took his hand away. “Don’t mean to be an asshole or anything, but I don’t know you, which means I don’t know where you live so I can collect if you stiff me.”
Morgan held up his hand. “No problem, I understand. Don’t blame you one bit.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten, then handed it to the man.
“You wouldn’t believe the shit I’ve had to put up with in this place at one time or another. Like college kids ducking out without paying for their drinks.”
“Can’t believe people do that,” Morgan said, shaking his head.
“If you have a credit card I can run a tab.”
“I’ll pay as I go.”
“You got it.”
“Keep the change.”
“Thanks.”
A man at the other end of the bar was waving his hand and calling out the name Billy. “Drunken asshole,” the bartender said. “Nice talking to you. Enjoy the beer.”
“Guess you’re the most important guy in here.”
“Yeah, someone’s always the most important somewhere, I guess.” He laughed and walked away.
Chapter 13
Karen pulled around to the back of O’Hulahans. She turned off the ignition but remained in the car. The bar would be much smaller than the cavernous rest stop. Fewer people, but they’d be crammed in a smaller space. She worried she’d get the same results.
Karen thought about turning around. A blanket of cold realization fell over her. Needing to stay positive, she stomped the floor. “You’re not going down that road again. Not now,” she told herself. “Toughen up, girl. You need to stay strong, and there will be no crying.” She felt the heat of triumph grow within her.
After removing the car key, she exited the vehicle. Like an angel on her shoulder, her rational side-kicked in. Was it wise to spend money on more food and alcohol when she had so little cash? In reality, she hadn’t thought much about the future, let alone the next day. She didn’t want to, and emotionally she couldn’t. Not without breaking down. The future seemed so bleak and frightening. No, tonight she would try to get by, maybe even enjoy herself; alone in a bar with people she didn’t know. She would eat and drink and worry about tomorrow after sunrise. Because she needed this, a piece of something normal after everything she’d gone through. Straightening her blouse, she took a couple of deep breaths and walked to the front of the bar.
At the entrance, she paused, a hand wrapped around the door’s handle. “You can do this,” she told herself and opened the door.
Voices filled the air with a lively static. Unsteady, she placed a palm on the wall, panic beginning to take hold. She reminded herself that she needed to go through with this; try to control her gift, and that she was safe here. To the left was the entranceway to the restaurant. It was closed. To the right was the bar where the voices poured from. She stepped forward, stopping just inside the threshold to the bar.
People laughed, chatted, played darts and pool. She stepped into the room, wincing. A few people turned to look at her before returning to their conversations. Another step and she was beginning to relax. She didn’t want to appear awkward, draw attention to herself, but she would turn and run the second she heard the buzzing. Thinking about it, she realized that the voices she was hearing were from people’s mouths, not their minds. And she heard no buzzing. She didn’t understand why she wasn’t getting bombarded with thoughts, but was grateful. Maybe the gift wasn’t working at the moment, still settling itself into her. Or maybe there just weren’t enough people. She took a deep breath and marched forward, looking straight ahead, to an empty seat at the bar.
She bit her lower lip, her heart pumping rapidly, expecting at any moment to have to run outside when the voices came, but all she heard was the familiar sound of bar chatter.
“What can I get you, Miss?” the bartender asked. Karen did a double-take
Morgan held up his hand. “No problem, I understand. Don’t blame you one bit.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten, then handed it to the man.
“You wouldn’t believe the shit I’ve had to put up with in this place at one time or another. Like college kids ducking out without paying for their drinks.”
“Can’t believe people do that,” Morgan said, shaking his head.
“If you have a credit card I can run a tab.”
“I’ll pay as I go.”
“You got it.”
“Keep the change.”
“Thanks.”
A man at the other end of the bar was waving his hand and calling out the name Billy. “Drunken asshole,” the bartender said. “Nice talking to you. Enjoy the beer.”
“Guess you’re the most important guy in here.”
“Yeah, someone’s always the most important somewhere, I guess.” He laughed and walked away.
Chapter 13
Karen pulled around to the back of O’Hulahans. She turned off the ignition but remained in the car. The bar would be much smaller than the cavernous rest stop. Fewer people, but they’d be crammed in a smaller space. She worried she’d get the same results.
Karen thought about turning around. A blanket of cold realization fell over her. Needing to stay positive, she stomped the floor. “You’re not going down that road again. Not now,” she told herself. “Toughen up, girl. You need to stay strong, and there will be no crying.” She felt the heat of triumph grow within her.
After removing the car key, she exited the vehicle. Like an angel on her shoulder, her rational side-kicked in. Was it wise to spend money on more food and alcohol when she had so little cash? In reality, she hadn’t thought much about the future, let alone the next day. She didn’t want to, and emotionally she couldn’t. Not without breaking down. The future seemed so bleak and frightening. No, tonight she would try to get by, maybe even enjoy herself; alone in a bar with people she didn’t know. She would eat and drink and worry about tomorrow after sunrise. Because she needed this, a piece of something normal after everything she’d gone through. Straightening her blouse, she took a couple of deep breaths and walked to the front of the bar.
At the entrance, she paused, a hand wrapped around the door’s handle. “You can do this,” she told herself and opened the door.
Voices filled the air with a lively static. Unsteady, she placed a palm on the wall, panic beginning to take hold. She reminded herself that she needed to go through with this; try to control her gift, and that she was safe here. To the left was the entranceway to the restaurant. It was closed. To the right was the bar where the voices poured from. She stepped forward, stopping just inside the threshold to the bar.
People laughed, chatted, played darts and pool. She stepped into the room, wincing. A few people turned to look at her before returning to their conversations. Another step and she was beginning to relax. She didn’t want to appear awkward, draw attention to herself, but she would turn and run the second she heard the buzzing. Thinking about it, she realized that the voices she was hearing were from people’s mouths, not their minds. And she heard no buzzing. She didn’t understand why she wasn’t getting bombarded with thoughts, but was grateful. Maybe the gift wasn’t working at the moment, still settling itself into her. Or maybe there just weren’t enough people. She took a deep breath and marched forward, looking straight ahead, to an empty seat at the bar.
She bit her lower lip, her heart pumping rapidly, expecting at any moment to have to run outside when the voices came, but all she heard was the familiar sound of bar chatter.
“What can I get you, Miss?” the bartender asked. Karen did a double-take
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