Day early, time does funny things, Flash for July 26th in July 26th, 2013 Flash Friday

cherry coke, black gauze, marble --- G (that’s amygdala’s gangster name) I think it’s her prompts

“It’s not a Reuben without marbled rye” she bitched “And wrapping a tarot deck in black gauze doesn’t make it any spookier than any other deck of cards and …”

“How’re you two this evening? Can I start you off with a drink?”

“Cherry Coke,” she says.

“Y’all have a pale ale on tap?”

The waitress rattles off a bunch of local microbrews I’d never heard of, I stopped her in the middle and said “I’ll take that one.”

“Good choice,” she said and smiled that service industry smile that looks like joy and optimism, but really means ‘I hate my fucking job and I’d kill you if I could get away with it’. I think after a year you smile that smile in your sleep.

“So,” I said, “How do you know Joe and Charlie?”

“I work with Joe, oh and this one bitch …”

She started complaining about someone I’d never heard of and I stopped listening, I was thinking; Gays, always trying to set up their single hetro friends. Like ‘if it has different equipment than me, I’m going to fuck it and fall in love’. I laughed out loud.

“I know, right?” she says, I must have laughed at something that was supposed to be funny, “… and she doesn’t even know …” She kept on talking until the waitress came with our drinks. I smiled at her trying to convey ‘You have my permission to kill either one of us or both, think of it as a personal favor.’

I took a deep pull on my beer; bitter, cold, malty.

“What was that about?”

“Huh?” how could someone not fall for a brilliant conversationalist like me.

“I saw that smile, you trying to pick up our waitress, wait --- shush”

“Sorry,” the waitress had come back “Are you ready to order?”

“Give us a few willya?” she says. The waitress smiles. Brilliant white homicide. Yes, I could fall in love with her if she’d only kill me now.

“So, what?” she says.

“I’ll frown at her when I order a …” I look at the menu “A crusty cheddar surprise burger.”

“I don’t think I’m hungry.” She said.

“Ok.”

“I want to go home.”

Shit I had brought her. I found the waitress at the bar waiting on a tray of foo-foo drinks for a four top. I gave her a twenty and said to keep the change and I might be back for a burger. She smiled like a marble bust of Caligula.