Sometimes I feel like the night is a completely different place from the day. The city in the dark is incomparable to it. The closed windows and doors, the smell of wet walls and leaves, and of course : the silence.
But tonight is a bit louder than usual. Normally it is only the band,bartender and I left at the bar, the bar owner won't grace is with his presence and all customers are either home or drunk sleeping outside. Tonight, one customer is still left sitting up right at the bar.
The band behind me still plays quietly to the dim red lights at the bar, but I finished singing a while ago.
The customer is not a familiar one, not a regular, or even from around… a traveler? Interesting. Not particularly tall or muscular but his scruff and leather coat, and his attitude most of all ,nothing more masculine than a man who's mysteriously quiet. He sure showed a few boys how to lose their money at cards to a stranger, had his fill of drinks for that but instead of leaving fulfilled he lingered this long. The bartender took a liking to him, I walk in to interrupt their conversation.
"Say, you're the last one here aside from the workers. We're going to set up soon, Do you want another drink for now? This one's on the house."
The bartender's allowed to give free drinks to some favorites, it's not often he finds someone he likes long enough to consider it though.
"Ooh la la , giving free drinks? Can I have one too?"
" Crystel… you can have one too, the usual? Stir it with a limestick? Let's all have a drink to close the night." The bartender answers me as he polishes three glasses quickly and starts preparing my drink.
"She likes a combination of Jin and whiskey with tonic water and lime. I like what's called 'golden eye' with extra bourbon. Care to share with us what you'd like?"
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
And the in a mature deep voice the traveler replied to the bartender "I once drank a drink called 'the fool'... I would like to drink it again tonight."
I'm not a connoisseur of drinks but the bartender has a befuddled look too.
"Um I don't think I've heard of that one… where did you have it?"
" South of here, there's a country south of here full of sand and outlaws."
" Did it have tequila?"
"I don't remember." The traveler said in a voice of certainty
" Did it… use tonic or-“
" Don't remember" he says again with a stare into the bartender's eyes.
"I understand." WHAT? Understand what?
"I don't understand, mind explaining, traveler?" I ask him, I can't stand not knowing what he meant.
" You can make it with tequila, or congac, or even ouzo, there's only one rule to making 'the fool' drink. Make it strong enough not to remember." He says, a sad expression on his face and his eyes… I thought they're empty for a moment but I get it now, it's not that they're empty, they're just peering into something that isn't here, something in his mind.
The bartender takes a bottle from the shelf, that's the strongest spirit we got. What's he thinking?! He turns around and pours it into a glass just like mine.
"The boss will be angry if he finds out." I tell him but he completely ignores me and keeps pouring it all the way to the top, a glass full to the brim with the strongest and nastiest beverage we've got.
The traveler Lowers his head and sips… no, not a sip, he swallowed half the contents. He lets out a voice like he's choking, or like he's burning from the inside, no wonder if he actually feels l like that.
"Ahhhh uuhhh…khhhhh… it's the same I had before, yeah… just like that. " he says with his eyes still looking hollow, but then a tear rolls down his cheek as he hides his face in his glass. "Just a little too weak."