Friday night in Timmy Town

“Timmy you’re the only one that got me anything for Valentine’s Day”

She told me this across the bar. I wasn’t certain if she meant no other patrons got her anything or nobody at all. She has a boyfriend so if it’s nobody at all, that’s not a good thing.

“Nobody at all?”

“Nope”

“Nobody in the whole wide world?”

“Nobody. Text messages don’t count.”

“I want to say I’m sorry...”

I made certain I didn’t actual give her something on Valentine’s Day. I gave her something the day before and even told her she was getting it the day before because it would be inappropriate for me to give it to her on Valentine’s Day.

She wasn’t in a good mood, I imagined that she wasn’t in a good mood since Tuesday and here it was Friday. I wanted to talk to her but the nature of the conversation shouldn’t have been shouted out across a crowded bar. I wanted to tell her that a text message should count for a little something, maybe half a something or a quarter something. I wanted to tell her a lot of folks nowadays don’t put a lot of stock in Valentine’s Day. I wanted to tell her that she shouldn’t discount all the things his done because of this one thing he didn’t. I still want to tell her. The next time I see her will be on Monday.

I asked a different bartender how she was doing. She told me she broke up with her boyfriend. This time I said I was sorry.

“How’s work?” She works for her ex-boyfriend’s father’s company.

“Work is good.” She said and then smiled at me because she knew I wasn’t just making small talk. I knew she was previously worried about what breaking up with the bosses son could do to her job.

My attention was drawn away when she tickled me at the waist on the side because that’s where I’m ticklish. She hadn’t known that until then. She was a one of the regulars. She wasn’t having a good day either. Her boyfriend of eight years just bought a condo in the sunshine state with his ex-wife of five years.

“Timmy! You want a shot?” the first bartender asked. I really didn’t want to start drinking shots just yet but usually when I’m asked this question it’s because the bartender doesn’t want to do a shot alone.

“Sure”

“What do you want? Anything but Patron.”

“I’m up for anything...No Patron?”

“No, *the manager* wants to do a shot with you” I was surprised. The manager has never done a shot with just me before and he rarely drinks while working.

“Yeah, I’m a baby” the manager chimed in. I was about to explain myself when I heard the bartender shout out the name of a shot.

“Washington apple?”

“Yeah” I said to her and then turned to the manager and added “Those are good”

We touched glasses and shot them down. He then bought me a beer. I made gestured as if to ask what’s this all about.

“Just because I like you. You’re a good man.” I responded with a little bow of my head and hoisted my glass towards him.

She was standing next to me and had her back to the bar so she could look me in the eye. I wasn’t meeting her look. I was looking at the empty space to the left of her bottled blonde hair.

“Everybody loves you. You know that don’t you.” I could feel her searching for my eyes as she waiting for a response.

I smiled as I said “That’s good to know”

“Everybody...” she then started naming everybody, the bartenders, my co-worker, herself.

Her conversation was hands on with an occasional brush against with her breast and a pressing of a thigh.

“You’re a good guy, Tim.”

I looked her in the eye and smiled “I was going to say “you’re a good guy, too” but that doesn’t sound quite right.” Every time I look her in the eye, I see a shallow emptiness.

She suggested that I could call her a good gal, so I went with that, even though by her own admission she’s not a ‘good gal.’

I asked another bartender for my bill.

“Why?” she asked. I looked at the clock. “No! Stay till nine. What do you want?”

“What do you suggest?”

“A drink and a shot” I was hoping for something more specific and without the ‘and.’ “What do you want?”

“You can pick ‘em”

“How about a gin and tonic?”

“That’s good” She placed a gin and tonic with two limes and a lemon in front of me and I thought I was getting away without the shot but as I placed my drink down she gave me a Washington Apple in a double shot glass. “Thanks...I think.”

I think I left after eleven