I walked up to the table and put my beer bottle down, but didn’t let it go. I was already itching the get the hell out of the bar. This scene wasn’t for me. It was nothing but trouble brewing, festering in the air with each person that walked too close to me or gave me a weird look. The problem with living in a small town was that sometimes the shit you smelled wasn’t always yours, but you never knew where it was coming from.

“Are we talking about that new project or not?” I asked.

“Fuck that,” Chris said. “That’s up to your uncle, man.”

“Great,” I said. “I’ll have to hear about it.”

“Hey, at least you’ll get a good meal out of it,” Ed said. “We need a dinner at your aunt and uncle’s place.”

“Aw, you miss the family life?” Chris asked. “How sweet. You pussy.”

“Eat shit, Chris,” Ed growled.

Matt sat at the back of the table, picking at the label on his beer.

I whistled and gave a wave to him. “You here or what?”

“Not really,” Matt said. “Sorry, guys.”

“Oh, Jesus,” Chris said. “The saga fucking continues.”

“You know, you’re a real asshole sometimes,” Matt said. “Mary went to stay with her mother for a little while.”

“Oh, shit,” Ed said. “I’m sorry.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“You know what happened,” Chris said. “They fucking don’t belong together. That’s what happened, and nobody will pull the fucking plug on it.”

“Hey,” I snapped at Chris. “You need to calm the fuck down, man.”

“The three of you can fucking hang out then,” Chris said. “I’m not going to stand around here and waste my time with this same shit of a story.”

“He’s right,” Matt said. “It’s the same bullshit all the time now. It’s for the best. See what happens from here.”

“Fuck it then,” Ed said.

“No,” Chris said. He looked at me. “You were just standing over there getting a drink and some woman was about to bite into your arm for your attention. You didn’t notice. What the fuck is with that?”

“I’m supposed to give a shit every time a person looks at me?” I asked.

“No, but she keeps trying to find you,” Chris said. “Christ, I thought we were coming out for a few drinks and some fun. You want to talk about work.” He looked at Matt. “You want to talk about your fucking marriage.”

“Well, looks like the ship sailed,” Ed said.

“What ship?” I asked.

“Your girl over there. Someone’s talking to her.”

I stupidly looked back as though I gave a damn, acting as though I hadn’t already seen what they were pointing out.

Through the sea of heads at the bar, I saw the woman I had been standing next to for less than a minute. I didn’t do it as a pick up move or some cheap thing like that. I wanted a fucking drink and Wendy was preoccupied with talking to everyone. And yeah, I felt her staring at me. And yeah, I probably knew her at some point in my life. My reputation had its own life in this town and a lot of people made the mistake of thinking they knew me when they didn’t.

She was sitting with someone standing, talking to her. She looked over her shoulder with one eyebrow raised. If my opinion counted, it looked like she didn’t want to be bothered. That, at least, I could respect. So, I kept watching for a few seconds. The guy reaching for the bar, sliding his hand to her drink. Lifting it up and gently shaking it. Checking to see how much she had left so he could buy her another beer.

“Lots of others in here,” Ed said.

I broke my stare from the woman and curled my lip at him. “Who the fuck said I’m here for that shit?”

Ed showed his hands. “You were just staring…”

“I wasn’t staring,” I said.

“Well, I know what I’m here for,” Chris said.

“Me too,” Matt said.

“Yeah?” Chris asked, smiling for the first time in ten years. “You ready? You’re on the rebound, man. You’ll have women throwing themselves at you.”

“Not for that,” Matt said. “Christ, man. I’m still married. She went to stay with her mother for a little bit. Just so we could figure this out.”

“Oh, you meant you’re going to sit there and sulk all night,” Chris said.

“Drink it away,” Matt said.

“I’ll give you a ride home,” Ed said to Matt. “Drink away.”

“What about you?” Chris asked.

“What about me?”

“You going to stand here and sob all night like some woman?”

“Who the hell pissed in your coffee this morning?” I asked.

“Nobody. I’ll see you all on Monday at work.”

Chris walked away from the table and I shook my head.

“He’s a dick,” Ed said.

“He’s always been a dick,” Matt said.

“He’s got a point though,” I said. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m going to finish off my drink and go for a ride.”

“You’ve been doing that a lot lately,” Matt said. “Finishing a drink and going for a ride.”

“How cute,” Ed said, “the house guest is watching you, Rams.”

“Fuck off,” I said to Ed. “He can crash with you from now on.”

“Funny,” Matt said. “I’m staying home now. Obviously.”

“What’s up with the late-night rides?” Ed asked.

“Just keeping myself sane.”

“Trouble sleeping?”

“You my doctor?” I asked Ed.

He showed his hands. “Just being a good friend. I know things have been hectic. That shit with Sarah went bad quick. And you know… everything else…”

“Everything else what?” I asked.

“Hey, take it easy, Rams,” Matt said. “We’re just talking.”

“Maybe I should go hang out with Chris.”

“Yeah, good luck with that. He’ll end up…”

Ed’s voice trailed off and I watched his eyes move to the left. I reluctantly turned my head again and was back to watching the same woman and the same scene at the bar. This time though the guy touched her shoulder. She quickly dropped her shoulder and faced forward at the bar. She reached for her phone. Probably a sense of comfort and the hope that the guy would take the hint and walk away. Instead, the guy reached for her phone. She quickly pulled it away, then he grabbed her arm.

I pushed back from the table.

“You see that, right?” Ed asked.

“I see it,” I said.

“She came in with a friend,” Ed said.

I looked at Ed. “You’ve been watching them?”

“We’re out drinking, Rams. I’m here for the same reason as Chris. I take notice of things.”

“Where’s her friend?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Ed said. “She went to talk to someone, I guess.”

I looked back again and the guy was pulling at the woman’s arm.

What could have been flirty now looked childish and maybe a little threatening.

“I’m going to get a beer,” I said.

“You just got one,” Ed said. “It’s almost full…”

“I said I’m going to get a beer,” I repeated.

“Oh, shit,” Matt said. “Rams… wait…”

I was on the move. With no good reason and bad intentions. Letting the frustrations of the week reach their peak and having the perfect excuse to let them out.

I walked up to the bar and pulled away the empty seat that belonged to the woman’s friend who left her stranded. Throughout my life, people always asked me if I had a conscience or a little voice that spoke sensible things. I did have that voice, just like everyone else. I just chose not to listen to it.

As I leaned against the bar and stared forward, I heard the woman say, “Okay, that’s enough. Please. I said it already.”

“Ah, damn sweetie, don’t be like that to me. You’re sitting all alone, waiting. Nothing bad is gonna happen. I know who you are. I know you’re free this weekend.”

“Just get the fuck out of here,” the woman said.

Wendy gave a side eye glance. Then she looked at me.

I made a motion for a drink and Wendy nodded.

She quickly got me another beer and brought it to the bar. “Everything okay?” she asked in an obvious, loud voice.

“Just great,” the guy said.

“You sure about that?” I asked, startling him.

The guy turned, and his eyes went wide. “Holy shit, Rams. What’s up, man?”

“How about you walk away?” I asked. “Go back to where you were sitting.”

“Oh, were you working this?” he asked. His eyes were a little woozy. Whiskey making him say, and do, really dumb things.

“Working this?” the woman asked. “You’re a fucking pig.”

“There’s only one pig here, sweetie,” the guy said.

I let the beer bottle go.

Wendy said my name, but there was no stopping me.

I pushed at his right shoulder to make him face me again. And I clocked him in the jaw with one solid punch, reducing him to nothing but a heap of asshole on the bar floor.

“Dammit, Ramsey!” Wendy yelled.

I stepped forward, hell bent on hitting him again.

The woman moved off the barstool and got between me and the asshole on the floor. She touched my chest with one hand.

I looked at her hand, then at her face.

My lip slowly curled. “It’s not for you. It’s for me. Now move.”

“No,” she said. “That’s enough.”

“You know this guy?”

“No,” she said. “But I’m not going to let you kill him and end up in jail because of me.”

“And who are you exactly?” I asked, playing the game of getting to know her.

“Jordyn,” she said.

Her lips were naturally red, a little pouty, and fuck me for noticing that. Her eyes were hazel, brighter in the cheap bar light, making them glow with a golden blue.

“You can take your hand off me now,” I said. “I’ll walk away.”

“You’d better get the hell out of here,” Wendy said. “Give you a chance to get ahead of this before the cops come.”

I sidestepped and saw the guy on the ground, rubbing his jaw, groaning in pain.

“Is it broken?” I called to him.

“No,” he said.

“Good. You send the cops after me and I’ll find you and break it for sure.”

“I’m out of here,” Jordyn said. “It was a mistake to come out.”

She fumbled for her little flannel patterned bag on the bar.

“Don’t worry about the drink,” Wendy said. “It’s on me. You should stay though.”

“I’ve had enough,” Jordyn said. “Tell Norah thanks for nothing.” She turned to move, and I was blocking the way. “Excuse me.”

I moved and watched her bolt through the bar and out the front door.

I stood there for a few seconds before turning my head, watching as the asshole kicked himself back against the wall and held his jaw as he refused to look at me. Two other guys came rushing over to his aid.

I felt something poke my back and turned to see Wendy holding a baseball bat. Her eyes were wide, bloodshot, her black makeup around her eyes making her look like a stereotypical burglar.

“You gotta go, Rams,” she said.

“You gonna hit me with that bat?” I asked.

“I’m serious. No more fighting. Out.”

The two guys that helped the asshole I hit were giving me side glances. I laughed to myself. Wouldn’t have been the first unfair fight of my life.

I felt Wendy poke the baseball bat against my back again.

“Now,” she said.

I made fists and walked toward the door.

The saddest part of the night was that I didn’t get to finish my beer.

* * *

I made it only a few steps before I paused when I felt someone staring at me.

As I looked, I saw movement, someone trying to slip to the side of the bar. There was a narrow alley-slash-walkway on each side of the building that went to the back parking lot, which was just a bunch of gravel where everyone parked, attempting to keep their vehicles lined up the right way.

“Hey,” I called out.

I followed, but not fast though. I didn’t want to be the guy chasing a woman down an alleyway.

“Sorry if I fucked up your night,” I called out.

That’s when she finally stopped. Her head spun around, eyes gazing just over her shoulder, giving her a wicked look that even made a guy my size shiver for a quick second.

“Just wanted to let you know. In case you don’t get out that often.”

“What makes you say that?” she asked, still standing with her back to me, her head slightly turned.

“Haven’t seen you here before,” I said.

“You come here a lot?”

“There are only a few places you can drink in this town.”

“Right,” she said.

“I wasn’t spying on you or anything either. Just took notice of what was happening and did something about it. If you and that guy were…”

“Not even close,” she said.

I started to take a few steps and the woman didn’t move.

“Are the cops really going to come now?” she asked.

“Probably,” I said. “I’m sure someone called, and they’re on their way now.”

“You’ll get arrested, won’t you?” she asked.

“Don’t know,” I said.

“Why aren’t you going somewhere else then?”

“I wanted to apologize to you first,” I said.

“You did nothing wrong.”

“I messed up your night.”

“My night was already messed up,” she said.

“How so?”

“I was supposed to work tonight but was told that they didn’t need me at the last second.”

“You a doctor or something?” I asked.

I got her to laugh and she finally turned all the way around. “Hardly. Catering. The person handling the schedule overbooked it. I’m only part-time so I got cut first.”

“Damn,” I said. “And you came out for a drink and I ruined that.”

“No, the guy grabbing my phone ruined it. You kind of saved it.”

“But still kind of messed it up,” I said.

“Fine. Yeah.” She looked around. “Are you sure you don’t want to get out of here? If the cops show up and that guy wants to press charges…”

“You can vouch for me,” I said. “He was grabbing you.”

“Oh, I don’t want…”

She suddenly looked scared half to death. As though the cops were going to arrest her for doing something wrong.

“Hey, I’m just messing with you,” I said. Then I added, “Jordyn.” Just to say her name.

“That’s me,” she replied. “And you’re Ramsey.”

“Rams,” I said. “Cops call me Ramsey.” I winked.

She swallowed hard. “I’d better get going. Thank you for what you did. I don’t know how to pay someone back for that.”

“Hey, are you really letting the rest of the night go?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I think I owe you as much as you owe me.”

“Okay…”

“Did you drive?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I was supposed to be the sober driver for Norah.”

“You can still do that. Let her know you’re going for a ride.”

“A ride? Where? With you?”

“Yes. Somewhere. Yes.”

Jordyn laughed. “I’m supposed to just get into your car and leave with you?”

“I drive a truck, for the record,” I said. “And why not?”

“Why would I?”

“Fine. You drive your car.”

“And you get into my car?”

“I’ll drive. You drive. You just follow me.”

“Where?”

“To have a drink.”

“Another bar? No thanks.”

She started to turn, and I touched her arm. Gently. I wasn’t too stupid to forget what had just happened inside Shammy’s.

“No bar. Just you and me.”

“No thanks… Rams…”

The way she said my name made me grit my teeth.

“Okay,” I said. “No pressure. Just offering. I am sorry for what happened. If I had to do it again, I’d have hit him harder.”

I started to walk and then Jordyn was the one reaching for me. “Wait a second.”

“Yeah?”

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“If you’re that curious, just follow me.”

“How can I trust you?” she asked, her eyes almost flirtatious.

I grinned. “Can’t be worse than the guy in there, right?”

“True.”

She opened her hand and I started to walk again.

The cool early autumn air went through me and I took a deep breath.

“Hey, Rams?”

I stopped and looked back. “Yeah?”

“Give me one minute… I’ll follow you then.”