Alone with nothing to do one night, a unknown man decided that he would stop for a nightcap on his way home after working late. As the stranger sat down at the bar, he noticed a woman sitting off to the side of the room, alone. She had a disturbingly vacant expression on her face that almost looked pained. As he watched her a moment longer, she absently took a sip of the drink she probably had been nursing long before he had gotten there.
"What can I get you?"
The stranger turned to see a bartender standing across from him expecting an answer.
"I'll have bourbon." the stranger said quickly.
As the bartender left to fill the order, the stranger allowed his gaze to drift back to the table at the side of the room. The stranger wasn't all that surprised as his breath caught in his throat when his eyes landed on the woman. Some things never change, he thought. She was stunning, in a haunted, broken sort of way. It was this wayward thought that made the stranger wonder why.
"Gorgeous, huh?
The sudden voice startled him out of his thoughts. He turned to see the bartender once again however this time, he was holding a drink.
"I beg your pardon?" the stranger asked politely.
"She's stunning, isn't she?" the bartender responded referring to the woman across the room.
"Oddly enough, stunning was the word that had just crossed my mind. Does she come here often?" the stranger asked. As he waited for an answer, the stranger's brain screamed out, You don't want to know!
"Often enough….." the bartended replied trailing off.
The stranger took a sip of his drink letting the liquid burn a path down his throat, a welcome distraction. He looked pointedly at the bartender willing him to continue.
"She is here once or twice a week, sometimes with a friend, sometimes alone. She usually orders wine, Dry Riesling I believe, then proceeds to blend in with the rest of the crowd. As much as she can blend in I suppose."
The bartender stopped suddenly as if this were all he knew however, the look on his face spoke volumes to the stranger. The bartender cast a glance at the stranger and slowly began to continue.
"From what I can gather, someone has done a number on her. Just watching how she interacts with other people makes you wonder I guess. Most nights she doesn't seem to mind too much about all the poor saps that don't have a chance coming up to her and giving it their all. She's friendly, here to listen to the music mostly, loves A14. Then again there are the other nights."
"What do you mean, 'other nights'?" the stranger asked, suddenly intrigued.
"Here are some quarters, why don't you go find out." the bartender offered with a wry smile.