Sarah nodded. There were things about the story that didn't entirely add up to her though.
"Wait, if you own the place, then what was the deal yesterday? About the bar policy and you not being able to change it?" Sarah questioned sharply, proud of herself for catching June in a lie.
"God's honest truth, I'm afraid. It was in the will, most I can charge anyone in or retired from the service is five bucks" June said plainly, continuing to wipe the bar down. "Pat served most of his life before he opened this place. His policy."
"Oh," Sarah said
" I'm not inclined to change the policy, being a grateful patriot and all that," June said genuinely. "I mean, if not for your sacrifices and the sacrifices of those before you I wouldn't have all this."
Sarah tried to figure out if that were sarcasm at the state of the bar or genuine sentiment. She gave up without coming to a decision.
June continued "Besides, even if I were inclined to do so, Jimmy here served with Pat and would totally rat me out to the lawyers if I thought of changing things."
Jim nodded his agreement. "Too right I would."
"So, wait," Sarah said. "Me and Jim are the only ones here. And we're both vets. And the most you can charge either of us for drinking all day is five dollars?"
"Like I said," June shrugged, "It's a struggling business,"
"And you get by, in this economy?"
"Eh, it's not all bad. My uncle owned the building outright which includes the apartment upstairs so, you know, no rent either way there," June explained. "And every now and then someone gets drunk and buys one of the photos."
June motioned to the bar and Sarah followed. Sarah hadn't noticed them before but rather than the typical photos of sports teams or bar patrons most places had, O'Flaherty's had black picture frames, filled with images that even Sarah, who cared little for art, found striking. There were various buildings and images of the waterfront, even one of Jim, beer in hand. Sarah had thought of him as just an old drunk but looking at the photo, she saw another side. The photo made him look wise and gregarious and someone who fit perfectly into his surroundings. Sarah had to admire the skill, even if she didn't know how to describe it.
"Oops," Jim said, having turned slightly towards Sarah and then back to June. "She's looking at the photos,"
"I am." Sarah nodded. "They're awesome."
"Plus," June said, changing the subject, "I totally flirt with all of the beer and booze distributors for a discount."
"I'd give you one," Sarah had to admit as she took a sip of her beer.
The banter continued for a while. Sarah found herself relaxing even more, enjoying herself immensely.
June, for her part, seemed to welcome a change of pace from her constant interaction with Jim. Sarah was plain spoken and smart and June warmed to her quickly. The three of them quipped for a few minutes before they were interrupted as Jim stood up and made his way to the bathroom.
"Remember, it's accuracy, not speed," June called after him as he disappeared behind the bar. She turned to walk to Sarah's end of the bar, propping herself up on her hands and lifting herself up to sit next to where Sarah's beer was. It was the closest June had been to Sarah and she was again reminded of just how attracted she was to the busty younger woman. Sarah inhaled deeply. She wasn't sure how, but even in this place June had the unmistakable smell of vanilla and something else.
"So let me ask you," June said, her voice dropping a bit, "how did you know you were gay?"
Sarah looked up at her, surprised slightly by the boldness of the question for a moment before realizing it fit perfectly with what she knew of June so far. June did not strike her as being cautious and conservative and had a tendency to speak her mind. If June wanted to know how Sarah had known she was gay, Sarah realized decorum or a lack of familiarity would have held her back. Sarah thought about it for a second before responding somewhat defensively.
Part 2
Start from the beginning
