This is a long story - maybe a novella I been thinking about for a year now.
Amanda works two jobs. The first half the week, she works at a gym. Second at the players. Sometimes, she doubles her weekend shifts at the players. The place is on fire on Fridays and Saturday nights. The pool tables are flooded with people carrying shiny queues in plush leather bags. Guys and girls oozing with the confidence that comes with sports gear. Amanda and her colleagues make sure they drink a little every now and then. She doesn’t bother how they play. She knows it too well; they are all amateurs. No matter how badass-ish they show up. A new group has showed up today. Two white guys and an Asian girl. She is kind of a pro at the game. Amanda eyes them from the bar. She misses her friends back from Doritsville.
There are a few loners, too. Like Naum here. Sitting at number three. He sits there and drinks, minds his own business. Tips the barkeeps well at times.
Can I ask you a question, if you don’t mind? He is always this polite. Sure, what’s up she says as she moves toward his end of the polished mahogany bar. What’s that drink you served someone earlier - think it was a copper mug?
Nau is not talkative but tries to make some conversation when drunk or about to be. He has had a couple of Vodka tonics tonight. He is fade up with the drafts. They give him heartburn. Oh, you mean mule, Amanda chirps in her sweet little voice. Naum notices the sweetness in her voice for the first time. He steals a glance at her. She runs her fingers through her hair every now and then.
Wanna try it? She asks, with her eyebrows slightly raised in a sort of a questioning manner. Sure, if you don’t mind. She laughs. No, I don’t mind, it’s my job.
The copper mug is in front of Naum after a few minutes. Vodka with a bunch of ginger. Naum tries to feel the taste of alcohol. Thanks, miss, appreciate it. He says in a playful manner. Not a problem. Amanda smiles at him and gets back to sorting something behind the bar. Barkeeps are busy, brisk people. Naum likes to observe them. They know how to work right while being consistently watched at. Naum admires this trait. I’d be irritated if someone stared at me while I worked.
Evenings like these are particularly strange. There is a solace attached to them. The click-clacks of noise surrounding your being sinks into the stupor and fade away. This evening has brought a calm to him that moves and shifts like a wave atop the muted lights at the place.
Amanda observes him in between her talking stints with other patrons. She tries to figure him out. What’s the deal with this guy? She has seen him a couple of times, mostly on his own. Working a bar is like working with individual biographies. People babble and confide. Share the things never meant to be shared. Talking to people from across this bar is like peeping into their lives. Bars are easier places for conversations that would otherwise be considered prying. The more days that you spend behind the bar, the better you start to think you are good at figuring people out.
She is distracted by Bob, who is on and on about an energy drink he has found online. Man! He says with a lit-up face, this sheet’s bonkers! Keeps me eyes open on these long shifts. He tries to recommend it to Amanda. She doesn’t like it. Too much caffeine is not good for your heart. Google has enriched her understanding of health and nourishment. She is a fitness enthusiast. Always attempting to cross the daily target of ten thousand steps. She and some other girls at the bar have a group going. They compete with each other on the step count through their smartwatches. Some of her colleagues are smokers, periodically dipping into their vapes. The smoke irritates her. So does Bob; at least, that’s what Naum feels from the distance.
Naum wants to speak with her but does not want to appear too eager. He hesitates a lot. It’s an old habit of his. Amanda senses it and strolls towards him. You doing okay there? she asks. You want another? Naum nods. So, where do you work? Amanda asks him. I do a desk job, the nine-to-five kind. Do you like it? Well, I guess so. I get paid on time. He shrugs. That's an odd thing for him to do. He gets embarrassed by this high-schoolish gesture of his. Clears the throat and manages to blurt out a couple of sentences. She is good, though, and manages to get Naum talking for the next half an hour. Strangely, he realizes it’s easy to talk to her.
By the end of their little chit-chat, Naum has suddenly become aware of Amanda's hometown her likes and dislikes. A couple of names, too. Sweet water, the name sticks in his mind. A dusty little town in Texas with a single streetlight. No one would notice if you sped or broke the light. Burgers with real meat and not soya patties. Friendly people struggling to get by in a closing town. Virginia is so far away from little Sweet Water. He checks the distance in miles on Google Maps. It’s a little mind-pauser he uses at times. Distance between here and Antarctica. Satellite views of the Arctic. Some of the loneliest places on earth. His mind swings back and forth. Focus, he scolds self. It's 11 PM already, and he has to leave. It’s going to be a long day at work tomorrow. He asks her for the check. Let’s see the damage; he tries being witty about it. Fifty dollars and some cents. I gotta tip her well. He gropes for a good number. Don't have to briber her. He puts a respectable digit in the tip section and gets up to leave. I guess I’ll see you around then? Sure, I am usually here on Thursdays through weekends. Good talking to you, take care have a good night. She throws a bunch at him. He manages to say goodnight.
I got to ask her out. I should have. Maybe the next time. Should have at least asked for her number. But why would she say yes to going out with me. she was just being cordial out of common courtesy. Naum's mind throws a few boulders at him as he slows into the night.
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Anant Dhavale
©Anant Dhavale
