Jamie's New Hire

Jamie didn't leave the shop until well after everyone else had gone home. Just like every night, he stayed after to clean up the messes that no one seemed to notice and take inventory of everything that had been used. By the time he finally began locking up the shop, the last bit of early summer twilight that hung over the bay was beginning to blacken. Sighing lightly as he climbed into his truck, he decided he'd hit Tornado for a few hours

before heading home. The bar was up on Haight; the complete opposite direction, but it seemed to be the last bar in the city that wasn't really a nightclub just pretending to be a bar. He quickly went down a mental check of everything he'd done before starting his truck. Taking advantage of the rare warm evening air, he rolled down his window and flicked off the radio. Sometimes city noises could be more relaxing than anything the jockeys would play. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he remembered that Chavez was having work done, so instead, he swung up onto Potrero, and took 24th street down the twenty six blocks to Castro. The unusual amount of pedestrians on the streets made him wonder if classes were finally out at the university. Too many antsy foot-travelers made him nervous; he never knew when someone might dash out from behind a parked car and try to cross in front of him.



The bar was just a few blocks east of Divisadero, which is what Castro turned into at Waller Street. He had arrived early enough in the evening that there was plenty of parking, but not so early that no one would be in there, either. Knowing how people drove in the city when alcohol wasn't even involved, Jamie parked his truck on the edge of the lot, hoping for an easy escape when he was ready to leave.



"Hey, Chuck," he said as he took a seat at the bar. He looked around the blue-and-amber lit room at the few other patrons.



"I was wondering when you'd be back," the bar tender said as he pulled a small glass off of the rack. With no other words exchanged between the two, Chuck fixed up a vodka and cranberry juice cocktail and sat it before Jamie. "Any new projects going on?"



Jamie took a sip of his drink and nodded slightly. "Just a sequel that I'm not allowed to talk about," he said.



Chuck laughed and shook his head. "When am I going to learn?" he asked before rushing down to the other end of the bar to help a young couple who had just walked in.





Ω Ω Ω





About two hours later, Jamie began thinking about going home. Despite being the weekend, he still had to shoot another ad the next day, and he was starting to think that an evening at the bar might have been a bad idea. He turned back to the bar to pick up his drink when someone slid into the seat next to him.



"I didn't take you for the bar type, James."



Jamie looked up to see his new hire sitting next to him. He was still wearing all black, but he'd traded the T-shirt for a button down shirt with white pinstripes.



"It's Jamie," he corrected. "Only my grandmother calls me James."



Adam chuckled slightly. "Okay," he said. "Jamie." He quickly looked around the bar before settling his gaze at the spot where Jamie was looking. Adam couldn't figure out if Jamie was watching a small group of people at the other end of the room, or just staring at the wall behind them.



"Hey, listen," he said. "Since you're here, I just wanna apologize for earlier today. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal."



Jamie took his gaze off of the spot on the wall he'd been staring at. "Just leave that crap at home for now on, okay?"



Adam nodded. "Sure thing, hombre."



He slapped out a quick rhythm-less pattern out on his knees as he quickly looked around the bar again before turning his attention back to the spot on the wall Jamie seemed so interested in. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, but it was better than giving himself whiplash. After a few moments, one of the men in the group near the spot on the wall got up and walked across the room to the old-fashioned juke box in the corner. Adam, having become fixated on the wall, almost didn't notice Jamie's gaze shift to follow man who wanted to change the music. Once the guy finished feeding the machine his quarters, he returned to his table, and again, Jamie's eyes followed.



Adam sighed nervously and slapped his legs again. "I think I get it," he said to himself. He quickly looked around the bar, taking a little more time than previously.



"What?" Jamie asked, quickly turning toward Adam.

Adam nervously rubbed his forehead, trying to chose his words carefully. "Does your wife know?"



"I...err...uhh...what?" Jamie asked.



"I know you're married," Adam said. "You've been trying to twist that band off of your finger since I sat down."

Jamie looked down at his hands, realizing that he had indeed been fidgeting with his wedding band. He shifted nervously, knowing that he'd just been caught for the first time in over ten years. He realized that he should probably stop looking at the table in the back, but looking at Adam was just as awkward. He decided that his drink was suddenly interesting, so he focused his attention at the melting ice in his glass.



"If she does, she hasn't let on," Jamie said honestly. Even as he said the words, he wondered why he was telling Adam this. He'd just met the guy that morning, and already he knew more secrets than the people Jamie had been working with for years.



"Hey, it's no big deal," Adam said, realizing that he was treading on unsteady ground.



Adam looked around the bar again, biting his lip as he searched the room with his eyes. Looking for a way to leave, Jamie hoped.



"So, uh, if you don't mind me asking," Adam said carefully, "where is she tonight?"



Jamie did mind, but he also realized that the guy was just trying to be polite.



"She took her class on an over-night field trip to the Tech," he said. "They're doing an urban disaster thing this month, and she though it would be a good thing for her students to know." Again, Jamie wondered why he was being so candid with his new hire. He wondered if maybe he was just too tired to deal with trying any other tactic to make him go away.



"I've heard good things about that seminar," Adam said. "I've considered going, myself."



Jamie realized his half-hearted attempt wasn't working. He decided that simply not responding any more was probably a better idea. Adam did stop talking, only to start slapping his knees again while looking around the bar. At least this time, he seemed to be pounding away to the music in his head; only a slight improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.



"There you are!" Adam said suddenly. Jamie looked up to see a tall brunette approach the bar. "I was starting to worry that you'd sneaked out on me."



"Sorry about that." She smiled. "You ready to go?"



"Yeah, just a second," Adam said. He turned around and signaled the bar tender. As he whispered something to Chuck, he carefully passed a twenty across the sticky bar surface. "Let's go!" he said finally as he stepped off of the bar stool. Casually sliding his hand down the brunette's back pocket, he and his date left Jamie alone at the bar.



Jamie decided that it was about time he head home as well. He turned around to pay his tab, but Chuck stopped him.



"Oh, don't worry about it, Jamie," he said. "Your friend took care of ya."



Jamie paused briefly, not sure what he was supposed to say in this situation. "Oh," was all he could think of. "Okay, then." He set his glass down on the bar and got up to leave.