Bartender

He found her keys and placed them next to the cash register. She was kind of drunk, maybe too much he tried to decide as orders came screaming in. Which was very unusual for her. He had never seen her drink this much. He stole a glance at her and decided again that she was 'regal', she was a beauty. Her face appeared so soft it made you want to cup your hands around it. Even the manner in which she sat, tall and straight, was just wonderful to him.

It wasn't up to him to wonder why she was drinking more tonight. After all he was a Doctor of drink, but something deep inside seemed to warm up whenever she was near. He shook his head. His instincts had been wrong before. Way wrong.

And the hard work it would take to keep the filthy seekers of drunk women away from her was nothing to look forward to. But he was going to do it.

Why he did not know.

He looked at her again.

Her face still held onto the gorgeous features of her younger years. There were a couple of crows-feet edging the exterior sides of her light blue eyes. Her hair was almost platinum blond and shoulder length . When she smiled, which was often, her sensuous red lips curled up in a natural sexy pout revealing white perfect teeth and the whole ensemble invited a rich kiss.

She only came on Saturday nights, he had asked the regulars about her, because she was a single mom with two young kids at home. For some reason this intrigued him even more. While he watched, silly drunk people yelled and caroused and boasted. She sat on her stool smiling at her friends as she slowly nursed her glass of wine.

The bands would play and the fun continued. He looked forward to her arrivals. Saturday nights were not the same for him if she did not show. He chatted with her a few times during the few moments of quiet. He was almost to the point of asking her out which was shocking to him. He had been a bartender for many years and had made it a rule NOT to become involved with his customers. He would listen to their stories of love and hate and cars and jobs nodding his head and every once in a while, rarely, give out a little bit of advice. but he never never got close to them. He had learned his lesson long ago.

The band stopped playing between sets and he walked down the length of his side of the bar and stood in front of her almost protectively. She smiled and they chatted awhile amidst the noisy raucous talk in the large crowded bar. Then the band started again and he rushed to fill orders. As he worked his thoughts raced. Tonight he was going to break his own rule. He was a bartender, a college dropout and she was a single mother but the possibilities could be magic. Instead of worry he felt glad.

She sat at the bar in her pretty elegance. He washed a few shot glasses, sort of dancing to the music. She sipped her white wine and smiled at him.