Chapter Text
The drunk staggered over to the bar, took a quick look around, and noticed that one of the chairs was empty, even though the place was full. Perfect.
But as he moved to take a seat, the bartender's voice interrupted him.
"Are you blind, Dewdropper?" A second glance revealed that the chair was filled with flowers, both natural and paper, and on the back hung a woman's hat and a pearl necklace that was obviously missing pieces. He stopped dead in his tracks, his alcohol-fueled brain slow to process the information.
"Is it occupied?" He asked. The bartender sighed.
"It's Bernice's chair," he replied with restrained anger. The customer nodded, again processing the information. Another question came out of his mouth.
"What happened?"
"A police car hit her while she was running away from some jerk," the guy winced painfully.
"I guess the guy doesn't have the legs to come around here anymore," the bartender shot him a meaningful look, but didn't answer. It wasn't necessary anyway.
The man looked at the chair again, wondering what kind of person it must have been. Someone sympathetic, he assumed, at least enough to have so many different hands seem to leave her gifts so often. The kind of person he might have liked to meet.
"What was her favorite drink?"
"Brat, I don't know if you always ask so many questions when you're spliffed, but you're trying my patience."
"Oh, come on! I'm trying to be nice," the bartender sighed.
"The gin."
"Well, a gin for me and the lady," he said, "as an apology for wanting to take her chair," the bartender smiled.
"You would have had to get in line to buy her a giggle water first."
"A pretty girl?"
"With the prettiest smile of all."