It was early when she walked in the bar. About a half dozen guys on their way home from work were sitting at a table next to the darts. A regular was sitting at the near end of the bar playing video poker. His straw-hat pushed way back on his head showed the white forehead and deep red nose and cheeks of a man who worked outdoors over at the stockyards. His legs were wrapped around the stool showing the worn soles of his dusty western boots.
She had been instructed to sit at the bar, but she hesitated. All the men turned to look at her. The group hardly paused in their bullshit session, but their attention briefly turned to her. The guy at the bar only glanced over his shoulder, but the heavy bartender didn't take his eyes off her.
Wanting to turn around and leave, she moved haltingly toward the far end of the bar, started to drop into the booth in the back, but forced herself to take the last bar stool. It was as far from the men as she could get and still do as she had been told.
She lit a cigarette. Still wearing her sunglasses, she looked over the frames to see the bar keep walking toward her. He was sizing her up, but no more than he would for any other new patron—he didn't get that many.
She seemed out of place in this corner bar located between Houston's Ship Channel and a large blue-collar neighborhood. She was dressed nicer than most of the women that came there. Any woman arriving alone was fairly unusual, but that only meant she had come to meet someone.
The bartender wondered who she was there to meet. He knew his clientele, and could predict the arrival and preferences of most. Since he had never seen her before he figured she was waiting for one of his regulars and was curious to know who was scoring uptown.
When he got up close he saw her wedding band and a big diamond on her left hand. He guessed her age at about 45. He had noticed her nice shape when she came in silhouetted against the setting sun, but at that time he thought she was much younger. The truth was that spending enough money and time to keep in shape made her look younger than her age.
Before he could ask, she ordered a glass of chardonnay, and settled for the house white wine poured from a plastic spigot in a box. She didn't care. She lit a second cigarette before the first was finished, and took some big gulps of the wine. A deep breath and she was able to look around the room. She had imagined all their eyes following her, but when she looked at the men she saw none of them looking her way. She could relax a little, but was also slightly disappointed.
She looked the six guys over carefully. Average guys that one by one drifted away to their homes. The bar fly sipped his beer, played the video poker, and seemed to be in his own world. The barkeeper stayed busy wiping things.
Another glass of wine, the door opened. Two young guys came in. They looked like construction workers with very long hair and beards. A single guy in his 40s with a potbelly was followed by two young men wearing neckties. Then two young women walked in followed by their dates. No one sat at the bar. No one looked at her. She ordered another glass of wine, and took her last cigarette out.
She had done what she was told, but no one had paid any attention to her. When the wine came, she put her purse on the bar and fumbled for some cash. The bar tender asked if that was going to be it for the night. She said "yes," and put some cash on the bar, when he asked, "Were you supposed to meet someone here?"
She looked at his eyes and said that she was but he didn't show. "Can't imagine who would stand you up...who was he anyway?" She almost choked on her words as she said, "I don't know."
That stopped him.
She really wanted to leave quietly, but she heard herself say, "Maybe you can help me." He raised his thick eyebrows without speaking and looked intently at her.
She started to talk, got her words tangled, then started over saying, "Look, I was supposed to come here and let a guy pick me up."
"Pick you up? What is this? You're married, aren't you?"
"Oh, shit! I should just leave."
"Wait," he said. "I want to hear this, but I gotta take care of these guys." He scooted away toward the cash register. Took their cash, rang up the sale, and returned before she could put away her purse. With both elbows on the bar, he leaned toward her, and almost whispering asked, "What's going on with you, and how could I help?"
"It is like a game," she said. "I'm supposed to come here and make eye contact with a guy, flirt with him, and get him to take me home, but no one paid any attention to me. I'm kind of relieved, but I'm also embarrassed."
"Let me get this straight. Your husband wanted you to come here and pick up a stranger and take him home?"
"Yes...kind of. Well, no. Not my husband. My boyfriend." The bartender stood up straight and looked at the ceiling. "So", he said slowly, "what do you want from me?"
"Get one of these guys come talk to me." The bartender looked at her, then over his shoulder, then back at her. "Well, if it ain't gonna be me, I know someone you might like."
She took a deep breath. She was so far removed from her comfortable reality. Here she was far from her big house in a working class bar, about to be offered to a stranger by another stranger.
The bartender went to the other end of the bar and through a door that had a small diamond-shaped mirrored window. In a few minutes he came back out and motioned for her to come around the bar. She stood. Her legs felt a little weak. Too much wine mixed with fear.
She walked around the bar and through the door held open by the barkeeper. Inside was a small brightly lit office. It was not a mess, but definitely a working space with lots of paper stacked on the desk and tables. There was a small vinyl couch and a couple of chairs from the bar. She heard the door close. Behind the desk was a man in his late 30s.
He stood up. Wearing an unstructured gray sport jacket over a black tee shirt, and triple pleated slacks, she could see that he was in very good shape. His muscles were very big—obviously a weight lifter, but not so extreme that he could have been a competitive body builder.
"I don't want to offend you, but I need to make it clear that we don't allow hookers in our establishment—or cops looking for Johns either. Is that what you are doing?"