NaNoWriMo – Day 16 (11/16/2005)
Barney
“Who’s he?” I ask Earl.
“Dunno. Some guy named Simon. He came in with Danny this morning after his shift … quit his job this morning, apparently.”
“Quit his job and he needs to go for a drink by noon? Doesn’t seem right.”
“He said somethin about ‘they were gonna fire me, so I quit instead,’ or somethin like that.”
They’re looking over at us as we chat by the bar and it occurs to me that I haven’t acknowledged the man’s offer yet. I give an upward nod of my head at them and say, “Thanks gents. I’ll be right over, just as soon as I sort this feller out and set him about his business.
“Still on it, are ya?” Earl asks me, smiling wide.
“I just want some decent service,” I tell him, doing my best to keep a razor straight face, but the corners of my mouth turn up slightly in a smile, giving me away. I never was a very good liar. Good enough to get away with stuff, I suppose, but not good enough to really pull the wool over someone’s eyes. “Now get going on those drinks, will you?”
He smiles even wider and gives me a pat on the shoulder. He’s a good man, that Earl. I don’t know where he’d be if I didn’t come in here everyday and keep him in business. Then again, I don’t know where I’d be if I had to go somewhere else to get my daily dose. He heads around the bar to get fixing the drinks and I walk over to where the two other men are sitting, in a booth on the opposite side of the bar.
“Mornin’ Gentlemen,” I say as I come beside the table.
“Hey Barnes,”
Standing, the new guy reaches out his hand to me. “Good to meet you, I’m Simon.”
I reach out and grasp his hand and give it two quick pumps. “Barney,” I say. “But people round here call me either ‘Barnes’ or ‘Fuckface.’”
“Fuckface it is, then!” pipes up Danny.
Simon smiles and I roll my eyes as I sit down.
“So, Simon … Earl tells me you quit your job today?”
Today’s word count: 368
Cumulative word count: 23,287
“Who’s he?” I ask Earl.
“Dunno. Some guy named Simon. He came in with Danny this morning after his shift … quit his job this morning, apparently.”
“Quit his job and he needs to go for a drink by noon? Doesn’t seem right.”
“He said somethin about ‘they were gonna fire me, so I quit instead,’ or somethin like that.”
They’re looking over at us as we chat by the bar and it occurs to me that I haven’t acknowledged the man’s offer yet. I give an upward nod of my head at them and say, “Thanks gents. I’ll be right over, just as soon as I sort this feller out and set him about his business.
“Still on it, are ya?” Earl asks me, smiling wide.
“I just want some decent service,” I tell him, doing my best to keep a razor straight face, but the corners of my mouth turn up slightly in a smile, giving me away. I never was a very good liar. Good enough to get away with stuff, I suppose, but not good enough to really pull the wool over someone’s eyes. “Now get going on those drinks, will you?”
He smiles even wider and gives me a pat on the shoulder. He’s a good man, that Earl. I don’t know where he’d be if I didn’t come in here everyday and keep him in business. Then again, I don’t know where I’d be if I had to go somewhere else to get my daily dose. He heads around the bar to get fixing the drinks and I walk over to where the two other men are sitting, in a booth on the opposite side of the bar.
“Mornin’ Gentlemen,” I say as I come beside the table.
“Hey Barnes,”
Standing, the new guy reaches out his hand to me. “Good to meet you, I’m Simon.”
I reach out and grasp his hand and give it two quick pumps. “Barney,” I say. “But people round here call me either ‘Barnes’ or ‘Fuckface.’”
“Fuckface it is, then!” pipes up Danny.
Simon smiles and I roll my eyes as I sit down.
“So, Simon … Earl tells me you quit your job today?”
Today’s word count: 368
Cumulative word count: 23,287
posted by Paul Keetch at 9:51 PM
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