Tiki Bar

I have been reading much more fiction lately so here is a try at fiction. I write these while stuck on conference or Zoom calls.

_______________________________________________________________________

The local tiki bar opens at 3pm on Fridays to cater to an early crowd of suburban boomers and retirees. What had begun as small space set in a former paint store (splatters on the brick walls testament to this) had now become a beyond hip place that you need to take your grandma to and also first dates. The owner, trying to capitalize on the popularity, briefly indulged his original dream of an Italian restaurant and ordered his cook to prepare little bowls of meatballs. When fans pointed out the disconnect he made on glaze pork balls with minced garlic in a pineapple teriyaki glaze. But, that flopped so it returned to bar snacks and drinks. 

Jonas was the youngest person there at 3:15pm and felt impressive when he ordered something not on the menu. "The original daiquiri please. With the Appleton, please," and the bartender smiled and a couple two stools down shrugged and nodded before glancing back to their menus. This was as far as his expertise went on rum. And he had heard it from another customer. Its a trick he learned years ago, in the weird unfulfilled times after college and he overheard someone order a "Bud Light and Crown Royal shot."

"In order to be an expert all you need to know is more than the person you are talking to." That is what he learned from a coding guy in the basement of their shared office building.

"Is that how you solve all the tech stuff?"

To which the tech replied, Jonas never learned his name, "Well, I don't do that kind of stuff. But yeah."

His drink arrived in a fluted glass with slivers of lime pulp still floating on the top. The bartender has spiral cut a bit of lime rind and hung it off the rim. He sips on it and then pretends to be very busy on his phone. He checks the time and it is 3:27pm. He has already peaked in this indulgence with the off menu drink. Now it is just a matter of time to get until 4pm when he has to leave and be back in the office. 

The door opened to the patio outside and someone else from the office entered. This drained the already ebbing confidence from his body until it sunk into the  floorboards. 

It was Maria a sales person in line to be lead once Robert retired. She put away her phone into a baggy corduroy purse and then noticed him. They worked across offices but it wasn't a big company and nether a big space. 

"Hi. Tina tells me that you take your lunch late and now it makes sense." She didn't ask and took the seat next to him. "What is that?" she asked pointing at his drink.

"Oh, its a Daiquiri."

"Like at Senor Frogs?"

This is where having no confidence helped as he had no snobbery, "No, ha! Good one. No, its lime and sugar and rum. White rum. All in the right proportions and shaken with tons of ice."

"Its not on the menu," she said thumbing a copy of the dog eared bar guide.

"No, but they can make it. Just ask."

"Obviously. Is it good?"
And he slide the drink over and said, "Sure. want to try"

And, was that appropriate. Would she think he was weird. Trying to poison her? Drug her? What about germs? 

She did, take a tiny swig. Tipping her head forward to the bar from the far end where condensation was still unbroken. 

"Oh, that's good. I will have one also."

Jonas had a penchant for falling in love with any person who paid any attention. He was not attracted to men but they were someone he wanted to be best buddies with. He heard other men his age had the same problem but it felt, at 32 and alone, this was isolated to just him. But, he was now in love with Maria and imagining a wholesome life together AND a primal fantasy. All because of this drink. That was it.