It was one of those slow early-week evenings. A few customers sat in pairs at their tables, chatting over drinks. Codi was filling a large mug from the beer faucet when bar went quiet at once.
The change was instant, the air shifting in a blink. A tall man in a long, dirty-brown trench coat walked towards the counter. A Stetson partially hid his face, leaving only his pointed nose, thin lips and a sliver of brown hair.
Codi felt the weight in the air and a rush of adrenaline flowed through his veins as the tall man's boot thudded on the marble floor.
It was now or never, he told himself. He rehearsed the key phrase in his head again and again as he slid the beer cup towards the lady seated at a corner of the counter. Her eyes stayed fixed on the stranger in a curious way.
“Evening, sir. What can I get you?” He asked, thankful his voice was steady, not giving away his apprehensive state. He slipped his hand into his pocket and exhaled. The flash chip was safely in there.
The stranger pulled out the bar stool and sat with a sigh. He slightly tipped his hat back and looked at him. Codi gulped, the icy glare of the man made him tremble.
“What are you serving today?” The stranger asked, his voice a deep, sonorous rumble.
Codi nodded. Everything was going according to plan. He forced smiled. “Beer, scotch, chips and pretzels.”
“Hmmm. I'll have chips with everything.”
“Scotch coming right up,” Codi replied, turning towards the back room. He gave Tad, his colleague, a quick thumbs up to take over.
Moments later, he returned with a glass of fine scotch and set it on the counter. No one noticed the stranger's hand brush Codi's before he took the scotch from him.
The stranger drained the glass in one gulp, stood and strode out of the bar. Conversation resumed in the bar again.
“You alright, man?” Tad asked, one brow arched. “That guy is weird. He wanted chips with everything…is that a code for scotch or what?”
Codi shook his head in response. He grabbed a small towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Tad's stare was uncomfortable. He raised a hand to excuse himself, rushed into the restroom and emptied his dinner into the sink.
His phone buzzed inside his pocket. He checked it and sighed, cleaning his mouth.
’Received. Your debt is settled.’
He'd just sold out the bar owners to more powerful people for his family's safety. He did what he had to.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "chips with everything".
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Image credit: Alexas_Fotos
