Revelations
Chapter 3
Bridget landed in Detroit at four A.M. which was too late to check out the bar scene so she asked the cab driver where the nearest hotel was.
She was taken to the Siren, which luckily was only within walking distance to the Standby Bar.
Checking into her single room she unpacked and then went to sleep, her mind still troubled by the letter she read from Mildred.
She woke groggily at ten A.M. when there was a knock at the door.
She asked, "Who is it?"
The voice said, "Housekeeping."
She went to the door and opening it stated, "I'm sorry, but can you come back later? I got here rather late last night and need some more sleep. Thanks."
But no sooner had Bridget returned to bed and closed her eyes then there was another knock at the door!
Silently cursing she pulled on her robe and yanking the door open answered testily, "Look, I thought I told you-"
But the housekeeper shook her head commenting, "I'm really sorry, but I have to finish this floor this afternoon."
Bridget looked at the time and groaned.
It was now three P.M.
Bridget apologized remarking, "I'm sorry. Why don't you start in here while I go take a shower? Thanks..."
Gathering her clothes she hurried and was out within half an hour.
Taking her keys and purse she left the hotel and headed over to the Standby which she noticed didn't open for another hour and a half.
Stopping by a lunch place she got a sub and drink and sitting at a table called Stu on her cell..
He answered, "Hey, Bridge. What's up? How's the bar scene looking?"
Bridget sighed and commented, "Don't know. Just having some lunch now before I go to the Standby which is only four minutes from my hotel. But don't worry. I should have some stuff ready to fax to you when I'm done tonight. So, is Robin pissed that I got this gig?"
Stu chuckled and shaking his head responded jokingly, "Oh, yeah! Like she really wants to be mauled doing a bit piece. She's engaged, remember? Hey...By the way, your mom called. I don't know why she didn't call your cell but she asked me to tell you to give her a ring. I told her I'd pass the message. Is there something wrong with your voicemail?"
Bridget offhandedly shrugged replying, "I dunno. Maybe. It-It was acting up when I was on the plane before I took off from JFK. So I turned off my phone finally. By the same margin, how's your voicemail? Did you fix yours?"
She then heard some background noise and Stu remarked quickly, "I gotta go now. Call me later."
He hung up and Bridget shook her head stating, "That's code for no, I guess."
Finishing her lunch a while later she heard suddenly from her phone the familiar movie theme ringtone and knew it was her dad and promptly hung it up.
She wasn't ready to deal with either one of them yet as she needed time to think.
Throwing her wrapper and drink cup away she put the phone in her purse and left the sub place.
As she walked in the direction of the Standby she heard an opera ringtone and sighed deeply thinking, Oh, Mom! Not you, too!
Hanging that up she asked someone near the building, "Is there a phone place nearby? I'm having trouble with getting messages."
The person directed her across the street and Bridget thanked them taking off like a shot.
Deciding for now to have her number changed the process took only a few minutes and she then called Robin to tell her and asked her to relay it to Stu but stated, "It's just for you two. No one else for now, please?"
Robin nodded commenting, "Sure. Hope everything's okay?"
Bridget nodded and responded quickly, "Yeah. I just have to get this piece done and then deal with some personal business. I'm fine, though. Really. Talk to you later, Robin. Thanks."
Hanging up with her she then made her way back to the Standby which was filling up already with people ready for Happy Hour.
Going in she made her way to the bar area and queried to the bartender, "Can I have a Stoli cranberry with a twist, please?"
He nodded and began making her drink as other patrons soon followed with their drink orders.
She also ordered wings to go along with it as she looked around the place. It was a fairly good size bar with a wrap around seating area along the back wall where she noticed most of the work crowds that came in preferred to go.
As her drink order came the bartender asked if she'd like anything else but she shook her head answering, "No, I'm good for now. Thanks."
He nodded and tended to other customers as Bridget then took a small notepad from her purse and jotted some ideas out for her short piece on the Standby.
After a couple of hours spent there she was done and got up from her barstool as a young woman about her age came up to the bar and asked the bartender impatiently, "Do you have one of those hammers for ice? I need to take care of something!"
But the bartender looking at Bridget then nervously responded to the other woman, "Uh, listen...I don't want any trouble here. Maybe I can call someone for you-"
Seeing the panic in both the bartender's and Bridget's eyes the woman shook her head and groaned answering to both of them testily throwing down her phone,"No! I just wanna kill these two ringtones and I don't know how to do it! It's driving me crazy!"
Bridget put up her hand commenting carefully, "It's all right. I had the same problem earlier. All I did was go to the phone place across the street and had them give me a new number. Don't worry..."
The woman sighed and retorted, "Oh really, Genius? Well, they just closed for the night. Thanks, anyway! Gimme that!"
Reaching for the bartender's mallet she saw she grabbed it and began smashing her phone into pieces shocking not only Bridget and the bartender, but some nearby patrons as well!
When she finished a security person came by and queried, "Is there trouble here?"
The woman sighed happily as she shook her head answering, "Not any more, there isn't!"
Throwing the phone away she looked at the bartender and stated calmly, "Iced tea and wings, please.."
The security person and bartender shook their heads and went back to business as Bridget suddenly forgetting she wanted to leave remarked to the bartender, "Ladies room?"
He pointed the way as she thanked him putting down some bills and commenting, "I'll be back..."
As she headed for the ladies room she thought maybe she'd get a prospective on the social scene by talking to some patrons there, particularly that woman.
Not that she wanted to pry into her business, but it seemed odd that they had the same problem with their phone situation that night.
Coming out a few minutes later from the ladies room she worked the area for at least an hour getting patron's thoughts on the social aspects of the bar scene.
When she finished with the last person she'd talked to she headed back to the bar and noticed the woman from earlier in the evening still there working on her third iced tea, but also realized the woman looked a bit plastered and asided to the bartender, "Is she all right? I thought she just had iced tea?"
The bartender shrugged answering, "Well... when someone here asks for iced tea, they usually mean Long Island iced tea-"
Bridget shook her head asiding,"Oh, no..."
The bartender shrugged and asked, "Is she gonna be okay do you think?"
Bridget nodded quickly answering, "Yeah. Just start giving her black coffee. I pretty much know a lightweight when I see one. Something tells me she isn't used to liquor much..."
The woman seeing Bridget slurred, "H-Hey, I th-thought y-you sp-split?"
Bridget nodded and responded carefully, "Yeah, but I decided I was still hungry. How about you? Why don't we get some dessert and-"
Moments later the woman threw up aiming for Bridget's shoes!
The bartender helped clean up the mess as Bridget commented to the woman, "C'mon...Let's go take a walk...Where are you staying?"
The bartender asked, "What about her bill?"
Bridget sighed and queried, "Give me the total, please..."
So Bridget paid the bill with her credit card and collected her things and left.
Walking her across the street carefully she queried, "All right. Tell me your name and where you're staying and I'll have a cab take you. My hotel is here and-"
The woman nodded replying, "Yes...Here's good...Jen's good..."
Bridget knew from her own experience the first time drinking too much was the hardest!
Shaking her head she commented gesturing towards the hotel, "O-Okay, Jen. Let's go get some sleep now. We'll talk in the morning..."
Suddenly the security man from the Standby came running to Bridget stating, "Her bag and purse were still at the bar. Have a good night, Ladies..."
Bridget thanked the man taking the items as the man went back to the Standby.
As they reached the room Bridget let them in and putting Jen's things down answered, "All right. Why don't you change and..."
With that Jen collapsed on the bed immediately!
Bridget nudged her asking, "Jen? Jen?"
Too late. She was out like a light!
Bridget groaned stating, "Great...Just great. Where do I sleep then?"
Shaking her head she got on the phone to the front desk and responded, "Hi. I need a rollaway bed sent up to Room 413, please? Thanks."
While she waited she carefully looked inside for Jen's I.D.
Finding the card with a driver's license, the card revealed her identity as Jennifer Stetson from San Francisco, CA.
California?
Hmm...she thought. I'd better tread carefully.
Things just got a little more difficult here.
So much for being a Good Samaritan...
TBC
