bar games

go to mccoy's afterwards - the place where lucero went after their show last nite. some bands are playing outside - stellastarr and somebody else more famous that i can't remember. don't care about the music though. burned out, still feeling sick. exhausted. decide to stay in and sit at the bar. probably have a drink. relax. become entranced by whatever sporting event is on tv...

the bartender (female) comes by. places a coaster and napkin in front of me...

what can i get for you? (with a stuffy nose) do you have dr. pepper? yes? yes we do. could i get a dr. pepper and jagermeister please? oh, sure. she turns and starts making my drink. i begin fidgiting absent-mindedly with my coaster. staring at the tv above. hey, were you in here last nite? nope (first time ever). somebody ordered the same thing last nite and it's not exactly a popular drink, you know? (smiling a little) yeah, i know.

she walks back with my beverage in hand. here you go... she slowly lowers the drink to rest it on my coaster. (oh, let me get that out of the way for you) i slide the coaster from beneath her hovering hand and beverage. puzzled - she lifts the drink up. looks at me confused. smiles. then tries again. lowers the drink...

i slide the coaster out of the way again...

she stares back at me. shrugs. moves the drink back and forth in the air trying to catch where i might finally rest the coaster. smiling at me like we're playing a game - a game i'm unwittingly participating in and one she probably doesn't really have time for. then it dawns on me...

oh, shit! i'm sorry. i don't know what the hell i'm doing? i release the coaster altogether allowing her to finally put the drink down. sorry, about that. (politely) that's alright. i'm alex, by the way...