economist for a big company up in Indianapolis, until I dropped out. Had my fill of the bullshit corporate scene, came down here eight years ago, and never once looked back. Yupper, I’m like Jack – perfectly content being right here.”
As I was talking to the two men, I could feel Julie’s alluring eyes locked onto me. Out of the periphery of my own, I’d been watching her. And now she turned her head to the bar. Pa Bell was hustling his tail off behind it when Julie said, “Pa should have asked Sissy to help out tonight. He’s having one heck of a time pouring drinks and serving them to the people at tables, too. I’ll go get ours.” Standing up now she asked, “How about it, anybody for another drink? Sonny, what will you have?”
After I asked for a Miller Lite and everybody else requested refills, Julie went to the bar, stepped behind it, and got the drinks herself. As she did, all but the most preoccupied male eyes around the noisy circular bar were watching her every move. She was that gorgeous. Even the women sitting on stools watched her, throwing daggers from their jealous eyes. Once Julie returned with all the libations atop a round metal tray, she handed me mine first, and as I thanked her I just had to steal another brief, assessing look. I’d always had a thing for women with long hair, especially long black hair.
I wasn’t the only person that night who thought Julie was giving most of her attention to me. When she slipped away to the ladies room later on Buster Bell said to me in his slow easy way, “Ya know ... Julie seems to be takin’ a particular likin’ to you.”
Taken off guard, not knowing what to say, I just looked at him for a quick moment. A big strapping man in his mid-forties, he was wearing a red ball cap with a “Red Man” patch on its crown. By this time he, like the other men, was a few drinks deep, and the cap was tilted way back on his head. The long, sun-bleached hair that hung down in waves from beneath it touched his shoulders and framed a large blocky face. But it was a boyish face, an amiable face.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, dropping my eyes to the beer bottle on the table in front of me then turning it a bit. “I just think she’s being nice because I’m new down here.”
“Believe me,” Buster came back, “I’ve known Julie for quite a spell now, and I ain’t never seen her get all goo-goo-eyed like she is tonight.”
“Come on, man,” I said, “she’s just being hospitable.”
“Hospitable my ass,” Jack Beers chimed in, his voice slightly slurred. “Julie’s got her eye on you, my friend. You’re one lucky guy. I can’t tell you how many men I’ve seen hit on her and get nowhere. She’s a true lady and a class act.”
I kept to myself the fact that I was still trying to get over the loss of my wife. I also didn’t mention, even after a few beers, that my mind had drifted back to Wendy more than once during our conversation. And I of course didn’t say a word about how I tried to picture Wendy sitting in Julie’s empty seat when she had first gotten up to get the drinks. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but feel very fortunate that the three men thought I’d been the object of Julie’s attention all evening. I liked that it did seem quite obvious. But then again, there was that lesson I’d learned early in life. The one I picked up firsthand during my adolescence – a man can never take anything for granted when he’s around a woman he doesn’t know too well. There is no way he can be totally sure he knows what’s going on in her mind – not until she comes right out and says it. Nooo, I thought to myself, that’s just her way! She’s nice to everybody .
But I was wrong. About the time I was getting ready to call it a night, head back to the trailer, something happened. Something convinced me that the way Julie had been acting was far more than just her innate good-natured personality.
During the entire hour and
As I was talking to the two men, I could feel Julie’s alluring eyes locked onto me. Out of the periphery of my own, I’d been watching her. And now she turned her head to the bar. Pa Bell was hustling his tail off behind it when Julie said, “Pa should have asked Sissy to help out tonight. He’s having one heck of a time pouring drinks and serving them to the people at tables, too. I’ll go get ours.” Standing up now she asked, “How about it, anybody for another drink? Sonny, what will you have?”
After I asked for a Miller Lite and everybody else requested refills, Julie went to the bar, stepped behind it, and got the drinks herself. As she did, all but the most preoccupied male eyes around the noisy circular bar were watching her every move. She was that gorgeous. Even the women sitting on stools watched her, throwing daggers from their jealous eyes. Once Julie returned with all the libations atop a round metal tray, she handed me mine first, and as I thanked her I just had to steal another brief, assessing look. I’d always had a thing for women with long hair, especially long black hair.
I wasn’t the only person that night who thought Julie was giving most of her attention to me. When she slipped away to the ladies room later on Buster Bell said to me in his slow easy way, “Ya know ... Julie seems to be takin’ a particular likin’ to you.”
Taken off guard, not knowing what to say, I just looked at him for a quick moment. A big strapping man in his mid-forties, he was wearing a red ball cap with a “Red Man” patch on its crown. By this time he, like the other men, was a few drinks deep, and the cap was tilted way back on his head. The long, sun-bleached hair that hung down in waves from beneath it touched his shoulders and framed a large blocky face. But it was a boyish face, an amiable face.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, dropping my eyes to the beer bottle on the table in front of me then turning it a bit. “I just think she’s being nice because I’m new down here.”
“Believe me,” Buster came back, “I’ve known Julie for quite a spell now, and I ain’t never seen her get all goo-goo-eyed like she is tonight.”
“Come on, man,” I said, “she’s just being hospitable.”
“Hospitable my ass,” Jack Beers chimed in, his voice slightly slurred. “Julie’s got her eye on you, my friend. You’re one lucky guy. I can’t tell you how many men I’ve seen hit on her and get nowhere. She’s a true lady and a class act.”
I kept to myself the fact that I was still trying to get over the loss of my wife. I also didn’t mention, even after a few beers, that my mind had drifted back to Wendy more than once during our conversation. And I of course didn’t say a word about how I tried to picture Wendy sitting in Julie’s empty seat when she had first gotten up to get the drinks. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but feel very fortunate that the three men thought I’d been the object of Julie’s attention all evening. I liked that it did seem quite obvious. But then again, there was that lesson I’d learned early in life. The one I picked up firsthand during my adolescence – a man can never take anything for granted when he’s around a woman he doesn’t know too well. There is no way he can be totally sure he knows what’s going on in her mind – not until she comes right out and says it. Nooo, I thought to myself, that’s just her way! She’s nice to everybody .
But I was wrong. About the time I was getting ready to call it a night, head back to the trailer, something happened. Something convinced me that the way Julie had been acting was far more than just her innate good-natured personality.
During the entire hour and
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