I got to the bar a bit early, because I noticed that the outside lights were already on. People were already heading in. How strange. But I’d been gone for two weeks, so maybe everything changed. Stranger things have happened.

I walked in and Moran spotted me. Which is when the trouble began.

“Where have you been? It’s been so long.” she said.

“Two weeks,” I protested.

“Still, you just go and leave me alone and…”

“Can you find forgiveness?”

“Maybe.”

“Then let the healing begin!”

We had a lot of long talks last night. It’s funny, when she was the waitress she was always running around the place so much we got to talk in short bursts. Now that she’s behind the bar we end up having actual conversations a lot more.

So we talked. And talked. About her English class, her school in general, her summer travel plans, my summer plans, some strange-ass ex of hers, you know - life. Agnes was working, too, and there ya go. No real funny stories from the first part of last night.

Later on though we had some guidos come by. They were … well they were, weren’t they? “Yo, just gimmie what’s on tap,” one of them asks. Moran pointed out they had no taps. “Oh,” he says looking confused. She points to the beer selection above the register and he looked at it like … like Non trying to make heat vision work:

They get a beer and talk to these Guidettes they were with. Everyone there is happy, if confused. Until one of the girls decides to step outside.

“Excuse me,” I hear from behind me, “this says use other door but the other door doesn’t work either.” There are, of course, two doors. One is locked the other is the only way in or out of the bar. She is, therefore, now trying to tell me that we are all locked in. Hmm.

“Just … just push?” I offer, turning to watch. So she pushes. And turns to look at me with hopelessness in her eyes. “Just give it a big sharp push, go for it. Just push the hell out of it, sometimes it sticks.” She looks doubtful, but eyes the door with steely menace. And pushes the door hard. A bit too hard. And almost fell face first out of the place. Woops.

But overall, it was a nice quiet night full of conversation and beer and music. Which tends to be a recipe for win.