Member-only story
On Fridays, at Murphy’s splendid bar, he held court. They came to listen, to talk, to argue. She, older, returning to school some time after life had gotten in the way, joins the gathering and opens up a new, interesting subject of conversation. Will she fall flat or, will she open the door for more visits?
Written by Rebecca Milton
Published by AmorBooks
She stepped forward, she put a pint of hard cider with a shot of good whiskey in it, in front of him. He looked up at her, taking her in, a new comer, a fresh face and yet, not so fresh. She wasn’t like the rest of the students. The ones with the pleading eyes, the wanting to impress voices. She was older, she had the grace of experience and the ease of a few years under her belt.
He looked at her for a while before he looked at the proffered drink. She didn’t wither, blink or blush under his gaze. She smiled, stood her ground without defiance, because she had no need to offer defiance, she knew better. She had learned this already. The rest, the younger ones, they still needed to learn this. They needed to learn that being defiant was a waste of energy and didn’t impress. Also, they needed to learn that there was no real need to impress. Not here. Not with him. That was something they had imposed, assumed. He didn’t correct them, just allowed them to think what they needed to.
