Hank placed his cell phone on the bar and sat on a stool.
“You must be done with your shift?” Joe sat on the stool next to Hank.
“Yeah. I’m meeting a friend at the river for a little evening fishing, but I’ve got a few minutes. How are things?”
“Things are …” Joe turned his stool to face Hank. “I gotta ask you something.”
Hank was placing flies in a small tackle box. “Go ahead.” Continue reading →
John reached for his pint and muttered to himself, “The other high maintenance was easier.”
On the other side of the bar, Hank turned and said, “What? Did you just say ‘high maintenance?'” Hank leaned over the bar, “Uh oh…”
John looked frustrated. “Yeah. I did.” He lifted his pint for a drink. “The last one was the typical kind of high maintenance. She liked stuff. All kinds of stuff. If we got in an argument, I’d buy her earrings. If I wanted to golf for a second weekend in a row, I’d pay for her to get one of those manicures. As long as I bought her stuff, or wined and dined her, we were fine.”
Hank laughed, “And, this new one? Is she high maintenance?”
John shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I can’t figure her out. It’s a whole different kind of high maintenance. She doesn’t want stuff. She doesn’t go for manicures. She doesn’t have 130 pairs of shoes.” Continue reading →
“Hey, Sandy! How are things? I haven’t seen you in awhile. Have you met Anne? She’s our new backup bartender. You’re going to like her.”
“Hello, Anne. Nice to meet you.” Sandy laughed and pointed at Hank. “I bet you get a real education working with this guy.”
Anne shook Sandy’s hand and said, “You know, I’ve tended other bars, and thought I’d heard it all, but Hank definitely has some new stories.”
Hank laughed, “Who, me? What can I get ya, Sandy?”
“I’m going to pretend that it’s warm enough for a gin and tonic.” Continue reading →
“Hey Jesse! How was your Thanksgiving?”
“Well, we all came down with that stomach bug. Only three of the four of us could even eat the dinner. My pumpkin pie turned green. And the dogs ate all of the salami we’d sliced for appetizers. It was the best Thanksgiving I’ve ever had, and I’m NOT being facetious. How was yours? Oh… I’ll have a Fat Tire, please.”
Hank laughed, “Wow! You sound like a beer-drinking Erma Bombeck.”
“I’d bet she tossed back a few in her day. Seriously, though, how was your turkey day?”
“Nice and quiet, just how I like it.” Hank placed an almost over-flowing glass of beer in front of Jesse. Continue reading →
“Hey Jesse, I heard you have a new zip code. Whatcha doin’ in here?”
“How are ya, Hank? Yes, we do have a new zip code. It’s only about 90 minutes away. I’m in town to get the house ready to rent out.”
“Wow. Big changes afoot for all of you. How are you doing with it all? And your kids? I saw them the other day at that frozen yogurt place. They appear to be happy and thriving and growing. What can I get you?”
“Do you still have Bayern Amber on tap?”
“Comin’ right up!” Continue reading →
“Hey, Hank! How’s it going? It’s weird to see you outside of the bar.”
“Hey, Matt. I haven’t seen you down there in awhile. Looks like you’re getting some new gear today? Have you been doing a lot more fishing this year?”
Matt held up a package of spinners and laughed, “Yeah. Funny thing is, I’ve been fishing a lot more since … well …. since I broke it off with Sarah.”
Hank reached for some leader, “Ouch. I hadn’t seen you two around, but I didn’t know. I thought you two were good together.”
Matt shook his head, “So did I.” Continue reading →
When Hank smiles, his eyes crease, filling the white crows feet created by off hours spent on the river in the sun. “Nice to see you, Janna. What’ll you have?”
“A gin and tonic would be great. Thanks. How are you? It looks like you’ve managed to find the sun when you aren’t tending bar.”
Hank laughed, “Yep. The weather has finally made up its mind. Now if I could get the fish to do the same. How are you?”
“I’m well. I think.”
“Uh oh. Sounds like there’s a story there.” Hank places a napkin in front of Janna, and tops it with her drink. “Hey, was it last month you were in here, all excited about a new man in your life? How’s that going?” Continue reading →
Hank had finished polishing the bar when two women approached and perched on adjacent stools. He waited for a pause in their conversation before asking what they’d like. He heard the brunette say, “Well, you know that I’m always waiting for that moment when the other shoe drops. It’s the way I’ve always been.”
The blonde laughed. “I know, but you have had the shoe drop in pretty much every one of your relationships.”
The brunette said, “Yeah. Thanks for pointing that out.” She looked at Hank. “Hi, I’ll have the house cab. How are you?”
The blonde said, “I’ll have the same. Thanks.”
“Hey, Hank. How are things?”
“Can’t complain, the bar is busy, the weather’s fine. It’s all good. What about you? What’ll ya have?”
“The dark stuff. Thanks.”
Hank filled a pint, stopping just before the foam spilled. He placed the beer in front of Joe. “Last time you were in here, it was Jack on the rocks. Did you figure things out with the woman?”
Joe laughed. “I’m still working on that. In the meantime, I gotta ask you – seeing’s how you’re the expert – about my sister.” Continue reading →
“I want a house with a view.”
“Yeah, a view is a great thing.” The bartender dried a rocks glass and placed it on the shelf. “Tell me, how does a house with a view improve your life?”
“I dunno about other folks, but I’ve got a friend who has a nice place on a hill, and every time I go there, I’m energized.”
“What energizes you? The view? The height above everyone else? The size of the place or his giant TV?”
He picks up the beer bottle in front of him and sets it back down before taking a drink, “I’m not sure. It’s not a fancy place. Sure the view is amazing, but it’s something else. I can’t put my finger on it.” Continue reading →
“How much do I tell them? How do I help my kids with their narcissistic mom, without running their mom down and making them feel worse? What’s the right thing to do?”
The bartender dries a wineglass and hangs it from the rack above his head. “That’s a tough one. It depends on the ages of your kids. It depends on how close they are to their mom. It depends on whether they have a support network besides you. It depends on a lot of things.” The bartender heads to the end of the bar to take an order. When he returns he says, “See that kid at the end of the bar?”
“The one who looks like he’s crying in his beer? Is he all of 22?”
“That’s the one. I knew his folks. They brought out the worst in each other, and it spilled over onto their kids. The mom could manipulate anybody and the dad let it happen. Not much he could do about it, really. She was good. But instead of sticking up for his kids or defending them from her tactics, he let them fend for themselves. Now look at the kid.”
“He looks like he’s mad at the world.” Continue reading →
“Hey, you’re new in here. What can I get you?”
“Oh, just water for me. I don’t like to lose control.” He sits on a stool a couple spots away from a woman seated at the bar. “I think my ex-wife comes in here. I was hoping to run into her.”
The bartender laughed, “That’s not something I hear very often. You want to run into your ex-wife?”
“Yes. I’m selling my car and I’m hoping she’ll buy it for our son.”
The bartender slides a glass of water across the bar. “Tell me about this car.” Continue reading →
“Hey, what are you doing on this side of the bar?”
“I just finished my shift.” The bartender closed his composition notebook and reached for his glass. “How are you?”
She sits on the next stool, “I’m well. I’ve got about an hour before picking up the kids.” She smiled across the bar to the next shift’s bartender, “I’ll have a coke, please.” After finding her wallet she said, “So, Hank, what are you writing?”
Hank hesitated, “I’m working on a paper about self-awareness.” He slid the notebook to the side. “There’s a fine line between self-awareness and self-absorption. I want to illustrate that self-awareness – contrary to what most folks think – isn’t really about you. Maybe I should say that it shouldn’t be about you.”
“I’m not sure I get where you’re going.” Continue reading →
“I’ll have a Jack and Coke. Hold the Coke.”
“Was the long weekend tough on ya? How was the lake?” The bartender reached for a rocks glass, filled it with ice and poured a steady stream of amber-colored attitude adjustment.
“The lake was fine.” He reached for the glass and took a long sip. “I married my mom.”
“You what!? This weekend? You did what?” The bartender paused, bar rag in hand, waiting for an explanation.
“No. Not like that.” He took another sip. “No, I meant that the woman I married is exactly like my mom.” Continue reading →
