Happy Saturday! David and I are sneaking a short visit to the bar in between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We don’t plan on being here long, but you never know what will happen once the drinks are poured. Hopefully, we’re here long enough to solve the puzzle Linda has given us.
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “exclamation.’” Add an exclamation mark to your title or the first word/sentence of your post and just keep writing. Have fun!
SoCS by Linda G. Hill
If we were having a beer, you realize our plans for a quick exit may not come to fruition.
“Dan, is that who I think it is?”
“Behind the bar? The guy with the beard? He does look familiar.”
“It’s Skippy.”
“Skippy? What are you doing here?”
“He looks like he’s making our drinks.”
“Yes, it’s me. David, here’s your John Howell’s Special. Curley let me step in for him, but I don’t have access to the computer. I poured this from memory.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Dan, Curley said you’re drinking Modelo these days. Can’t say as I blame you now that they have it on tap.”
“Thanks Skippy. See David, he got mine right.”
“And a glass of bourbon, a snifter of seltzer and a glass of ice.”
“And a cherry in each glass. I assume that was on purpose.”
“I couldn’t resist, David. You’re too tempting a target.”
“So, are you working, or just here for appearances?”
“He’s only making an appearance, and he’s done doing that.”
“Thanks for letting me back here, Curley. It was fun reminiscing.”
“Can you join us on this side of the bar, Skippy? Can we buy you a drink?”
“Yes, and yes, Dan. Curley, I’d like a little Kettle One on the rocks.”
“Here you go, young man. This one’s on the house—one bartended to another.”
“You mean former bartender. Now star of the Great White Way.”
“Actually, David, I do tend bar in a little pub just outside the Theater District. Acting is fun, but it’s far from a steady income.”
“Where are you living?”
“I share an apartment in Manhattan with another guy and two girls, Dan.”
“Two girls? Is that one of the idiosyncrasies of a generation decades behind me, Skippy or is there romance involved?”
“Idiosyncrasy, David. It’s a two-bedroom apartment and splitting the rent four ways makes it almost affordable.”
“Are you all actors?”
“Yes. I met the other three when I joined the cast of Chicago. Their previous roommate had gone on the road with a show, and they needed a new one.”
“Is this the only play you’re involved with?”
“I have better roles in some way off-Broadway shows, Dan. It’s good experience. It helps pay the rent, but being in the cast of Chicago gives me a better chance to get noticed by someone who can help advance my career. Plus, I like the nineteen-twenties’ vibe, and I like jazz.”
“It’s so funny that you, a child of the new century, would be attracted to the nineteen-twenties.”
“It’s how I met Lulu.”
“Skippy, you do know that you met Lulu in a dream. She’s not a person. She’s a character in a book by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene.”
“I know that’s what you say, Dan, but I know what I know—I met Lulu.”
“Skippy, that’s impossible.”
“David, two years ago, I was struggling to survive, living at home and working here as a bartender.”
“And not the best bartender, at that.”
“Granted. Then, some advice from Dan’s friend Brad Lewis took me to New Haven. I got a few lucky breaks and now I’m on Broadway. Okay, I’m mostly off to the side behind the curtain, but I’m in the theater. I say that proves nothing is impossible.”
“Well, it’s certainly good to see you, but what brought you back to Connecticut, Skippy.”
“The train.”
“Ha! That’s good, but seriously.”
“Tomorrow is my mom’s birthday. As if to put an exclamation point on that, it’s also Easter Sunday. I wanted to bring her the New York, but she wasn’t up for the trip, so I came home to take her to dinner.”
“Where are you taking her?”
“Her kitchen.”
“Excuse me?”
“I knew you’d jump in, David. Mom says what she misses most is cooking for her family. So, for her birthday, she’s making Easter dinner for our whole family. I did order a cake and two pies.”
“That was nice of you, and it was nice of you to stop in and visit with us.”
“I’ll never forget this place. You two guys helped me figure out how to play old men. That’s what got me noticed in the first place.”
“I’m glad we survived long enough to be of use to you.”
“Aw, David, you know what I mean.”
“I do. Happy Easter, Skippy!”
I’d like to wish a Happy Easter / Pascha to all who celebrate. This is a year in which Eastern Orthodox Pascha and western religion Easter are celebrated on the same day.
I’ve been out of pocket the past two weeks, working on projects. I’ll have some information to share, soon. This week, I’m using some of my wife’s photos. She feeds the critters, including the murder of crows that has returned to protect their nest in a neighbor’s tree. I watched as three of them chased a Coopers Hawk out of our yard and out of the neighborhood.
All five of my current books are now available in audio book form thanks to Amazon KDP’s Virtual Voice process. The voice is AI generated, but I can honestly say, it’s pretty darn good. The audio books are reasonably priced (all below $7 US) and, if you already own the Kindle version and want to add an audio version, you can do that for $1.99. There is a five-minute sample on the book page for each book. If you’re interested, click on any of the Dreamer’s Alliance book links below the image or on the link below for my latest book.
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