“Or a clinic. Maybe you should just go to one,” and I say “They’ll hear I own a bar and make me pay them regular overpriced fees till I’m bankrupted.”
“Don’t pay them,” and I say “Hospitals it’s not in me to welsh on so long as I got.”
“But it could be getting infected from whatever aftereffects and your neglecting it,” and I say “If it was I’d feel it with a fever and more pain than a pounding headache, so if your wife would, I’d like you to ask.”
“First thing when I get home if she’s not asleep. But three nights in a row, Shaney. You could almost call mine permanent work for you after what I’ve had the last few months,” and I say “Actually if it continues working out like this, I probably could put you on evenings seven to twelve starting around Monday so you could really make some dough and I could both open up and go home sooner. For the time being I think I need to.”
“Great,” and I say “Favor for a favor — okay, settled and maybe, if you’re as honest as you say, all day Sunday if you can and without my even coming and leaving there,” and we reach the hotel and shake hands and he seems happy and slaps my back and says “Sorry, slapped it too hard it looks like,” and I say “Little, it hurt my head but I’ll survive,” and we say goodnight.
“Oh Jesus, the bottles,” to the nightclerk and he says “You know, one more round of your amnesia and I’m going to start letting those early morning calls to you through.”
“I still get them?”
“Occasionally, in various male and female voices, that they just have to absolutely speak to you — it’s that important.”
“Tomorrow definitely, the best stuff I have — even three.”
“Don’t overdo to the degree where you could then think it’s worth it to forget again. Two regular-sized rums will suit me fine.”
Next morning on my way to work I make a point of walking past the park to see the snow inside. It’s still clean and relatively untrampled in and from the border wall I see a dog leaping in it. I also see a rabbit, second time here in my life, and two boys, probably cutting school, sledding down a hill. When they see me looking at them I wave and yell “Hiya doing, fellas?” and they yell “Hi, come on in, water’s fine,” while they wave back.
There’s no Sanitation summons waiting for me at the bar so so far so good today. Business is the same as usual, but since the weather’s much colder and it’s snowed a little more and walking for everyone’s slippery going, that could be a positive sign. Al comes at ten with his wife and she looks at my head and from her kit treats and repatches it better than the doctor did, while Al cleans up, restocks the bar, taps a keg and gets rid of the garbage by himself somewhere outside. His wife’s funny and sweet, over drinks I provide they tell me about their kids and married life, when they walk me to my hotel I ask Al to come to work as a bartender tomorrow at seven and he shouts “Hurray” and they embrace and Tina hugs me.
I go inside and give the nightclerk a shopping bag. He pulls one of the bottles out, looks at the label and says “This is the best rum there is. You shouldn’t have gone this far, even if I’m not saying do it again and I won’t be your friend,” and gives me a fresh copy of tomorrow morning’s newspaper and for the first time says “Have a pleasant sleep.”
Al comes every day on time, does a good job, makes even more at the bar and with the food than I did in the same period a week ago. All the customers think he’s a find and from what I can see he doesn’t steal a dime from me nor drink on the job or keep the place anything but clean and he gets rid of all the garbage every night without my getting one summons. With him working the night shift alone and me the days, I not only get to rest my head a lot more but net more in a week than I usually do including his pay. On Friday and Saturday nights and all day Sunday, when I take my first real day-off since I took over the place and just stay in the hotel and read the papers and sleep, Tina works with him, cooking and waiting tables just for the tips in it and for what sandwiches she can bring home to her kids and says she earns enough and in food to make it more than worthwhile for herself. I later tell Al “Next Sunday and any night you and Tina are here, save a little on the babysitter if you want and have your kids come in for supper on me.”
About two weeks after Al starts bartending for me, he doesn’t show up. I call him at home but nobody answers. I wait till ten o’clock and then a little unused to working so many hours in one day I say “Last call, everyone,” and stick the garbage in trash bags and bring them to the basement. A lot of customers are disappointed Al didn’t show, but I tell them he’s probably sick or maybe had to suddenly fly to a sick parent or his wife’s someplace and he’ll be in tomorrow or the next day. I lock up and take a cab to my hotel, as this time so late at night I’m still too scared with my head still in bad shape to walk home alone.
I call Al next morning and say “Where were you?” and he says “I’m really sorry, Shaney, but can’t say.”
“Why, you were sick or something bad with your wife and kids?”
“I won’t say, I should’ve put it like that. That way I didn’t say anything, neither no or yes, so it’s silly of you to guess.”
“It’s Stovin’s.”
“Did I say?”
“Just by your voice I know they got to you.”
“I’m afraid what you know is nothing, not that I mean to be mean to you over the phone. You’ve been good to us and I appreciate it.”
“Then continue coming in.”
“I can’t.”
“I’ve really gotten used to you. You even have the job after I get well.”
“I can’t.”
“Even Tina, who on weekend nights and Sunday I’ll pay.”
“We’d like to but can’t.”
“Why?”
“You know I won’t say.”
“Then give me a hint. Blink once for yes if it’s Stovin’s who’s stopping you and twice for it isn’t.”
“How will that help you?”
“You mean if I knew?”
“I mean in my blinking over a telephone, but that too: if you knew.”
“Oh, I got one of those old videophones installed last night, didn’t you know? I can see everything to everyone I dial to but they can’t see me back.”
“Sure you do. Me too. I can see you right now lying and crying your ass off. But again, how would it help you if you knew?”
“Knew what?”
“You joking me?”
“No, I’ll be honest, I forgot.”
“Your head’s really in first-rate remembering powers today. If I was you I’d see a doctor fast. Knew who it was I was saying — not that it was anybody or anything except my not wanting to continue working for you because you’re a little tightfisted. You also drive me too hard and I don’t like the way you treat my wife and also that I got a much better job.”
“All that’s bull and you know it. And who’d hire you except someone desperate as me?”
“A bar. Nicer and cleaner place and which pays better and longer hours. I’m not saying where so you can call up and say lying things to fire me. But how would it help you if you knew?”
“Knew it was Stovin’s who got you to quit? Why you so interested in knowing? They also ask you to find out my next moves?”
“I’m not interested, see ya.”
“Hold it. It would first of all prove my first impressions of you when you were just a customer and make me think I’m thinking right and true again and that’s that you’re a fucking scumbag and rat who’d screw anyone in the back for a few bucks and drinks the first time someone asked.”
“Sure I am. That’s what I did. Boy, you know me better than my wife. I only wish she had a second chance to take care of your head. This time I’d show her how.”