know. I think he went to the…” Val looked around. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen John in a while. He’d been swapping manly stories about a Russian tennis game last time Val had seen him.
“Hey, wait a sec!” And like that, she was gone again. No surprise really. Like he thought, they were usually after John. Val didn’t mind, he wasn’t jealous of John — after all, John had the looks and the body to match. That body took effort, and Val was honest enough with himself to know that didn’t come for free. You needed to earn it, work for it, really want it.
He looked up at the TV behind the bar. There was some story on about the Blues. Or at least, the backdrop for the scene was the Elephant Blues, yellow Police tape flapping in the rain. The sound was either turned down or too low for the noise in the bar and he couldn’t hear any of the details, but a bold banner marched across the bottom of the screen proclaiming, “MASS MURDERER LOOSE IN CITY… POLICE HAVE NO SUSPECTS… EYE WITNESSES BEING SOUGHT…”
She knocked on the bar in front of him, startling him. “Oh hey! I didn’t think you’d be back.”
“Why not? I said I would be!”
“It’s nothing! Say, want a beer?” The second beer for John was still on the bar, untouched.
“I’m working! But thanks! Maybe later.” She was leaning forward over the bar again so they could hear each other.
Val tapped a finger in the ring of water left by his Peroni, tracing the circle. “Ok, I’m confused about something.”
She looked back at him. “Shoot.”
“Actually, it’s three things.”
“Three?” She grinned at him again. “You can have any answers without numbers in them.”
“Fair enough. So, three questions. First, what’s it short for? And secondly, why not just have the whole thing on there?”
“You said three things.” Danny tilted her head to the side, her cheeks dimpling.
“We’ll get to the third thing in a second.”
“Alright. Well, you’ve got to trade me. Shit. Wait a second.” She went back down the bar to get another order.
Val watched her go. Picking up his Peroni, he finished it off. It had been a little while since anyone had bought him a beer, his moment of stardom fading out as the alcohol blurred the sharp edges of the afternoon into unfocused memory. Stories had been shared, they’d all sworn to stay in touch, he even had a couple of numbers on his phone. He’d probably delete them in the morning. It just wasn’t really his style. This whole thing, it was more John than him.
They were a great team that way. John made a great front man, Val brought the brains. Just like at school.
“Ok, so I’ve got three questions.” Danny had arrived back, wiping her hands on her apron. “What would be on your name badge? And what do you do when you’re not warming that bar stool?”
“You said three!”
“So did you. So we’ll trade our third one later.” She grinned. “It’s only fair.”
“Sure. It’s only fair. Ok. I have to go first?”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yeah, yeah I do. There’s a rule about it somewhere.” Danny nodded in mock solemn agreement. “Ok. My name badge? It’d say Val. And right now, I guess you could say I’m on a sabbatical.”
She nodded in exaggerated slowness. “Sabbatical. You’re not a musician?”
Val snorted. “Shit no. I can’t even dance.”
“Thank God. There’s that many dead beat musicians arrive in here, they all try and hit on me.”
Val sensed a trap. “I guess it’s lucky for me I can’t play. After I decided to leave Juilliard, I became a software engineer.”
“A what?”
“I write programs. On computers.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I think I prefer musicians.”
“Shit. Would it have helped if I said I was a tax
“Hey, wait a sec!” And like that, she was gone again. No surprise really. Like he thought, they were usually after John. Val didn’t mind, he wasn’t jealous of John — after all, John had the looks and the body to match. That body took effort, and Val was honest enough with himself to know that didn’t come for free. You needed to earn it, work for it, really want it.
He looked up at the TV behind the bar. There was some story on about the Blues. Or at least, the backdrop for the scene was the Elephant Blues, yellow Police tape flapping in the rain. The sound was either turned down or too low for the noise in the bar and he couldn’t hear any of the details, but a bold banner marched across the bottom of the screen proclaiming, “MASS MURDERER LOOSE IN CITY… POLICE HAVE NO SUSPECTS… EYE WITNESSES BEING SOUGHT…”
She knocked on the bar in front of him, startling him. “Oh hey! I didn’t think you’d be back.”
“Why not? I said I would be!”
“It’s nothing! Say, want a beer?” The second beer for John was still on the bar, untouched.
“I’m working! But thanks! Maybe later.” She was leaning forward over the bar again so they could hear each other.
Val tapped a finger in the ring of water left by his Peroni, tracing the circle. “Ok, I’m confused about something.”
She looked back at him. “Shoot.”
“Actually, it’s three things.”
“Three?” She grinned at him again. “You can have any answers without numbers in them.”
“Fair enough. So, three questions. First, what’s it short for? And secondly, why not just have the whole thing on there?”
“You said three things.” Danny tilted her head to the side, her cheeks dimpling.
“We’ll get to the third thing in a second.”
“Alright. Well, you’ve got to trade me. Shit. Wait a second.” She went back down the bar to get another order.
Val watched her go. Picking up his Peroni, he finished it off. It had been a little while since anyone had bought him a beer, his moment of stardom fading out as the alcohol blurred the sharp edges of the afternoon into unfocused memory. Stories had been shared, they’d all sworn to stay in touch, he even had a couple of numbers on his phone. He’d probably delete them in the morning. It just wasn’t really his style. This whole thing, it was more John than him.
They were a great team that way. John made a great front man, Val brought the brains. Just like at school.
“Ok, so I’ve got three questions.” Danny had arrived back, wiping her hands on her apron. “What would be on your name badge? And what do you do when you’re not warming that bar stool?”
“You said three!”
“So did you. So we’ll trade our third one later.” She grinned. “It’s only fair.”
“Sure. It’s only fair. Ok. I have to go first?”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yeah, yeah I do. There’s a rule about it somewhere.” Danny nodded in mock solemn agreement. “Ok. My name badge? It’d say Val. And right now, I guess you could say I’m on a sabbatical.”
She nodded in exaggerated slowness. “Sabbatical. You’re not a musician?”
Val snorted. “Shit no. I can’t even dance.”
“Thank God. There’s that many dead beat musicians arrive in here, they all try and hit on me.”
Val sensed a trap. “I guess it’s lucky for me I can’t play. After I decided to leave Juilliard, I became a software engineer.”
“A what?”
“I write programs. On computers.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I think I prefer musicians.”
“Shit. Would it have helped if I said I was a tax
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