|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
“How are my Cubbies doing today?” asked Henry.
The baseball game played on the television across the bar, muted so the other patrons could carry on their conversation without having to hear the announcers. Henry walked up to the bar and took a seat on the old black leather stool, his usual seat.
“They’re doing alright tonight Hank, your man just hit another homer, putting them up 5-3 in the bottom of the 6th.” replied Dan, the bartender. He slid Henry a cold bottle of beer and turned back to watch the game.
The Silverlake was always dead during the afternoons, being a small pub just off the main street. The place had a atmosphere like no other bar in the world. Small and cozy, this place brought back fond memories for Henry. It was here, actually right over there, below the autographed picture of Harry Caray that he first met Alison, and immediately fell in love with her. Henry smiled as he looked over at that spot, and sighed.
“She’s gone isn’t she?” asked Dan, knowing that his friend and best customer wasn’t here just to watch the game. The tall thin man behind the bar leaned over and said “I know you miss her, and things will get better with time. It’s been 3 months now hasn’t it? She’ll come back, you and I both know it.”
Henry looked down at the half empty beer in front of him and took another drink. “Yeah, it’s been a while. She hasn’t called, and I don’t know her phone number to call her. But I’ll be alright, things are going fine, and they’ll be better if the Cubs win.” he said, finishing off his beer. Henry glanced over at his old high school chum, then up at the screen, just as the rookie pitcher struck out yet another batter.
“You always were a bit crazy over the Cubs, almost as crazy about them as you were Alison. Do you want another, it’s on the house?” offered Dan, getting his friend another beer. Drowning his sorrows in alcohol is not a good way to relieve his pain, but it helps for a while. Talking about it helps even more.
Henry took the beer from
Dan’s hands and just looked at it. “Let’s just watch the game, I don’t
want to talk about it
now alright. Maybe later.”
He took a big swig of the beer and turned in his stool to see the television
better.
His eyes dropped to the floor just as a ray of light fell upon him. The bell over the door rang once, like a voice announcing a king or queen’s entrance, loudly enough so that everyone in the bar heard it. The table of card players ignored the bell just like they ignored everything else but their game. When they wanted something, they called for it, otherwise Dan just left them alone and kept to himself at the bar. Henry didn’t look, he ignored it as well and kept watching the game. His favorite player just caught the last out, the seventh inning stretch was about to begin. Dan of course looked up, it was his job to take care of customers, even on this lazy Saturday afternoon. Just another lonely soul, come to watch a baseball game and have some company.
Henry flicked the lights on in his apartment and threw his keys on the kitchen table. It was cluttered with junk mail and an old plate, leftover from breakfast. Henry went into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face, trying to revive himself just a little bit. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he wondered what he’d done wrong. His answering machine beeped in the other room, letting him know he had at least one new message since he’d left earlier in the day.
“Hank, it’s me. I just scored some tickets for tomorrow’s game at Wrigley. I figured you’d want to go, give me a call when you get in.” That was Dan for you, always trying to help out. He knew that going to a game could cheer up Henry a bit, and then they’d talk about everything that had been bothering him. This is just what I need. thought Henry, some time with my friends again, instead of me sitting here feeling sorry for myself. He looked over at the picture frame next to the phone. Inside was a picture of he and Alison, smiling and laughing, taken by Dan in the Silverlake last fall.
Her bright blue eyes sparkled with a light in them that he had never known before. Her brown hair falling past her shoulders, as she leaned in to give Henry a big hug. Her face, so beautiful even in the dim light of the bar. There they were, so happy, so complete. Henry had never felt like anything like it before, and may not ever feel that way again. Part of Henry wanted to smash the picture and throw it out, but another part of him wanted to make it real again, to have her there to hold and love.
The next message was from his mother, reminding Henry of his brother’s birthday in 2 weeks, and to come home and visit. The message following that caught his attention from the word hello. Alison called, to tell him that she loved him still and to see how he was doing.
“I’ll be back in town soon, and I wanted to know if you wanted to get together and talk things over. I miss you. Call me whenever you get this message, I’m at my parents’ house.” And then the machine clicked off, no more messages. Henry quickly replayed the call from Alison again, just so he could hear her voice once more. He looked at his watch and decided that calling her parents house at 2 in the morning wouldn’t be a good idea, so he’d call tomorrow, before the game with Dan.
And all night strains of Gershwin played on, soothing Henry’s weary nerves. She wants to see me again. I hope she comes back, I’d take her back in a second. But I should try to act like nothing is wrong, like I’m doing fine without her. Maybe then things will be good again, like they used to be, Henry thought, but only if she hasn’t gotten on with her life yet.
Henry walked into his favorite bar, the Silverlake, on a cool summer Friday night. His best friend and roommate Dan had just got a job there as a bartender, to help pay for rent until he started teaching in the fall. The small bar was filled that night, with lots of young people mingling and having a good time. Off against the far wall, the television showed the Cubs night game for those who wanted to watch. Henry was there to watch the game with some of his friends, and just relax.
“Hey, Henry! Come on over, kept you a seat.” Called his friend Dave, from a table near the television. There sat Andy and Scott, two good friends of his from college who stayed around that summer. Andy and Henry are in Law School together, Scott’s a Fireman for the local station. Henry nodded at them and smiled, and proceeded to the bar, to say hi to Dan and get himself a beer.
