“You are stuck in the past brother.” Ben scratched at the back of his head.
“One day you are driving on your way to Reno and the next you are stuck in a crappy motel with no cable and a prostitute you picked up from a trucker- what are you drinking there? Booze?”
John looked coldly at his cup and leaned back on the far end of his stool. He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a Marlboro. He took a long drag and ran his long fingers down his face feeling out his stubble from the shave before.
“You remember those two gals from Kansas City?” Ben asked pointing his finger in the direction that he believed Kansas City would be. John let out a little chuckle.
“Oh man you were a wild man, you remember the tail on that blonde?”
John finally spoke.
“She was talking my ear off the whole night, couldn’t get the damn girl to shut up.”
“That blonde had the best looking legs I’ve ever seen man”. Ben laughed a little in an attempt to start another conversation with John. “We gotta go out like that again man. I’m talking balls and glory finger on the trigger type of stuff- you got another smoke?”
John tapped his finger on top of the Marlboro box sitting on the bar table.
Ben patted his jacket searching for his packet of matches.
“Ya can’t eva find the damn thangs when you need ‘em.” Ben said while chuckling with his cigarette dangling from his bottom lip.
*strike.
*light.
The two men shared a moment of silence with each other while puffing calming away on their cigarettes. Toward the corner of the bar by the jukebox a group of guys were playing cards and slapping around high fives. In the opposite of the room two girls were talking about a recent accident one of them had gotten into while puffing away on cigarettes that had the smallest scent of grapes. Next to them a grungy old man starred deep into his glass humming to himself and hiding his eyes under the brim of his hat.
“See man I bet you that guy has all the answers.” Ben laughed tapping John on the shoulder.
John looked up slowly-
Ben continued laughing obnoxiously. “The bastards drunk- eh you still talk to that girl from New Mexico? What was her name? Joyce?”
“Kate.”
“Where the hell did I get Joyce?”
“Hell if I know man, her name is Kate.”
“She still write to you?”
“I mean we talk- she moved with her sister to South Carolina. Says it was good for her future.”
“Hell man, she was a fox- you want another beer man?”
John sized his drink and gave it some thought before he answered.
“I think I am still working on the last six you bought me.” John laughed for what felt like the first time years. Ben looked at John and smiled with his glass up to his mouth dumping more beer into his already drunk body then, wiped his mouth on the back of his arm.
“Just living in the moment brother, you should do the same.” Ben nodded his head towards John’s glass and playful patted John on the shoulder before standing up. “You keep a look out for anymore tail that walk into this dump.”, Ben purposely yelled loud enough for anyone in a six mile radius to note before stumbling for the packet of Marlboros on the bar table- “I’m gonna take one more of these, next pack is on me?”
John quickly stood up and grabbed Ben’s arm before he could knock into anything else. The bar was still busy and the bartender shot John a cold look.
Ben let out a small sigh, “Look brother, I am gonna find the can.”
“You gonna be okay?” John let go of Ben’s arm.
“Hope so- hey! Just keep a look out for tail.” Ben said while walking in the direction he believed the restrooms were.
John sat back down and washed down the feeling of guilt with the rest of his beer and lit another smoke.
“You got another’ cowboy?”
John turned toward the voice to acknowledge the person and met eyes with a cute little red head girl. She had the biggest smile on her face John had ever seen anyone have in a bar at the hour they were in. Her red hair was long and curly with the same hint of grape that John smelt from earlier. In essence she was beautiful, realizing that he hadn’t answered her yet he spoke while still retaining his mood from before.
“Why don’t you just borrow one of my lungs to smoke tha damn thing too.” John flicked the Marlboros over about three seats next to him.
The red head let out a little chuckle of satisfaction and grabbed at the box with her small hands.
“How old are you anyway? You seem a little young to be in a place like this.” John let out a deep cloud of smoke and placed the cigarette back between his lips.
“I’ll have you know that I am fixin’ to turn sixteen in bout a month or two-” John cut her off.
“Sixteen! Good lord. What’s your name?”
“Sandi, Sandi Fairchild. You?”
“John.”
“You from round’ here John?”
“Kinda passing through, looking around town and selling insurance. You interested?” John laughed a little and so did Sandi. She had a beautiful laugh that reminded John of better days the way the smell of his mother’s cooking reminded him of home.
“You here all alone John? Nice looking man like you is bound to have a little company.” Sandi moved a few seats closer to John and flickered her cigarette butt in the ashtray.
“A buddy of mine is around here somewhere.” John looked over his shoulder toward the restroom and heard Ben singing quite out of tune.
“iii once had a girllll or should I sayyyy she once had meeee!!”
Sandi laughed and John smiled.
“So you sale insurance eh? Where all have you been?”
John raised his glass toward the bartender for another beer. “I been to a lot of places.”
“Like?”
“All over, Midwest, south, saw a little of California-”
“Oh! California!” Sandi brighten up. “My daddy says California is beautiful.”
John frowned a little, “You tell your daddy to give me a call and let me know which California he been too. All I saw was single pump gas stations, double barrel shotguns, and fields of wheat.”
“No cities?” Sandi’s smile turned into a frown.
“Not a damn one.”
Sandi shifted in her sit and crossed her legs on the bar stool and leaned in closer to John. He could smell her perfume each time her hair bounced.
“You got a family John?”
“Had.”
“Had?”
“I had a wife and a little girl she is about fifteen now I reckon.” John squinted his eye, cocked his head and look up at the ceiling as if the answer were up there buzzing around like a fly in a diner.
“Where is she now?”
“Living with my mother, somewhere over in Ohio.”
“Why is she there?”
John turned toward Sandi, “You talk a lot don’t you?”
Sandi frowned
“You sure make a drunk think a lot.” John laughed and looked Sandi in the eyes.
Sandi didn’t blink or look away. Her eyes reminded John of his daughter had, bright and alive. John could cry just by looking at Sandi if he wanted, or was drunk enough.
“You sure do got a funny lookin’ nose.” Sandi giggled and tapped John on the nose with her pointer finger breaking the silence between him and her.
John laughed along with her and crossed his eyes to look at his nose. “You think so? I don’t think it’s bigger than any average nose.” John suddenly heard a noise and saw Ben walking out the bathroom with his hair wet still singing;
“shheee was a dayyyy trippperrr, one wayyyy ticket yeahhhh!!”
Ben stumbled into a table of four young looking girls who were as drunk as him and started to sing along. Sandi laughed a little.
“Is that your-”
“Yea, that’s him, drunk as the day is bright.” John shook his head then grabbed at his Marlboros and lit another.
Sandi and John shared another moment of silence. John looked at her and she looked at him. John felt warm in Sandi’s company, although he couldn’t explain why. Somewhere deep inside him he felt as if Sandi never left his side. Sandi finally broke eye contact with him and look at her watch.
“Sweet Jesus! I am late!”
John gave her a puzzled look and glanced at his watch.
“I told my sister I would be home by nine to help her catch fireflies.” Sandi quickly stood up and gathered herself. She dug in her pocket and pulled out three crumpled looking dollars and tossed them on the table.
John watched as they rolled in front of him.
“Get yourself and your friend over there another drink- on me eh?” Sandi smiled tossed on her cowboy hat low on her head turned and walked away. John watched her ever second until she was no longer in the bar in hopes she would turn back and wave; but she didn’t. John smiled a little and placed his stare back on the three crumpled dollars. Just then John felt a strong hand on his shoulder.
“Look at the blondes over there man, they looking for a good round a bout.” Ben laughed while pointing and waving at the girls. “I told them we were musicians and played with Bobby D himself-we got it made brother!” Ben yelled across the bar to the young girls. “YOU LADIES BETTER CATCH UP! I STILL SEE MYSELF IN YOUR GLASSES!” Ben stumbled back over to John and sat down. “Who were you talking to earlier, the little red-head?”
John smiled and thought back a few minutes ago where he first heard her laugh.
“Sandi.”
“Sandi?” Ben looked as if smelt something fishy. “Who the hell is that?”
“Just a girl.”
