The Most Refreshing Taste in the World

by Randall W. Pretzer

            She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life, dressed just in jeans, black sneakers, and a black t-shirt.  She was dressed exactly as I was, but I didn’t know if she dressed like that all the time.  She was sitting at the far end of the bar.  It was a low lit bar.  My favorite kind of place.  Low lit where shadows lurked and made it easy to hide among the crowd.  I walked slowly over to her and sat down on a stool nearby.  She didn’t notice me at all. 
“Excuse me.” I said.  She didn’t acknowledge me.
“I was wondering if you dress like that all the time.”  She turned to look at me with a confused look. 
“I like how you are dressed and as you can see…”  I got down from the stool to show her we were dressed the same.
“We are dressed very similar.”  She still had a confused look on her face.
“Do you dress like this all the time?”  I asked again sitting back up on the stool.
“Is that what you say to all the girls?”
“I don’t talk to girls.  I talk to women.”
“What is a woman to you?”
“An emotionally developed woman.”
“I don’t know why I am talking to you.”
“I don’t either for most women never talk to me.  Okay, make that all women.”
“I think I can see why.”
“I can see it better than you can.”
“If you know it, why don’t you do something about it?”
“I don’t hurt anyone but myself with it, apparently.”
“It is not just that.”
“Sure it is.  One of the founding principles of this country is leaving everyone alone.”
“Well, why don’t you live up to it and leave me alone?”
I got down off the stool without saying anything and sat at the opposite end of the bar which is where I was sitting before.  I singled for the bartender.  They came up to me.
“I would like another soda, please.”
“Sure.”  They reached under the bar and brought out a bottle of coca cola which is all the soda they had and placed in front of me.  They twisted off the cap.  I took a hold of it and took a big sip.  It was very refreshing after what I just went through.  I don’t know why I was surprised by her reaction.  I was a man at a bar who came up to a woman and that type of action only meant one thing and that was an attempt to get laid.  However, if women didn’t want to get laid, why did they go to bars and drink?  These places were pretty much a meat market and I didn’t understand why women came unless they were looking to get laid and none of them seemed interested in that.  I don’t know if I was just naïve or what but it didn’t make any sense to me.  I went up to so many in these bars and the results were the same.  However, I always did think what was life without risk or taking chances?  It was all just like pinning the tail on the donkey
but eventually to pin the tail on the donkey and I figured eventually I would find the spot.  I took another sip of my soda.  It never tasted so good before. 
            I didn’t look over in her direction at all and this was a new for me.  I usually always glanced over even after they turned me away.  I couldn’t help it the other times for I was just curious and looked in despair.  I looked at them out of despair but they would look back sometimes and I would turn away.  I felt guilty, like a voyuer or something and kept to myself.  I was able to look straight ahead and just drink my soda this time and I didn’t know why but I was able to keep to myself.  I finished my soda and asked for another one.  I was trying to hide the sorrow I felt and drinking sodas seemed to be the best way to do it and I didn’t know why I thought that.  I thought maybe if I just kept myself occupied in some way such as drinking sodas I would look indifferent.  My dad told me never let them know you hurt or they got you.  I was trying not to do that for the other times I didn’t hide how I felt though I tried but I always failed.  I
didn’t know if I was having any success this time or not but I kept trying.  The sodas seemed to be helping.  They were so refreshing like they never were before.  I checked my watch to see what time it was and I don’t know why I did.  It read 11 pm.  I had about two hours before the bar closed. 
            The sodas only did so much after awhile and then it came over me like the coldest winter.  I looked down at my lap and shook my head.  What did I do wrong this time?  Why was she so harsh?  I didn’t mean any harm.  I just wanted to talk.  I was really interested because of how she was dressed and sure she was beautiful and what man in the world didn’t make an attempt to talk to a beautiful woman?  I could understand if she thought I was ugly, fair enough but there was not a reason given and I couldn’t ask her for I would be in violation of her wishes.  She told me to leave her alone and I did.  I did it out of respect for her.  It was the right thing to do and I couldn’t do anything or explain myself or defend myself without violating her wishes.  I looked up at my soda and pushed it away to make room for my arms so I could fold them and rest my head on them which is what I did.  I felt tears coming.  I guess everyone had a breaking point.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and I lifted my head up to see who it was and it was the woman.  She had sat down next to me.  I wiped away the tears right in front of her.  I had to playing the greatest indoor sport which was feeling sorry for you.  She pulled out a packet of Kleenex, pulled one out and handed it to me.  I took it and wiped away the rest of the tears.
“I may be the biggest sucker or you are genuinely sad because of how I treated you.”
“Thank you for the Kleenex.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You are not a sucker.  I can feel your caution.”
“I make it that obvious.”
“Only to a man like me.”
 There was silence for a moment.  I noticed we both had not given any impression and shown any expression in our words and gestures.  In fact, we didn’t make any gestures except her giving me the Kleenex.  I know I had broken a rule for I had shown her I was hurting and she should have ignored me but I was glad she was there.  I wanted to smile at her but I didn’t want to seem to eager.  It was a chance to do this just right, to be myself but restrained.  There was still silence.  I took another sip of my soda.  Was I to break it or her?  Would she feel more secure or maybe more assertive if I broke the silence first?  I couldn’t read her.  I never could read anyone but I could feel them sometimes and I felt her caution.  I didn’t know I could but I did.  It was one of the many mysteries in life.  I was about to say something when she broke the silence.
“I have to ask you something.”  I noticed an expression this time and it was of pure curiosity or at least it looked that way. 
“I will assume for now that you were looking for marriage or something serious and if you were why would you come to bar to find it?”
“I am not looking for anything except a story.”
“You write for a newspaper?” She had the look of both confusion and surprise.
“I don’t write for any publication but it is not for a lack of trying.  I just write short fiction and I was stumped.”  She suddenly gave the look of disappointment.
“I usually have men tell lies to me to get me to sleep with them but you’re the first to talk to me just to get a story.”
“I didn’t talk to you to get a story.  I came to this bar for a story.  I talked to you because you were beautiful and dressed like I was except for the shoes.  I am wearing black deck shoes.  You’re wearing black sneakers.  I use to wear those.” 
I couldn’t tell what type of expression she had now but she had one.  There was silence once again for a moment.  I didn’t know what to do at this point for a woman never talked to me for this long during anytime in my life.  I took another sip of my soda and she broke the silence once again to my surprise.  I still couldn’t read her expression.  I just know she had one and it was the same as before.
“I will say it again but maybe I am just the biggest sucker or you are telling me the truth.  I will thank you for thinking I am beautiful for no man would lie to me about that for if they didn’t feel that way they wouldn’t be talking to me.”  It was a unique expression for by now I usually would be able to read it but not this one.
“They have stated that women are emotional much less logical and men are vice versa.  You are proof that that theory is invalid.”  I didn’t notice until now how nervous I was and it was either just now showing in my voice or I had just now noticed it in my voice.  I could only hope she didn’t mind.  She didn’t seem to and if she did and it had been in my voice this whole time she surely didn’t mind or else she would have left, right?  I didn’t know.  There was silence again.  I try to take a sip of my soda but the bottle was empty.  I think I had caught a smile on her face in response to what I just but I didn’t want to take any chances so I didn’t smile back.  She broke the silence once again and I knew during the next moment of silence it was my turn to break the silence.
“I feel that everyone is both emotional and logical but thank you for the compliment if it is genuine and not just some game most men like to play with me and other women.  You do know you won’t be getting my number tonight and that if we do see each other it will be here for now?”
“I agree with your first statement and I was not planning to ask for your number but talk to you until you have to leave.  I like it.”
“I like talking with you too, so far.”
“Thanks.”
“I do have to get going but I usually come here every Friday night and stay until about now.”
“All right.”
“I will see you around maybe.”
“See you around.”  She got up off the stool and left the bar.  I singled the bartender for another soda and they brought me one.  I took a huge sip and it was the most refreshing taste in the world.

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Randall W. Pretzer has been writing since age 15.   He started off writing short stories and then moved to writing plays and poetry.  He got back into short story writing in 2006 and now is primarily a short story writer.  He lives in Texas and is currently working on three short stories.