Back at the Lobby Bar in Queens, NY.

"My gosh. Dougie Funnie! I can't believe it!" She rested an elbow on the spillmat, shaking her head. "You know, you were my first crush? I was gonna marry you someday, remember?"

"I think I remember that," he chuckled. "You used to follow me everywhere."

"I did, didn't I? Oh my god, I was such a little brat!" she laughed.

"Oh no you weren't. Really, you weren't that bad."

A long red tendril of her long hair fell across her shoulder and down her neck, drawing his eyes once again to the lovely pale crease of her bosom. He cleared his throat.

Douglas smiled awkwardly at this sexy young bartender who once thought the world revolved around him.

" So…Hello, Candy Adams!" he managed.

" Reg is gonna die! How in the world have you been?" she giggled.

"I've been ok, I guess," he said. He shrugged. " I mean…well, you know…"

Her brow furrowed. "I heard you got engaged," she said carefully.

Doug shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"Well, I did, but…"

He stared at his fingernails. Raising her eyebrows, Candy shrugged. She poured him another green drink.

"Here." She placed it in front of him.

"Oh no that's ok…I shouldn't"-

"Don't worry, hon. You're not drivin. Besides, it's on the house," she said. He smiled and took the glass.

"So, um…what have you been up to? How has life been treating you?"

"Pretty shitty, actually." She laughed at his startled expression.

"H-How'd you end up in New York?" he asked.

"Oh my gosh…Stupidity I guess," she said, waving her hands. "I just…I guess maybe Judy was a bad influence on me. I wanted to be an actress. I didn't do so good in school, so I just…I moved to L.A. to try my luck at getting famous. It didn't really work out though. I had met this guy, Flavio, and well…he was a big mistake."

"Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

Candy tipped her head to the side and chewed her lip sheepishly. When she did that , he could see the little five year old girl he once knew.

"Lets just say…when a man decides to hit me, he only gets to do it once…"

"Oh my god…I'm…I'm so sorry, Candy. That is horrible…" he put his hand on her thin wrist.

She waved him off. "It was my own fault really. I was sixteen and stupid." She produced a cigarette from her apron and began to light up, then paused. "Oh, I'm sorry.." she began putting it away.

"Oh no no. It's ok. I don't mind, really." And he meant it.

"Thanks…Heheh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to bum you out. It's all in the past now. I'm actually doing pretty good."

"So…How'd you end up here?"

"Well," she said, "I'm pretty tall, so I started getting work as a model. And it just seemed smarter to go to New York, where I'd get more work. I got a few jobs working in the fashion houses in the city, then doing a few magazines."

"Wow. That's pretty cool…" He could definitely see the modeling thing working out for her.

"Eh, it was overrated. By the time I was twenty -four, bookings got fewer and fewer. In the fashion business, you get old real fast. So I ended up here. It's not a bad job, and I still book once in a while…So…Enough about me. What about you? What's your sob story?"

"Um…Well…"