Alex left shortly after that without another word and he stayed in my thoughts until I went into work again later that day. He was opening up to me and for that I was thankful. Maybe I could do something to help him heal his heart.
When I walked into the bar later that day, Frankie smiled at me as I hit the jukebox and once again started the music.
“Did you get Jack Daniels into a cab all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, no prob,” I answered, smiling at the thought of dragging him into a cab with me the previous night.
“Someone has a secret admirer she’s not telling me about,” Frankie said, nodding toward the door as it opened to reveal a delivery boy carrying a dozen of the most beautiful white roses.
“How do you know they are for me? Maybe Maggie wants you to know she loves you,” I answered, smiling at my friend.
“Nope. Maggie knows I like red roses,” he teased as the delivery boy approached us.
“I’m looking for a Greer Stone,” he asked, looking from me to Frankie.
“I’m Greer,” I answered.
He offered my first the clipboard to sign then the roses. I watched him leave then placed the vase on the bar top and looked for a card. The little white envelope caught my eye and I pulled it free.
They were the only words written in the card. No name or anything else was on it.
“Thank you?” Frankie echoed. “What’s that about?”
“I have no clue,” I answered, staring at the roses.
“You think they could be from Jack Daniels?”
“No,” I answered softly. “He’s looking to drown his broken heart, not risk it again. I don’t know who though.”
I placed the roses at the back of the bar by the mirror and smiled every time I saw them for the remained of the night. I honestly didn’t think they were from Alex, but I still couldn’t imagine who they were from. I couldn’t believe one of my other customers would send, they weren’t a roses kind of crowd. But if not one of them then who?
When Alex walked into the bar that night his eyes immediately found me. His only greeting, a slight nod before he found his place at the bar and ordered his bottle of Jack Daniels.
I watched him throughout the night, but his drinking wasn’t as heavy as it usually was. When one of my customers pointed out I was watching him I smiled.
“Bernie, you know you’re the only one I love,” I said, kissing the older man’s cheek.
“I didn’t say you loved him, dear,” Bernie pointed out with a sly grin.
I shook my head at him with a smile and head back to the bar to get a new round of drinks. I found myself leaning over right next to Alex.
“Hi,” I whispered, pretending that I wasn’t really talking to him.
He didn’t answer though. He didn’t even look up or even move to indicate he had heard me. I watched him from the corner of my eye but it seemed as if the only thing he carried about was the glass of JD in front of him.
I nodded as if understanding his silence and moved away with my drinks.
At two o’clock, I watched him stand, toss down some money to cover his tab and head for the door. I waited a part of me hoping he would be able to walk out and a part of me hoping he wouldn’t so I could talk to him again. He stopped at the door and turned to look at me.
He stared at me for the longest time before he nodded his head slightly and opened the door. I watched him through the window but he didn’t go anywhere. He simply stopped and leaned against the building outside. He never moved, never looked up. He just stood there.
I didn’t say anything to Frankie as I bid him goodnight but when he walked out Alex was gone. I shrugged it off and went through the clean up and restocking. At three o’clock, I picked up my roses and headed for the door.
I had just locked it and turned around when Alex stepped out. I screamed and dropped my roses, shattering the vase.
“What in the hell are you doing?” I screamed at him as I knelt down. “My beautiful roses,” I whispered, staring at them sadly. The roses themselves seemed all right but the vase was gone. Gently, I began to pick them up. I had a vase at home I could put them in.
“I’m sorry. I’ll buy you some more,” Alex said.
“You can’t. They were from someone important, a thank you. You can’t replace that,” I answered softly. I wasn’t angry, just sad that the gift had been damaged.
“I can if I sent them,” he said. I looked up at him in surprise.
“You sent them? But why?” I asked.
“To say thank you for giving me a place to stay the last few nights. I didn’t want to go home and I guess that’s why I got drunk enough to pass out. Maybe I thought if I was too drunk to walk I wouldn’t have to go back to that empty house,” he explained.
I stood, holding the roses in my bare hands and smiled gently at him.
“Thank you then. They’re beautiful,” I said.
“I thought maybe I could walk you home. I noticed when I left this morning you don’t live to far from here. I guess the cab was for my benefit,” he said, his shoulders hunched and his head down as if ashamed.
“Well it is a little hard to drag a passed out man home,” I teased. “But I would like it very much if you walked me home. Not exactly the safest neighborhood.”
He nodded and we began to walk towards my apartment. For the first few minutes neither one of us spoke. Then finally Alex broke the silence.
“Silence, it’s an awful sound,” he said, quietly.
“Why do you say that?” I asked, looking at him as we walked.
“Silence let’s in all the thoughts, all the emotions you try so hard to keep at bay. That’s what I like about the bar. The noise, the people, they block it all out and they never ask anything of you."
“Except me,” I teased.
“Except you. Only you’re different. You don’t demand I be a part of it all. You offer me the chance and if I decline you simply walk away.”
“Where are your friends, Alex? Where are all the people who love you?” I asked, touching his face.
“I’ve shut them out of my life for the most part. They remind me so much of her. I can’t even bear to see her kids and they are so beautiful. It just hurts so much.”
“Don’t you think they miss you though?” I asked, stopping outside of my door.
“They are better off without my pain.”
I nodded and looked toward my door then back at him.
“All you have is an empty house to go to,” I stated more than asked. He nodded, looking away sadly. “I have a sofa you can use if you don’t want to go home,” I offered.
He looked at me and for the first time I saw the touch of a smile on his lips. “Thank you.”
Links to other sites on the Web
Chapter 6
Back to Fan Fiction Index
Get your own Free Home Page