Page 7 - The Houseguest

suddenly a loud argument erupted between two young men seated at a small cocktail table behind the woman. Every customer immediately threw a fearful glance in the direction of the commotion, where my eyes had already been fixated. The woman acting quickly, grabbed her notebook and her purse to seek safety on the other side of the bar, and fortunately for me, near our table. I cannot ever recall feeling lucky before that day. I’d never won a lottery ticket, my number was never chosen for a raffle and it never rained when I happened to have my umbrella handy. But lady luck had made all that up to me in a ten- second moment.
I had never fallen in love. Oh, I had dated in Oak Bluffs, but with law school and then running the practice, I’d never really sought more than a pretty face to accompany me to an occasional banquet, or to fill some random lonely nights. I never believed there existed a connection between two people strong enough to make them want to stay together forever -- “want” being the operative word.
“Rough day, I know,” Tom said after he watched me tilt my head back and pour my drink down my throat. “Huh? Oh yeah. Where is that waitress anyway?” I asked, as part of my ruse to have a reason to walk to the bar. Adding, as I stood, “Get you anything, Tom?” Confused, he glanced down at his untouched whiskey, “Uh, no thanks.” Approaching the bar, suddenly my mind was as empty as my glass. Standing near her, I motioned for the bartender who was busy serving other patrons. Another stroke of luck. I would simply have to wait my turn.
Turning my head to the left, I noticed she had her head down, her hair blocking her face as she wrote in her notebook. Though I was never the
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The Houseguest by Linda Ellis www.LindaEllis.life