He hung his head for a moment and then looked up with a teasing expression. “Can’t I just distract you with sex for the rest of our lives?”
She sighed. “Nice try, wise guy.”
***
Two weeks and lots of TLC later, Konrad placed his hand on the small of Roz’s back as they strolled toward the bartender school. With its location on the second floor of a strip mall, he pictured a bar fight at an Old West saloon with someone thrown out a second-story window.
“I don’t know why we didn’t think of this sooner,” Roz said. “Dancing would have taken months to learn. This bartending course is only two weeks.”
“I know. It would be ideal to find a new job in only a couple of weeks. If their placement program is any good, maybe we’ll be hired right out of school.”
“I’ll have to give at least a two-week notice, but you could start right away.”
“Yeah, thanks to my getting fired from the security job.”I wonder if I should have told her I just quit. Now she probably thinks I’m a loser.
“I don’t think you’re a loser! In fact, you’re more of a winner, for telling me the truth.”
He stiffened.
Roz glanced up at him. “I got fired once.”
“Really? You? I can’t imagine you doing anything that wrong.”
“You know I’m a klutz, right?”
“Uh-oh. Where did you work? A china shop?”
“Like a bull in the? No, but thanks a lot for the visual.”
“I’m sorry. I was trying to make a joke. You know I wouldn’t intentionally insult you.”
“True.”
Konrad changed the subject as they ascended the stairs. “What are the odds of our getting hired by the same bar?”
“Nothing says we have to work together. It might work out better if we don’t. I hear that too much togetherness can be hard on relationships.”
“Yeah. We could wind up on different shifts if the place is small and they don’t need more than one bartender at a time, and then we’d never see each other.” He spied the lettering on the first door they came to. “Ah, there it is. Mass Bartending School.”
He opened the door for Roz and followed her in.
The place looked exactly like a working bar. A long mirror backed one wall. In front of it sat bottles of every description, holding liquids of every color. The bar itself was made of highly polished wood. He imagined there must be a sink and refrigerator behind it. A few students were already present, sitting on bar stools. He pulled one out for Roz and then seated himself.
“Aw, isn’t that cute?” said a thin red-haired girl with several piercings and tattoos. “And they say chivalry is dead.”
That one will probably get a job in a biker bar.
“Looks like she’d fit right in,” Roz thought loud enough for Konrad to hear.
They gazed at each other and chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” the girl asked.
“Oh, nothing. I’m Roz, and this is my boyfriend, Konrad.”
The redhead flipped her hair behind her shoulder. “Too bad.”
Two other men sat together at the opposite end of the bar. One spoke up. “I’m Glenn, and this is my boyfriend, Bruce.”
