Three Months Before the Demonstration
Six weeks or so after Beef Jerky and his pals showed up, just when the leaves were turning fiery red, yellow, and orange, a woman came into the Barracks before happy hour. She was tall, with brown hair, and attractive in a homespun way, Kitty thought. She asked for a pop. Scott sat at his regular spot near the end of the bar. Kitty began to chat with her, all the while scheming for a way to get the two talking to each other.
“Nice place, the Barracks,” the woman said. “Do you own it?”
Kitty shook her head. “Wish we did, don’t you, Scotty?”
The woman peered at Scott.
Kitty went for it. “That’s Scott. My brother.”
The woman smiled. “Nicole.”
“Hi, Nicole.” Kitty returned the smile. She turned to Jarvis. “Scott?”
He looked over and gave Nicole a brief nod.
Nicole didn’t seem to mind. “How long have you been bartending?”
“Five years. I was part-time when I was at DePaul. After I graduated, I started full-time.”
Nicole didn’t ask why a woman with a college degree would make a career out of bartending. Kitty appreciated Nicole’s discretion. She wasn’t sure herself.
Nicole came back the next day around the same time. This time she sat on a barstool closer to Scott. She told Kitty she was job hunting but it wasn’t going well. She was looking for an office manager job, but all the good ones were taken. Kitty was considerate as well and didn’t ask many questions.
The third day Nicole came in was the beginning of happy hour. This time she sat just one barstool away from Scott. As the bar filled up, she reached across the barstool between them and struck up a conversation. The rising noise of the crowd made it difficult for Kitty to overhear them, but Scott nodded a lot, to the point where Nicole moved over and sat next to him. Kitty topped off their drinks whenever she could and brought them a plate of pizza squares with a smile.
When Beef Jerky showed up and invited Scott over to their table, which now had a “Reserved” sign on the top, Scott hesitated. Beef Jerky, who had seen him talking to Nicole, said, “Bring your friend over, too.” Scott leaned over to Nicole and whispered something Kitty couldn’t hear. A moment later, they were both sitting down at the round table in front.
Kitty thought Nicole would despise Beef Jerky. But she didn’t. Or else she gave an impressive performance. She let the boys do the talking and smiled at all the right times. She asked a few questions and absorbed their responses without arguing back. Little by little Beef Jerky let down his guard, and Kitty could tell from his eye contact and smiles that he liked Nicole. Before long the group was listening to Beef Jerky mock the Resistance and pay tribute to the man in the White House. When Beef Jerky asked Nicole what she thought, Kitty heard her say, “Oh, I’m not political.”
Beef Jerky yanked a thumb toward Kitty, who was clearing empty glasses off the table. “Neither is Kitty.” He sniffed. “What’s wrong with you women?” Then he grinned. “It’s okay. I can think of a lot of other things you should be doing.”
That prompted a snicker from the Tat boys, as Kitty called them, but a wan smile from another vet at the table. He was a slim guy in jeans and a sweater. His hair, while short, had some style to it, and he wore tortoiseshell glasses over big brown eyes.
“What’s a matter, Purdy? You don’t like your women quiet?”
“Sure I do,” he said and looked straight at Kitty. “But I also like women who take charge.” For some reason Kitty’s cheeks felt hot. Purdy smiled.
“Oh man,” Beef Jerky teased. “Purdy here ain’t one for fighting. He just wants to tap those keys, don’t you?”
Purdy shrugged. “That ain’t true, Jerky. I wouldn’t mind waking up by a crick where water runs over the rocks or roosters crow instead of the fucking traffic.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” Nicole glanced at Scott. “Right, Scott?”
Beef Jerky arched his eyebrows. “Jarvis here’s a soldier, honey. He’s got a mission to execute.”
“A mission? What are you talking about?” Nicole asked.
“He’s gonna create a video game and make us all rich.” Beef Jerky laughed. At Nicole’s confused look, he said, “We call it the Perfect Kill.”