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Sandy and Mr. Qi had what some might call a symbiotic relationship. She provided a safe front for his casino, and he brought in customers who might otherwise completely skip over the Oasis. Really, Sandy’s place was little more than a glorified truck stop surrounded by miles of scorching sand. But with Mr. Qi’s Casino in the back, it was a destination. It was the best kept secret of Calico Desert. It was something.
One particularly hot spring afternoon, Sandy had just finished restocking shelves when the happy little bell over the door chimed. Emily, her dear friend from the Valley, came waltzing in from the heat. A wilting bouquet of daffodils was clutched in her fist. She shoved it toward Sandy’s chest.
“For you!” Emily chirped. “They went a little blech on the bus.”
“Nothing a little water won’t fix,” Sandy replied. She ducked into the employee break room (which, as the sole employee, only she ever used), grabbed a glass, and filled it at the sink. She brought the whole thing back and set it next to her register. “There. Oh, I absolutely love getting flowers from the Valley! Thanks, Em. They really liven up the place.”
“Hey,” Emily whispered, suddenly leaning over the counter on her forearms. She jerked her head toward the back wall. “What’s his deal?”
Sandy glanced over her shoulder at the silent man in black who guarded the entrance to the casino. “Beats me,” she replied. “He’s been here about a week. Qi’s trying out this new exclusivity model. You need a card to get in now.”
Emily looked incensed. “He what? Won’t that cut down on your business?”
“I’ll be fine, hun,” Sandy said, batting at the air with her hand. “You worry about me too much. Qi gave cards to all of his regulars and high rollers, and there’s a whole referral system that I didn’t bother to listen to him explain.”
“Hmm…” Emily squinted at her friend, considering. “I guess you never know. Maybe exclusivity will be intriguing enough to bring in newbies. Just promise me you’ll tell me if things get bad. I’ll give that Mr. Qi a piece of my mind!”
Sandy grinned. As much as she would love to see Emily and Mr. Qi go toe-to-toe, she doubted Emily would get the chance. Qi had never once revealed himself—in all his blue-skinned glory—to any of the Valley’s residents.
Still, she said, “I promise, Em. Now, enough about all this bouncer nonsense. Tell me the latest saloon gossip!”
For the next hour, Emily told story after story: about Mayor Lewis’s not-so-secret relationship with the rancher Marnie; about the handsome, lonely town doctor; about her sister’s latest photography venture. The time flew by, and, all too soon, she had to head home for her evening shift.
Which left Sandy alone with a nameless man in black hovering over her shoulder. Even though he’d been there for a week, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. Usually when the shop was slow, she put on music and sang and danced around the aisles, checking inventory as she sashayed. But she couldn’t very well do that with someone like him around.
Could she?
Well, why not? It was her shop, after all. He was on her premises, technically, standing just on her side of the door to the casino.
Oh, Yoba bless it.
She flipped on the radio on the counter and cranked up the volume on her favorite station. She boogied to herself behind the register, humming along with an upbeat pop song. When the chorus hit, she sang a little louder. She spun out into the lobby of the Oasis and let herself be carried away by the melody. At the last second, she snatched up the notepad she kept nearby. Might as well look like she was getting some work done.
Sandy passed by the stoic bouncer several times as she grooved and jotted down notes about what needed reordering. She ignored him at first, but with every pass she grew more bold. She made… well, maybe not eye contact, since the man wore mirrored sunglasses that she couldn’t see though. But she looked at him, anyway. And winked.
She would have sworn she caught a hint of a smirk on his lips. The next time she passed him, he was tapping the toe of his shiny, patent-leather loafer to the beat.
~*~
One particularly hot summer afternoon, business at the Oasis was booming. Qi’s idea about exclusivity was a smash hit. His regulars talked it up, promising club cards to their friends and neighbors. And now that the old bus from the Valley was up and running again, it was even easier for people to get out to the Calico Desert.
Sandy was nearly out of bottled water, and her stock of energy drinks was also running low. Her notepad was filled with her reorder list, but she hadn’t had the time to call up her supplier in several days.
“Thank you so much,” she said to a middle-aged man as she handed over his receipt, potato chips, and bottled cold brew. He was the last in a long line of customers she’d just served. “Enjoy your stay in Calico!”
He grunted a wordless response and turned toward the rear door. The bouncer said nothing; he merely stood in the doorway and waited. The customer twisted the cap off his coffee and took a long sip. He seemed to be waiting for the bouncer to move.
“Card?” the bouncer finally said. He was a man of few words, Sandy had learned over the past several weeks. He only spoke when he absolutely needed to. When he did, he had a deep, slightly-accented baritone.
“My friend’s inside,” the customer replied haughtily. “He has our cards.”
“No card, no entrance.”
“I told you, I have a card. It’s inside.”
The bouncer was unmoved by the customer’s argument. Sandy could feel the tension rise. She hurriedly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. It would only make things worse to embarrass the customer with an audience. She reached for her phone and notepad. Might as well call her supplier while there was a lull.
The smashing of glass made Sandy jump. She let out a startled yelp. The tangy aroma of coffee filled the air, and Sandy looked over to see shattered glass and cold brew coffee all over her pristine tile floor.
The customer had barely begun to shout about “what the heck kind of establishment is this anyway” when the bouncer, well, bounced him. He grabbed him by the collar and hauled him out through the store’s front door. The lighthearted tinkling of the bell above the door was almost laughable in its sweetness. Heat blazed into the shop as the bouncer tossed the man out—gently enough to keep him on his feet, but firmly enough to give the gesture a sense of finality.
“Don’t come back,” the bouncer said.
The bell came to stillness as the door swung shut. Silence fell. Sandy watched through the glass as the man sulked away, his feet kicking up sand. She breathed a little easier to see him go without a fuss.
The bouncer was looking at her. She still couldn’t see his eyes through those sunglasses, but she could feel his gaze.
“You okay?” he asked.
Sandy felt a rush of gratitude at the question. It had been a while since anyone other than Emily had asked after her well-being. She put on her warmest smile. “Darling, I’ve been in this business a long time. It takes a lot more than that to spook me.”
Was that… was that a blush on the bouncer’s cheeks, just under the lower rim of his sunglasses? She was pretty sure it was. But why would he blush? At being called “darling?” Sandy gave everyone pet names. Besides, what else should she call him? He’d never offered his name.
That thought prompted her to ask, “What’s your name, by the way?”
Except she asked it at the very second the bouncer glanced at the coffee spill and asked, “You got a mop?”
He didn’t answer Sandy’s question. Either he was politely ignoring it, or he didn’t hear her over his own question. Well, if it was the former, Sandy wasn’t going to push it. If it was the latter, she could always ask again another time.
She waved a hand at him. “Oh, I’ll take care of it, hun. It’s my floor.”
“It was my customer,” he countered. “His business with you was complete.”
Darned if that wasn’t the longest pair of sentences Sandy had ever heard the man say.
“Tell you what,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “You mop, and I’ll follow with the broom to get any stray glass. A lot of people walk through here in sandals, and I’m not taking the risk of leaving any shards lying around.”
The bouncer’s lips pursed. A moment later, he nodded. “Fair enough.”
Sandy headed into the break room (which, so far, was still only used by her). She retrieved the mop and bucket from the supply closet and wheeled them out to him. When she passed the counter, Sandy pressed the power button on the radio.
The bounced chuckled, wrung out the mop, and set to work. Sandy followed behind, the broom becoming her makeshift dance partner. It wasn’t long before the bouncer was whistling along.
~*~
One particularly hot fall afternoon, Sandy had a surprise visitor. Not Emily this time, but the Valley’s plucky young farmer, who had been coming around more and more lately.
“You’ll never guess what those beets were for!” they cried as they barged in with little ceremony. They slapped a shiny, metallic card, about the size of a credit card, down on the counter. “He wanted me… to put them… in the Mayor’s fridge!”
“What!” Sandy cried. “Why?”
“I have absolutely no idea,” the farmer giggled. “Either an inside joke or a prank, and my money’s on the latter.”
They both burst into a gale of laughter.
“But I got my reward!” the farmer continued, spreading their hands dramatically over the card on the counter.
Sandy looked closer. It wasn’t a “gold-level” credit card as Sandy had assumed. In prismatic, holographic colors on the front, it read:
QI’S CASINO
LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP
“You are looking at the newest member of Qi’s Casino!” they crowed. “And since you were the one to sell me the beet seeds I needed when Pierre refused to order any for me, I’m taking you on a gambling spree!”
The farmer did a little jig of joy, complete with waggling fingers and wiggling hips.
Sandy’s face fell. “Oh, sugar, that’s so kind of you, but… I don’t have a club card. No card, no entrance.”
The farmer stopped dancing immediately, arms flopping to their sides almost comically. “Huh? Aren’t you, like, his landlord or something?”
“Landlady, thank you very much,” she said with a wink. “But no, not exactly. We’re more like… partners.”
“All the more reason! As his partner, you should be entitled to a club card!”
Sandy shook her head. “I think you know it doesn’t quite work like that. Mr. Qi has his high rollers on lock, and now he’s all about exceptionality and proving oneself worthy.”
“By pranking the mayor,” they said with a huge eye roll. “Yeah, look how worthy I am compared to you.”
A soft clearing of a throat caught Sandy’s attention. She wasn’t sure the farmer noticed, but she’d heard enough of the bouncer’s quiet sniffles, shuffles, and sighs, that she’d know the sound of him anywhere. She looked his way.
If she’d blinked, she would have missed it. The bouncer tilted his head ever-so-slightly to the right. Toward the casino door. “Come on in,” his shrouded eyes seemed to say. “I’ll cover for you.”
“You know what, my friend, you’re right!” Sandy cried. “I’m Qi’s partner, and he needs me! The worst he can do is kick me out.” She took the farmer by the arm. “First round of Qi Coins is on you, and I do expect an update on that doctor you’re so fond of.”
The farmer blushed and nudged Sandy in the ribs. Then, chins held high, they both marched toward the bouncer. The farmer proudly showed him their lifetime membership club card. He stepped aside and nodded them through. Sandy and the farmer came forward together.
The bouncer put on a good show of grumbling, but didn’t stop the two of them as they stepped into the darkened, thickly-carpeted casino.
The next day was Monday, the only day of the week the casino was closed. The bouncer wasn’t working today. But when Sandy arrived to open the store, there was a glint of something sitting on the cash register. She was meticulous about not leaving even a single gold piece out, so she furrowed her brow and crossed to see what it was.
A gold card, about the size of a credit card, gleamed up at her. In prismatic, holographic lettering, it read:
QI’S CASINO
LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP
There was a folded piece of paper underneath it. She picked it up, along with the card. The paper was a sheet of her plain, white, notepad paper. Not the fancy blue, glittering paper that Mr. Qi always wrote on.
There was only one sentence, of course. He was a man of few words.
If anyone is worthy, it’s you.
-B
~*~
One particularly cold winter afternoon, Sandy found herself staring out at a snowy wonderland. Snow was exceedingly rare in the desert. They were lucky if they got one day of snow a season. Sandy always cherished snowy days, even though they meant very few customers. People came to the desert to escape the snow, not to trudge through it on the way to buy an overpriced beverage and then throw away even more money on slot machines.
She and the bouncer were going on five hours since the last customer stopped in to buy car snacks for their road trip to see family for Winter Star. Sandy had her radio going—Winter Star carols, of course—and swayed her hips in time as she meandered down the aisles, Nothing to restock; nothing to order. All was well.
“I think I’m going to get off my feet for a bit,” she declared suddenly. She went to the break room, made herself a cup of tea, and settled in on the small loveseat. A knock on the frame of the doorway came not long after.
“Hi,” she said to the bouncer as she looked up. She was used to his subtle body language by now, and he looked rather uncomfortable. “Everything okay? I didn’t hear the bell.”
“I have something for you,” he said bluntly. He raised a large red gift bag up to her. “For Winter Star.”
“Oh, b—” She just managed to stop herself from calling the man “Bouncer.” “But you didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I know.”
Sandy didn’t entirely know what to say to that.
“Well, don’t just stand there, you dope, get in here.” She waved him in, and, for the first time in Yoba knew how long, Sandy was not the only employee in the employee break room. She grasped his sleeve and pulled him down onto the loveseat beside her. He let out a soft grunt when he landed.
Sandy tore into the gift bag. Winter Star always made her feel like a little kid again. Inside was a small planter box that looked just the right size for the shop’s front window. There were also seeds for all her favorite flowers: daffodils, sweet peas, fairy roses, and crocuses. Something for every season.
“I remember you like those flowers they’ve got in the Valley,” the bouncer said, rubbing the back of his neck. He knocked his hat forward over his eyes and quickly adjusted it.
How long ago had Sandy said that? Almost a year, maybe? And yet, he had remembered. He was always listening, she knew, but she didn’t quite have words to express how much it meant to her that he remembered what he heard.
“I… Thank you so much. Yes, I love all of these flowers,” she finally managed. “I wish I had a gift for you.”
The bouncer shrugged. “I don’t want for anything. You’ve given me your companionship this past year, and for that I’m very grateful. This job can be lonely sometimes, or awkward, and I’ve never felt either of those around you. That, in and of itself, is gift enough.”
Sandy puffed out her chest. “I’m flattered, I’m sure. It’s nice having you around, too. I almost can’t remember what things were like before you got here.”
He gave a shy sort of half-smile and glanced down.
Sandy ran her fingers over the smooth wood of the planter box. She really, really wished she had something to give the man—her friend—in return. And then, it hit her.
“I do have a gift for you!” she cried.
“Oh?”
“I tell people sometimes that Sandy isn’t my real name, but I never tell anyone what it actually is.”
The bouncer’s eyebrows shot up behind those dark glasses of his. He was quiet, though, and patient.
Sandy took a deep breath. “My real name… is Mildred.”
He smirked. And then he chuckled. And then he began to laugh. Sandy folded her arms as if she were cross, but she could keep the smile off her face.
When the bouncer finally stopped laughing, he splayed his hand over his chest and said, “Benjamin.”
“Benjamin the Bouncer?” Sandy asked with a laugh of her own. “That sounds like the name of a children’s television show that only lasted three episodes.”
“You see now why I don’t advertise it.”
She stuck out her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Benjamin.”
Benjamin shook hands, a warm smile spreading over his face. “Nice to meet you, too, Mildred.”