Kim pushes her
way through the bar patrons who barely notice her doing this. I try to follow
at the pace that she has set, but I am to slow. I get stuck behind a man with a
giant cowboy hat and a pair of chaps, whose beer lightly splashes out of his
glass when I walk into him. Kim reaches around this cowboy, grabs my wrist in
her hand and pulls me to her.
Kim then walks
right up to the bar and squeezes between two guys sitting on bar stools having
a conversation. Kim literally takes one of the bar stools and slides it and the
patron to one side. The patron doesn’t seem to care and starts a conversation
with the guy now to his left. Kim signals the bartender who walks over wiping
his hand on a towel, a big smile on his face.
Kim is out of
breath as she introduces me to the bartender. “Jackie this is Geoff,” she says
presenting me with a flourish. Then presents again, “Geoff this is Jackie!” Kim
has a frozen smile on her face. Jackie extends his hand to me. “Well hello
Geoff, Kim has told me so much about you.” A twinkle crosses his eye as he
shakes my hand. Jackie is the spitting image of a twenty six year old Mick
Jagger. “Can I get you a drink?” Jackie asks me a smile crossing his face. I
order a vodka soda as I look over at Kim who now is holding the chain around her
neck between two pinched fingers; she nervously slides the chain back and forth
and then touches it to her lips. Jackie grabs a glass dumps ice in it and
reaches for a bottle of vodka. “Lime?” he asks. I look at him and nod my head.
I look back over at Kim who now has her chain in her mouth. Her eyes dart
between me and Jackie. I can tell she hopes that we like each other and that we
will get along.
As Jackie places
the drink in front of me another bartender comes from further down the bar and
throws his arms around Jackie literally knocking him off balance. Jackie is
briefly confused but smiles when he realizes what has happened. “Hi, I’m Billy
and I’m Jackie’s boyfriend,” this bartender says not extending his hand to me.
Billy has long brown hair that is feathered back away from his face. He looks a
good five years younger than Jackie is and a whole lot more animated. Both of
them are wearing white sleeveless t-shirts, tight blue jeans and both sport
long handled combs in their back pockets.
“Hi, I’m Geoff,”
I say extending my hand. Billy doesn’t reach for my hand but seems to squeeze
Jackie just a little harder. I look at Kim who meets my eyes and rolls hers
towards the ceiling. It is so fast that only I catch it. It’s clear that Billy
is marking his territory.
Jackie gently
slides out of Billy’s grip and turns towards the bar. “Michael!” he screams
“Come meet Kim’s new friend Geoff!”
Michael is sitting at a slight diagonal
from me and stands on the bar rail reaching his arm out towards me. I can smell
the booze roll off Michael in a wave, he is afraid to leave his stool in fear
that he might lose it. “Hi Geoff!” he screams, our fingers barely touch. I turn
to Kim again to get her take on Michael. It’s clear that she has a soft spot in
her heart for him.
“Let’s Stay
Together” by Tina Turner blasts out the speakers and people run to the dance
floor.
To be continued………
Geoffrey Doig-Marx holds all written and electronic rights to his writing "A Day in the Life". It can not be reprinted in part or whole without his written consent.
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