Sam Adams and JFK: Chapter 2: Barroom Trivia
When they finally arrived at Sullivan's, Corrine Sidle and John Munch walked up to the crowded bar. A thin veil of smoke drifted through the dimly lit room. Instead of the standard jukebox, the owner of the establishment decided instead to have a guy come in with karaoke. Currently, a thirty-something woman with a bad perm was singing Britney Spears's "Oops.I Did It Again" off-key. Over the din, the bartender yelled at Munch and Corrine to order.
"I'll have a Harp," John said, after surveying at what was on tap.
"I'll have a Jack and Seven," Corrine said a moment later.
Munch threw Corrine an eyebrow and asked, "That's a pretty strong drink."
"What can I say? I like my alcohol strong. It helps dull that feeling of hopelessness I get every time I lose a case. Besides, I believe that if you can't taste the alcohol in your drink, you're in for hangover the next morning."
"Good point. I mean about the taste. I've found that there is nothing worse than a morning hangover brought on by too many margaritas."
Corrine stifled a laugh at the thought of the detective getting loaded on margaritas. The action wasn't missed by Munch.
"Hey, those lime libations taste extremely sweet going down. Admit it, there was probably a time when you had a few too many and woke up with that splitting headache the next morning."
"Maybe once, during spring break in college. After that, I swore off sweet drinks."
By that time, the bartender had returned with their drinks. Corrine reached into her purse to pay for her drink, but Munch waved her off paying for both drinks. They headed away from the bar and found a small table away from the karaoke but in front of a TV displaying trivia questions.
"How about a toast?" Munch asked, as they sat down.
"Okay. To my brilliant failure on an easy case," Corrine said, raising her glass half-heartedly.
Munch lowered his pint.
"That is not a toast. That is an affirmation of defeat. Life isn't always parades and victory laps. For every case that gets put down, there is always one that never gets solved. No matter how much goes right in this world, there are ten other things that go wrong. You can't get down on yourself!" John shouted as he slammed his glass down on the table.
Corrine was taken aback by the strength of emotion that was coming out of John Munch. She had pegged him the first time as cold and sterile. Apparently, she had seriously misjudged the detective. The outburst seemed to be not only in frustration of her own defeatism but also in response to his own feelings of helplessness in a world of violence. She suddenly felt guilty and concerned at the same time.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so defeatist about the whole thing. You're right. Nothing ever works out perfectly," she said, reaching out to touch his hand in comfort, "Let's start over. A toast."
Corrine raised her glass and John picked his up in response.
"To cases that get solved, margarita hangovers, and new friends," she continued.
"To new friends," he said.
They clinked glasses and both took a long drink. After they had put their drinks back down, an awkward silence grew between the attorney and detective. Munch's stomach was in knots. He felt nervous and out of control of the situation. Finally, Munch spoke up to break the silence.
"So, since we are new friends and all, tell me about yourself."
"Well, what you would like to know?"
"How about, for starters, where you grew up."
"I was born in Houston, Texas, but lived the majority of my childhood in Raleigh, North Carolina."
"I don't detect an accent."
"I lost it after spending 7 years in New York, but unfortunately I am beginning to develop a New York one. How about yourself?"
"Me? I was born in New York. But I lived in Baltimore for many years before coming back home. Home sweet home," he said, gesturing around the bar as if to say that it could be a replica of his childhood home.
Over the next fifteen minutes, they entertained each other with stories of high school crushes and family vacations. While nursing their respective drinks, each revealed their high school extra-curricular activities. Munch had spent his time in the AV club, while Corrine had done time with the debate team. Both had made the honor roll for their grades, despite the fact that Munch had missed nearly as many classes as he had attended. Just as they had reached the bottom of their glasses, a waitress came around asking if they would like refills. Munch ordered another Harp, while Corrine ordered a Sam Adams. Munch raised his eyebrows at the choice of beer.
"Interesting choice, Corrine."
"Well, Detective, it is a bad habit left over from my law school days."
"A bad habit?"
"I went to Boston University for law school. And every bar in the city carries Sam Adams. I used to hate beer, but I got hooked on the taste of Sam. Now it's the only beer I'll drink."
"I see," John said.
He leaned back to take in the new information, while Corrine turned her focus to the trivia question scrolling across the TV screen. In the background, a man was drunkenly singing "Piano Man". Munch wasn't exactly sure to make of the woman sitting across from him. He definitely felt a physical attraction to the slender, brunette attorney. But he still felt unsure as to the possibility of a real relationship. Corrine Sidle was unlike any of the other women that he had dated. She seemed so sure of herself and yet incredibly fragile at the same time. He didn't know if she would understand his strange world view. But at that moment, Corrine blurted out three words that managed to simultaneously excite and frighten Munch.
"Lee Harvey Oswald."
Munch blinked and furrowed his brow at her unexpected outburst.
"Did you just say 'Lee Harvey Oswald'?"
"Yes I did. It's the answer to the question on the TV: 'Who was killed by Jack Ruby?'," Corrine responded, pointing to the TV over Munch's head.
"Did you know that Jack Ruby's real name was Jack Rubenstein? And that Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby knew each other before the JFK assassination?" she continued, completely oblivious to the detective's reaction.
Munch's jaw literally dropped down. No else had ever actually brought up the conspiracy surrounding JFK's assassination before he did. It absolutely floored him that someone else knew some of the more interesting details concerning Jack Ruby. Munch closed his mouth and collected himself before speaking.
"As a matter of fact, I did know that. Did you know that since the assassination, twenty-three people connected to it have died mysterious death? The assassination is something of an obsession of mine."
"Me too. I find it incredibly that people actually believe that Lee Harvey acting alone."
"I know. The blind following that has afflicted this country is so appalling it makes me want to move to another country. We shouldn't have a president, just a head lemming that is picked at random to lead us off the cliff," Munch said with a smile on his face.
"And let's not even get into how the media is manipulating people. So many take what is on the news at face value. If they only knew what kind of censorship and control was being exerting, the public would freak out," Corrine said, leaning forward in her chair in interest.
After that, an in-depth conversation began about how the American people are being lied to, manipulate, and otherwise brainwashed into conforming to the "norm". The topics ran gamut from JFK to UFOs to the government knowing what kind of toilet paper you use. The two exchanged conspiracy theories like they were baseball cards. Munch was amazed that Corrine had such a wealth of knowledge on the subject. Her breadth of subject rivaled his own and had the potential to even exceed it.
"So you said that before being asked to take some of the cases for SVU, that you were in Narcotics?" John asked.
"Yeah. I've been there for about 4 years as an ADA."
"Then you must know Detective Odafin Tutuola."
"You mean Fin? I know him. Great guy. Has a real heart of gold for some of the addicts that come in. Doesn't like to be touched. He's a real nice guy, but I'd hate to be a dealer facing Fin on a bad day."
"Fin's my partner over at SVU."
"Really? I knew that he had transferred out of Narcotics but I hadn't heard where he had gone. What a small world. The two of you must make quite an interesting interrogation team. I would pay good money to see the two of you working a perp," Corrine said, smiling at the thought.
"You and everyone else in the precinct," Munch retorted, lowering his glasses and raising his eyebrows as he leaned into towards Corrine.
"Would you like to play trivia?" Corrine asked, noticing that a new game was about start.
"What?" Munch asked confused.
"The trivia on the television, we can play along."
"Sure."
"How about we place a wager on the outcome of the game?" she suggested.
"What did you have in mind?" John questioned, curious to hear the terms on the prospective bet.
"Loser has to pay for drinks and walk the winner home," Corrine said, leaning in closer to emphasize her statement.
The prospect of this scenario excited John. The mere thought of being able to walk home with this enchanting woman was the best thing to happen to him in a long time. He really needed to get out more.
"You've got yourself a bet."
They shook hands to seal the deal and Corrine got up to get two consoles. When she returned, John moved his chair over by her so that he could see the screen. He was so close that he could feel the warmth radiating off of Corrine's body. He could also smell her perfume wafting off her hair as she pushed it back behind her ears. It smelled sweet and slightly floral. His head was light and he wasn't sure if it was from the liquor or the heady scent of Corrine Sidle. He took a sip from his beer, hoping to clear his head and focused his eyes on the TV screen.
"Prepare to be annihilated," Corrine said as she turned her attention to the screen.
Munch smiled and replied, "Ladies first."
The contest was heated between the two of them. Their intelligence seemed to be evenly matched. So much that by the time they got to the final round, Munch and Corrine were separated by a mere 100 points. The final category was "Baseball". The question appeared on the screen: "What pitcher blew back to back saves against the New York Yankees in the World Series?" John punched in the answer "Bhung-Yung Kim". When the answer appeared on screen, Munch's heart jumped up to his throat. He had gotten the right answer. All that was left was to see the final score. After what seemed to be an eternity, the scores finally appeared: jackandsam- 15200, munchkin-15450. Munch leaned back in his chair and drank the rest of beer, trying to look nonchalant about his victory, but inside, he was jumping up and down for joy. Not only was Corrine Sidle paying for his drinks; she was also walking him home. The night couldn't get any better.
"Congratulations, Munch. You are a worthy opponent. I accept defeat. Now if you just grab your coat, I'll meet you at the door after I settle up our tab," Corrine said, rising from the table.
After a few moments, Corrine met Munch at the entrance and they headed off in the direction of his apartment. The night air had turned the evening chilly and both of them wrapped their coats tighter around their bodies to stave off the chill. After about twenty minutes, they had finally reached the stoop of Munch's building. John turned to face Corrine and awkwardly tried to say goodnight.
"Thank you for walking me home. It isn't often that a woman offers to go to my apartment."
"Well, to be fair, I lost the bet. But it was a nice evening just the same. Thank you for following after me."
"Anytime, as long as you don't cut through the park anymore."
Corrine extended her hand for John to shake. He took it and shook, but instead of letting go she pulled him close to whisper in his ear.
"By the way John, Bhung-Yung Kim also blew a save twice during the regular season against the Yankees while playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks and then blew it again with Boston after he was traded for Shea Hillenbrand."
And with that, she gave John a kiss on the cheek before turning and walking back down the sidewalk towards the corner to catch a cab. John just stood there with his mouth hanging open and his keys hanging uselessly in his hand. His mind reeled at what had just happened. Corrine had lost the game on purpose. The next morning, John Munch didn't remember how he got into his apartment, but he was fairly certain that he had floated in, completely smitten with Assistant District Attorney Corrine Sidle.
TBC
When they finally arrived at Sullivan's, Corrine Sidle and John Munch walked up to the crowded bar. A thin veil of smoke drifted through the dimly lit room. Instead of the standard jukebox, the owner of the establishment decided instead to have a guy come in with karaoke. Currently, a thirty-something woman with a bad perm was singing Britney Spears's "Oops.I Did It Again" off-key. Over the din, the bartender yelled at Munch and Corrine to order.
"I'll have a Harp," John said, after surveying at what was on tap.
"I'll have a Jack and Seven," Corrine said a moment later.
Munch threw Corrine an eyebrow and asked, "That's a pretty strong drink."
"What can I say? I like my alcohol strong. It helps dull that feeling of hopelessness I get every time I lose a case. Besides, I believe that if you can't taste the alcohol in your drink, you're in for hangover the next morning."
"Good point. I mean about the taste. I've found that there is nothing worse than a morning hangover brought on by too many margaritas."
Corrine stifled a laugh at the thought of the detective getting loaded on margaritas. The action wasn't missed by Munch.
"Hey, those lime libations taste extremely sweet going down. Admit it, there was probably a time when you had a few too many and woke up with that splitting headache the next morning."
"Maybe once, during spring break in college. After that, I swore off sweet drinks."
By that time, the bartender had returned with their drinks. Corrine reached into her purse to pay for her drink, but Munch waved her off paying for both drinks. They headed away from the bar and found a small table away from the karaoke but in front of a TV displaying trivia questions.
"How about a toast?" Munch asked, as they sat down.
"Okay. To my brilliant failure on an easy case," Corrine said, raising her glass half-heartedly.
Munch lowered his pint.
"That is not a toast. That is an affirmation of defeat. Life isn't always parades and victory laps. For every case that gets put down, there is always one that never gets solved. No matter how much goes right in this world, there are ten other things that go wrong. You can't get down on yourself!" John shouted as he slammed his glass down on the table.
Corrine was taken aback by the strength of emotion that was coming out of John Munch. She had pegged him the first time as cold and sterile. Apparently, she had seriously misjudged the detective. The outburst seemed to be not only in frustration of her own defeatism but also in response to his own feelings of helplessness in a world of violence. She suddenly felt guilty and concerned at the same time.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so defeatist about the whole thing. You're right. Nothing ever works out perfectly," she said, reaching out to touch his hand in comfort, "Let's start over. A toast."
Corrine raised her glass and John picked his up in response.
"To cases that get solved, margarita hangovers, and new friends," she continued.
"To new friends," he said.
They clinked glasses and both took a long drink. After they had put their drinks back down, an awkward silence grew between the attorney and detective. Munch's stomach was in knots. He felt nervous and out of control of the situation. Finally, Munch spoke up to break the silence.
"So, since we are new friends and all, tell me about yourself."
"Well, what you would like to know?"
"How about, for starters, where you grew up."
"I was born in Houston, Texas, but lived the majority of my childhood in Raleigh, North Carolina."
"I don't detect an accent."
"I lost it after spending 7 years in New York, but unfortunately I am beginning to develop a New York one. How about yourself?"
"Me? I was born in New York. But I lived in Baltimore for many years before coming back home. Home sweet home," he said, gesturing around the bar as if to say that it could be a replica of his childhood home.
Over the next fifteen minutes, they entertained each other with stories of high school crushes and family vacations. While nursing their respective drinks, each revealed their high school extra-curricular activities. Munch had spent his time in the AV club, while Corrine had done time with the debate team. Both had made the honor roll for their grades, despite the fact that Munch had missed nearly as many classes as he had attended. Just as they had reached the bottom of their glasses, a waitress came around asking if they would like refills. Munch ordered another Harp, while Corrine ordered a Sam Adams. Munch raised his eyebrows at the choice of beer.
"Interesting choice, Corrine."
"Well, Detective, it is a bad habit left over from my law school days."
"A bad habit?"
"I went to Boston University for law school. And every bar in the city carries Sam Adams. I used to hate beer, but I got hooked on the taste of Sam. Now it's the only beer I'll drink."
"I see," John said.
He leaned back to take in the new information, while Corrine turned her focus to the trivia question scrolling across the TV screen. In the background, a man was drunkenly singing "Piano Man". Munch wasn't exactly sure to make of the woman sitting across from him. He definitely felt a physical attraction to the slender, brunette attorney. But he still felt unsure as to the possibility of a real relationship. Corrine Sidle was unlike any of the other women that he had dated. She seemed so sure of herself and yet incredibly fragile at the same time. He didn't know if she would understand his strange world view. But at that moment, Corrine blurted out three words that managed to simultaneously excite and frighten Munch.
"Lee Harvey Oswald."
Munch blinked and furrowed his brow at her unexpected outburst.
"Did you just say 'Lee Harvey Oswald'?"
"Yes I did. It's the answer to the question on the TV: 'Who was killed by Jack Ruby?'," Corrine responded, pointing to the TV over Munch's head.
"Did you know that Jack Ruby's real name was Jack Rubenstein? And that Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby knew each other before the JFK assassination?" she continued, completely oblivious to the detective's reaction.
Munch's jaw literally dropped down. No else had ever actually brought up the conspiracy surrounding JFK's assassination before he did. It absolutely floored him that someone else knew some of the more interesting details concerning Jack Ruby. Munch closed his mouth and collected himself before speaking.
"As a matter of fact, I did know that. Did you know that since the assassination, twenty-three people connected to it have died mysterious death? The assassination is something of an obsession of mine."
"Me too. I find it incredibly that people actually believe that Lee Harvey acting alone."
"I know. The blind following that has afflicted this country is so appalling it makes me want to move to another country. We shouldn't have a president, just a head lemming that is picked at random to lead us off the cliff," Munch said with a smile on his face.
"And let's not even get into how the media is manipulating people. So many take what is on the news at face value. If they only knew what kind of censorship and control was being exerting, the public would freak out," Corrine said, leaning forward in her chair in interest.
After that, an in-depth conversation began about how the American people are being lied to, manipulate, and otherwise brainwashed into conforming to the "norm". The topics ran gamut from JFK to UFOs to the government knowing what kind of toilet paper you use. The two exchanged conspiracy theories like they were baseball cards. Munch was amazed that Corrine had such a wealth of knowledge on the subject. Her breadth of subject rivaled his own and had the potential to even exceed it.
"So you said that before being asked to take some of the cases for SVU, that you were in Narcotics?" John asked.
"Yeah. I've been there for about 4 years as an ADA."
"Then you must know Detective Odafin Tutuola."
"You mean Fin? I know him. Great guy. Has a real heart of gold for some of the addicts that come in. Doesn't like to be touched. He's a real nice guy, but I'd hate to be a dealer facing Fin on a bad day."
"Fin's my partner over at SVU."
"Really? I knew that he had transferred out of Narcotics but I hadn't heard where he had gone. What a small world. The two of you must make quite an interesting interrogation team. I would pay good money to see the two of you working a perp," Corrine said, smiling at the thought.
"You and everyone else in the precinct," Munch retorted, lowering his glasses and raising his eyebrows as he leaned into towards Corrine.
"Would you like to play trivia?" Corrine asked, noticing that a new game was about start.
"What?" Munch asked confused.
"The trivia on the television, we can play along."
"Sure."
"How about we place a wager on the outcome of the game?" she suggested.
"What did you have in mind?" John questioned, curious to hear the terms on the prospective bet.
"Loser has to pay for drinks and walk the winner home," Corrine said, leaning in closer to emphasize her statement.
The prospect of this scenario excited John. The mere thought of being able to walk home with this enchanting woman was the best thing to happen to him in a long time. He really needed to get out more.
"You've got yourself a bet."
They shook hands to seal the deal and Corrine got up to get two consoles. When she returned, John moved his chair over by her so that he could see the screen. He was so close that he could feel the warmth radiating off of Corrine's body. He could also smell her perfume wafting off her hair as she pushed it back behind her ears. It smelled sweet and slightly floral. His head was light and he wasn't sure if it was from the liquor or the heady scent of Corrine Sidle. He took a sip from his beer, hoping to clear his head and focused his eyes on the TV screen.
"Prepare to be annihilated," Corrine said as she turned her attention to the screen.
Munch smiled and replied, "Ladies first."
The contest was heated between the two of them. Their intelligence seemed to be evenly matched. So much that by the time they got to the final round, Munch and Corrine were separated by a mere 100 points. The final category was "Baseball". The question appeared on the screen: "What pitcher blew back to back saves against the New York Yankees in the World Series?" John punched in the answer "Bhung-Yung Kim". When the answer appeared on screen, Munch's heart jumped up to his throat. He had gotten the right answer. All that was left was to see the final score. After what seemed to be an eternity, the scores finally appeared: jackandsam- 15200, munchkin-15450. Munch leaned back in his chair and drank the rest of beer, trying to look nonchalant about his victory, but inside, he was jumping up and down for joy. Not only was Corrine Sidle paying for his drinks; she was also walking him home. The night couldn't get any better.
"Congratulations, Munch. You are a worthy opponent. I accept defeat. Now if you just grab your coat, I'll meet you at the door after I settle up our tab," Corrine said, rising from the table.
After a few moments, Corrine met Munch at the entrance and they headed off in the direction of his apartment. The night air had turned the evening chilly and both of them wrapped their coats tighter around their bodies to stave off the chill. After about twenty minutes, they had finally reached the stoop of Munch's building. John turned to face Corrine and awkwardly tried to say goodnight.
"Thank you for walking me home. It isn't often that a woman offers to go to my apartment."
"Well, to be fair, I lost the bet. But it was a nice evening just the same. Thank you for following after me."
"Anytime, as long as you don't cut through the park anymore."
Corrine extended her hand for John to shake. He took it and shook, but instead of letting go she pulled him close to whisper in his ear.
"By the way John, Bhung-Yung Kim also blew a save twice during the regular season against the Yankees while playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks and then blew it again with Boston after he was traded for Shea Hillenbrand."
And with that, she gave John a kiss on the cheek before turning and walking back down the sidewalk towards the corner to catch a cab. John just stood there with his mouth hanging open and his keys hanging uselessly in his hand. His mind reeled at what had just happened. Corrine had lost the game on purpose. The next morning, John Munch didn't remember how he got into his apartment, but he was fairly certain that he had floated in, completely smitten with Assistant District Attorney Corrine Sidle.
TBC
