"How do you know?"
"Because I've been doing this for thirty years. Because I've seen every kind of customer there is. Because I've learned to trust my gut."
He tapped his chest.
"You have a gut too. You just have to learn to listen to it."
"What if my gut is wrong?"
"Then you learn. You adjust. You get better."
"That's what you keep saying."
"Because it's true."
The memory came without warning.
I was standing behind a different bar. Different city. Different light. The bottles were arranged differently, but my hands knew where to reach, my fingers knew which glasses to grab, my body knew the rhythm of service.
"Hey, Lilah. Another round when you get a chance."
A voice I didn't recognize.
A face I couldn't see.
"Coming right up."
My voice, but younger. Softer. Still capable of smiling without thinking about it.
"You're a lifesaver."
"That's what they pay me for."
I blinked.
The bar came back.
The bottles were in different places. The light was different. The voice was gone, and the face was gone, and I couldn't remember if any of it had been real.
"Bunny?"
Matt's voice, careful.
"You okay?"
"I remembered something. Working at a bar. Before..."
"Before what?"
"Before I forgot."
"Is that a real memory?"
"I don't know."
"Does it feel real?"
"It feels like something. But I don't know if it's real or if I made it up."
