Page 28 of Make Me Forget
Guilt and Hard Liquor
Murphy
Iknew I should feel guilty for pushing her into therapy, even if help was best for her. My hope lay on the vision of her showing up at my bar without such a haunted look in hereyes.
I washed some of the dishes and tried to stay busy so I didn’t go to her hotel room. After today’s activity, she probably wanted solitude and space. Anyone who looked at her could see she wasn’t the sharing type. Once I finished the dishes, made a few more drinks, the bar door opened, and in walked a woman. Tall, blonde, thirty, and vaguely familiar. She stepped up to the bar and gripped the edge while she lookedaround.
“Can I help you?” I asked, trying to figure out where I knew herfrom.
She tilted across the bar and squinted slightly. Suddenly, I felt under inspection. “Murphy?”
“Yes, and youare?”
“Martha, from high school. You don’t rememberme.”
I blinked and looked her over. “Well, in my defense, you do look different.” And lost about a hundred pounds sincethen.
She ducked her head in a sweet blush and climbed up on astool.
“Did you come here to walk down memory lane, or did you want adrink?”
She glanced around again. “Actually, I came here because I thought I saw Mara Williams at the rehab center today, and when I asked around, someone mentioned I might find herhere.”
I had no idea how much Mara wanted other people to know about her situation or where she lived. “Well, she’s not here.” I gestured at the few patrons playing darts in the farcorner.
“I didn’t see her, but do you know where I might findher?”
“I’m not in the habit of sharing other people’s business. How about you leave your information, and if she comes by, I can give it toher.”
Her pink lips spread wide in a genuine smile, and she pulled a card from her purse. “Can you give her this. Tell her I’d love to catch up. I’d take a beer, though, if you wouldn’tmind.”
I tucked the card under the counter and grabbed her a beer from the ice box. She cupped it tight in both hands but didn’t so much as take a sip. “I can’t believe how much you’ve changed,Murphy.”
Oh shit.I knew that tone. It was the tone of a woman working herself up to flirt hard. I’d seen it so many times over the years, and I always tried to dodge it as gently as I could. It would be harder considering she had more to talk about with our sharedpast.
“Thanks,” I said, hoping a brief end to this conversation would shut itdown.
“I can’t believe Mara is back, though. The last time she was in town had to be what, five yearsago?”
I wiped an already clean and dry glass so I didn’t have to be too close. “Sure, about that Ithink.”
“I heard you two hooked up.” She giggled like she’d already had too much to drink, and still not a sip from thebottle.
Moments like this, I hated living in a small town. Everyone felt the need to know everyone else’s business, and more, they thought they had a right to the information. Like Ms. Martha here trying to look sweet and adorable while flirting the news out of me. Not gonnawork.
“Is that what the gossip is these days? I’m woefully under informed,” I said,deadpan.
She didn’t take the hint and pressed on. “Well, Keith told me he heard it from Andrew who ran the hotel back then. We dated for a bit, but I’m not seeing anyonenow.”
Ah Keith, the pot head turned meth addict who went to prison for ten years. A reliable source of informationindeed.
“Well, it seems Keith shouldn’t talk about his patrons. If there was anything to tell.” Her eyes widened a little at my hardenedtone.
She finally took a swig of the beer and finished with a grimace. Likely, she was more of a cosmo or margarita girl. I served neither in mybar.
I didn’t see many of the folks I went to school with here. Most of them flew off to the city and left this town behind. The only reason I stayed was for my grandfather in the rehab clinic. Once he passed, I stopped nursing and turned to the bar full time. I’d never be a rich man, but I’d never want for anything either. The perfect spot in myopinion.
“So how about you? Are you seeing anyone rightnow?”
