He raises his hands innocently and goes to the other end of the bar. Meanwhile, I try to discreetly scan the room, letting my eyes drop for a few seconds to her table. She isn’t looking at me. She didn’t even turn around once. She ignored me – and she’s continuing to do so.
I am not happy with how I’ve come out of this.
“Here you go.” The barman places the two pints in front of me and I leave him more cash than necessary, hoping that he’ll take it as a hint not to tell anyone about the total arse I’ve just made of myself. I grab the glasses and head back towards Tyler.
“What the hell was that?” he asks as soon as I’ve sat down.
“Mmm?”
“That’show you got all those women into bed with you?”
“What women? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Don’t blame me. You know, rumours, gossip.”
“Gossip? About me?”
“Well, you were the main attraction of this place for so long.”
“Attraction?” I ask, almost amused.
“Let’s just say you were a bit of a V.I.P. around here.”
“You guys are messed up.”
Tyler shrugs and takes a few sips of his beer. “There isn’t much to do around here, and there aren’t many people who have managed to leave.”
“I didn’t do anything newsworthy.”
“Maybe not to you. But to us – to me – you’re an idol.”
“Just because I left?”
“You were successful. All the interviews, the photos. Your face is still in the window of the local Intersport.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You’re the symbol of Dublin to us.”
“But I don’t play anymore.”
“That doesn’t mean that people have forgotten you. To us, you’re the one who made it. And you always will be.”
“Then why does everyone hate me?”
“They don’t hate you.”
“Well, it’s not like I have a great reputation in this city.”
“That’s just the other side to success.”
“Don’t you think you’re exaggerating just a little?”
“I just tell it like it is, mate. Here, you’re almost a celebrity.”
I sip my beer as Tyler’s words begin to take shape in my mind. I place the glass on the table and look at him.
“There’s no way she doesn’t know who I am.”
