mean I'll have an awful hangover tomorrow?" asked Lily after taking a generous sip.
Rosalind shook her head as she came back around to sit down on the stool next to Lily's. "Nothing a couple of aspirin can't cure. I just like the way the name sounds. Now tell me, what's he done to put you in such a mood?"
"He?" repeated Lily. "How do you know it's a he?"
"It's always a he," laughed the older lady. "If a lady wants a drink, ninety-nine times out of a hundred it's because some man treated her poorly. Am I wrong?"
Lily stared down into her drink, ashamed to be just a statistic. "No, you're not wrong."
