I would also like the time to finish my novel. Its complete in my head with about 40% of it on paper already.
Here is a short excerpt...
It was just after quarter past 10 pm when the crew from the Diner showed up at the Tavern. Jack didn’t notice them come in. He was leaned forward on his elbows intently studying a line of bubbles rising up from the bottom of his fourth beer. The little bubbles were forming on some imperceptible defect on the bottom of the glass. The bubbles were identical in size and chased each other in an evenly spaced line snaking its way to the top of the full glass. Once there, they lined up side by side in a perfect layer of foam.
He understood the physics and chemistry of carbon dioxide in solution and why the bubbles nucleated on the glass. He knew why they were all the same size. He knew that there were thermal gradients within the cold beer that created the currents causing the rising chain of bubbles to swirl and dance. He knew the reasons why they created a stable foam at the surface of beer, but couldn’t in seltzer water. The facts and science of it floated in the back of his mind, but he didn’t acknowledge its presence. He was lost in the shimmering dance of the swirling bubbles rising gracefully in a golden sea.
Jack suddenly became aware of someone sitting next to him, leaning in and watching his bubble show.
“If you’re not going to drink it, can I have it?” came the soft voice next to him.
Jack kept staring at his glass. “I’ll buy you one of your own if you’d like. I’m not done with this one yet.”
A woman’s hand reached in and picked up his glass. He followed it with his eyes, still watching the bubbles rising, as she lifted it to her lips. She took a long sip and placed it back on the bar in front of him.
“Beer is for drinking, people are for watching.” she said with a wink.
Jack broke into a big grin. “I was wondering when you’d get here.”
Sarah Ballinger was a lean woman, tall and attractive, with short sandy hair and soft blue eyes. She had 2 kids and no husband. Not anymore. The loser skipped town for Vegas when she was pregnant with their second child almost 9 years ago. She was the only full-time waitress at the Diner, worked nearly every day, and was very good at her job. She lived in a little house a few blocks behind Main street with her kids. She raised them with some help from her mother who also lived in town. She single handedly supported all of them and did a fine job of it. She was funny and smart as whip. Everyone in town knew her and liked her. She was also Jack’s best friend.
“Buy me a beer.” She said, plucking the cap off Jack’s head and tossing it onto the bar next to him. She ran her fingers through his hair to neaten it up. “That’s better, now I can see your face.” Jack slid his bubble-show beer over in front of her and motioned to Ralph to bring another one.
She took another long drink from her glass and set it back down.
“I heard you saved Frank’s bacon again.”
“Nah” Jack pushed back in his seat. “I just did what any good Plant supervisor would do.”
“Yeah,” She said, her nose crinkling as she smiled, “Any good Plant supervisor with an I.Q. of 180 maybe. He’s lucky to have a guy like you working for him.”
Jack stiffened and reached for his hat out of instinct. He often used the act of placing it on his head as a diversionary tactic or to redirect a conversation he didn’t want to have. She gently placed her hand on his arm and he stopped reaching.
“Ok,” she said “Change of subject.”
She took another drink.
“Willy says you caught the biggest fish he ever saw today.”
Jack frowned and started for his hat again. Sarah sensed his discomfort and continued quickly, “Oscar is so excited I think he might pee himself. I think he’s going to sleep in Willy’s boat tonight so he doesn’t leave without him tomorrow.”
Jack relaxed a little.
“Yeah, they argue like a couple of old seagulls but they can’t stand to be apart for more than a few hours. I think they must have been married in another life. What I can’t figure out is which one was the wife.” Jack said laughing.
Sarah liked it when Jack laughed. She enjoyed seeing him let go a little. She thought it was good for him to shake off the demons occasionally. Step back from the edge he always seemed to be on. Tonight he seemed closer to that edge than she could remember since they first became friends 8 years ago.
She laughed and took another drink while studying the giant replica of a largemouth bass that hung above the bar for a moment. It was a monster. The plaque below it said simply ‘Jack’s Fish, 25 lb 9 oz.’
The boys had it made a few years ago when Jack, after a few too many beers, told them what the biggest bass he ever caught was. They goaded him into answering during a night of heavy drinking. Two weeks later, they had the replica made as a friendly joke. No one really believed he ever caught a bass that big, but it was way for them to get on even ground with a man who seemed so incredibly competent at everything he did. Jack disliked it, but chose to allow the boys to have their fun and simply ignored its presence in the bar.
Sara finished her beer and wondered why talking about the fish he caught today bothered him so much.
Ralph brought her another round while Jack nursed the one he had. Sarah sat up in her seat and scanned the room before turning back to Jack. “What’s on the people channel tonight? Anything interesting?” She liked people watching as much as Jack did. It was a game they often played together
“Well,” said Jack perking up a bit, “Let’s see...” He craned his neck and looked around the Tavern putting his arm around Sarah’s shoulders.
“Willy and Oscar are about done for the night. They’re playing peanut hockey.” The two always ended up their night by blowing a peanut around the table with straws trying to push it off the other side of the table to score a goal. They quit when someone scored 21.
Jack pointed to the booth in the front corner of the Tavern. “Phil from the Grocery is buying Monica her fifth drink in an attempt to get her drunk enough to sleep with him.” Monica was the cashier at the Flower Shop and Phil had been buying all of her drinks for the past year in the attempt to get into her pants. Monica wasn’t about to give up her free drink ticket by letting him get what he wanted. Every time they went out, she would let him think he was getting closer and then say goodnight when she had enough. Phil kept trying just the same.
Sarah giggled.
“The most interesting thing is the group of yahoos in the corner table over by the door.” Jack pointed over Sarah’s shoulder to the left. The group of 4 men had come in shortly after Jack sat down. He had been watching them all night. He painted the picture for Sarah. They were probably a bunch of guys from Littleton, up for the weekend to do a little fishing. Littleton was the nearest big town about 75 miles to the east with a population of nearly 120,000. Folks from there often came to Wellsburg to camp and fish the lake on the weekends. He surmised that they were here because their leader, the one in the red cardigan sweater, had fished the lake before and decided to show off to his friends by bringing them up here. Jack guessed that they were probably staying in the Grand and were going out on the lake tomorrow with Sal, the local fishing guide out of Miller’s Park.
He was right.
They watched as Martha approached the table to see if the group needed anything.
“Here we go,” said Jack, “The leader’s ego has been swelling all evening as his friends have a good time. He has been acting like he owns the place. Any time now, he’s going to do something really stupid.”
Sarah watched as Martha took their drink order. The red cardigan put his hand on the small of her back as she jotted down their order. As she turned to leave, he slid his hand down and fondled her backside. Martha acted like she didn’t notice and just kept going.
“Uh oh!” Sarah said watching intently, “He has no idea what’s about to happen to him!”
Both she and Jack leaned forward and watched it as it unfolded.
Within a few minutes, Martha casually returned to the foursome with a tray full of drinks. She placed a drink in front of the cardigan first and then in front of the two men on the opposite side of the table. As she reached across to put down the drink for the guy sitting next to the cardigan, she deftly knocked his beer over into his lap. He yelped and shot straight up slamming his head into the shelf hanging from the wall above him. He plopped back into his seat which was now full of the remainder of the beer draining off the table. His friends howled with laughter while Martha feigned apology and went for a towel to help him clean up.
Sarah laughed so hard she snorted. Jack laughed too. Sarah caught her breath and snorted again which only made both of them laugh even harder. The cardigan, now completely embarrassed, slogged out the front door to go back to the hotel while his friends stayed behind. Jack and Sarah continued laughing until they nearly couldn’t breathe.
I will never get that old....
Give him my # if needed. I'd be happy to introduce him to some Mopar friends here...
