49

Jackie was too early. There was a TV over the bar. And there was nothing to do this early, except drink and watch the TV. He sat and waited and then he noticed a sailor with a shorn head, carrying a case of beer, heading into a little back room.

"Excuse me, sir," Jackie said.

"Yeah?" asked the sailor.

"Where are you going with that beer? I was just wondering." As a matter of fact, Jackie couldn't quite put his finger on the source of his impulse to chat with strangers. On TV was an episode of Wizard Star, which he hated, and he felt the strong desire to see anything instead. A documentary on cherry farms -- anything. He looked around, suddenly catching a cringe wave, when he stereotyped everyone else in the room as a drunk or a bum.

Subtly denigrating, stereotyping, making mental leaps. Awful, that's awful, thought Jackie.

To his left was a white haired old man, the kind who was a regular in a bar. To his right, a younger guy bordering on suave but also a little fumbling and bent.

I know, I'm going to get shown up for my rude ways, he thought. This always happens. I've got to knock it off. I'm so two-faced with all of these quick judgments and assumptions. Jeez!

"I'm going to a party," Edward said. "There's plenty more cases just like this. Wanna go?"

"What time is it right now?" asked Jackie. He liked his beer, but then he was very intrigued with H. - that mononym girl - and didn't want to get so sidetracked that he missed her, not after he came out all this way.

"Eight."

"In that case, yeah!" he said. He hopped over a low railing and followed Edward into a sort of picnic pit, attached to the club but strangely apart.

"Wow, this is a nice little patio," Jackie said.

"You just have to promise me," Edward said. "If you drink one of these you have to take one along with you to give to someone else."

"Why? I mean, is it some kind of promotion?"

"You could say that. Just make sure you drink the beer!" Jackie looked up and saw five other sailors all carrying their own case of beer.

"Yes sir!" he said happily, and clinked bottles with Edward.