“It’s fine. After–,” he waved his hand toward the door, "you might need something to wash away the taste of being in their company.”
“Um, thanks,” picking up the beer but not drinking from it yet. It was just nice to hold something.
“What’s your name? I’ve never seen you before,” Marty questioned. “But the more important question I guess I have is,” waving his hand again but this time at Jim and David, “how do you know this lot?”
“I just moved here from West Virginia with my dad and started down at the mine. Jim is training me,” looking at him for the first time since the beers were plopped on the bar. He still didn’t look thrilled, and David looked like his lights hadn't come back on yet. I took a slug of my beer to distract myself from Jim’s stare and immediately gagged and coughed.
“My god, this shit is awful! Does all beer taste like this?” still sputtering my tongue like it’s trying to air itself out.
“You just drank our city’s history. Welcome to Pittsburgh,” Marty said, with a smirk, like he knew he was setting me up.
I liked him already.
seven
Lost But Not Found
Jim
How the fuck did this kid get so drunk?
I swear I turned my back to pee for no more than ninety seconds, I may not have washed my hands, and when I came back, he was a goner. I only saw him drink two beers in the last hour. With Charlie wasted and David concussed, the two of them were being a handful together.
We have got to go before Marty gets pissed.
I walked over to the bar and looked at the clock that’s sitting on top and saw that it was fifteen till nine. David and I had been here since 5:00pm, having walked here straight from shift. We still haven’t eaten yet.
Shit! Maybe that’s why Charlie was in the state he’sin.
“Time to go Tweedledee and Tweedledum,” sneaking a peek at Marty to see if he’d caught these two acting the fool, but he was helping Will and John.
“Oh, come on Jim. Don’t be a party pooper,” looking at me with his hazel eyes, noticing the one pupil on the side he got punched is larger than the other, barely showing any color.
“Pal, mate, chum– you look like shit. You have a massive bruise on the side of your head, your eyes are doing something really weird that’s freaking me out, and Charlie seems like he should have been cut off the second he walked in the door. So, I think it’s time to go.”
“I’s reelly sorry again. It’s… my fault yous gots hit,” Charlie slurred.
“Buddy,” then he paused to burp, “don’t worry about it,” David said, turning back to me. “Can we at least finish this round we got?”
“No! Charlie can barely talk as is. He has to be able to walk home, you goof. Let’s go,” but they both just stared at me. “Now!”
I threw a few bills on the bar to pay up and extra for a tip while they both got up without more of a fight, with Charlie tripping over his own feet and almost falling on his face, but I caught him under his arm in time. I straightened him up and guided him towards the door. David was walking okay but I have a feeling he’s not going to be feeling so great tomorrow when the alcohol wore off and the punch set in. Charlie probably won’t be much better. He’s walking crooked and continuing to trip over his own feet.
Great.
Getting outside and walking down Bigham Street away from the tavern, we turned right onto Virginia Avenue, helping Charlie along the way since he was having issues walking on the cobblestone street.
How did I end up in this situation?
Then the hair on the back of my neck stood on end giving me this feeling like we had eyes on us. I look around at our quiet surroundings. I didn’t notice anyone. It’s technically still early for a Friday night so people were still at the bars trying to drink away their week before going home to their spouses.
David went to turn down Sulgrave Road, the upper section of the Village, when I stopped him, “Come stay at my place in the spare room for the night. Probably better not to scare your parents with what you look like this late.” That would be the last thing they needed right before they went to bed.
“Sure, okay.” Walking the rest of the block, then turned left down Olympia Road toward my place when I realized I had no idea where Charlie lives.
Shit.
“Hey buddy, where are we taking you? Are you and Mike in the Village?” I grabbed his shoulder again to steady him. He had been quiet this whole time with a harsh concentrated look on his face. Like he’s trying to process the world around him with new eyes and new information. He looked actually kind of cute in this state which was the last thing I needed to be thinking about.
