Pinecliff Ch. 01

She was an abnormality, he thought.

There have been folks coming through this town for as long as Josh could remember. They had to. The town was nestled comfortably in the shadows of mountain ranges to their east and west that stretched kilometres. If you wanted through, you came through here, and the town prospered. Enough so that Josh's father had established a bar at the mouth of the well-traveled pass, through which he met all manners of interesting people.

But this one, he thought, this one was strange. Her wild, unkempt red hair barely contained by a beany with a small stag embroidered on it. Her brown leather jacket, covered in sown on patches of towns further down the valley and some he didn't know. Her traveling bag, carelessly slumped against the wall, covered in patchwork which he wondered if she had done herself. She was scrubbing her muddied boots with a brush she pulled from that same pack, with bare feet seeming at home on the wet grass below the bench she was seated at.

Josh watched her from the window, absentmindedly drying a glass that was dry ten minutes ago. When she put her boots back on and disappeared from view, he felt his head slump. She was comfortable and warm to watch, like steam rising from a fresh cup of brewed coffee. He returned the glass to its shelf, adjusting it to look just right for the clutter of regulars the bar would draw on a Saturday night. They were a good bunch, he enjoyed their company. As they entered one by one, he waved them in with a practiced hand, as his dad had taught him, the usual formalities and greetings, followed by their requests. He was so used to the motions, he allowed his mind to drift away to thoughts of her as the hour passed. She was inviting, he could tell. Warm, adventurous, she must have stories, she could tell him about places he hasn't visited, she could tell him what she thought of the stars, she could...

"... order a beer?" Josh heard her say, standing right in front of him as the bar faded back into focus.

He blinked, body frozen, presented with her smile and curly red hair. Green, her eyes were a deep green. A solid hand hitting the counter snapped him out of it.

"Are you listinin' Joshy? This lady wants a beer! And another for me as well!" George said.

He was one of Josh's favorites, he could rally the bar to another round at 2 in the morning, and be back to logging at 6 with no signs of the night's excitement. The bar as a whole laughed and held up their glasses, some jugs. But Josh didn't notice anyone else cheering, just her amusement at George's proclamation.

"Of course of course, let me get you a ... beer?" he spun back to the tall glass fridge behind him, filled with all manners of liquors his father insisted they keep. Some dusty, some replaced every night, and one or two of his favorites. She didn't specify, he thought, so he reached for his favorite instead. Josh's hands did their practiced pouring trick, adding the flourishes he practiced and handed her a tall glass, filled with her request, and barely a layer of foam.

The night seemed to flow from there, he learnt her name, and it was Mary. He learnt she had rented a room down the street at Ms. Kelder's place, and she recommended the bar. He learnt she liked the beer and liked George too. He learnt a great deal about her from George's questions Josh was too nervous to ask. She beat him in a drinking contest, to the amusement of everyone watching, but George was a good sport, and boasted that he'll be better prepared the next night. Josh learnt Mary was staying a few nights, and she'd love to come back to the bar.

The night carried on, as good as any he could remember. They talked in between drinks, and a few times he missed the calls of his other patrons, hurriedly tending to them before returning back to her. But all good things must come to an end eventually. Mary's cheeks were as red as her hair when she finally decided to head back to the inn.

"Can you even find the way back?" Josh asked jokingly, he couldn't help but smile like a fool the whole night.

"You'd be surprised how well I can navigate while a little tipsy." Her words slurred slightly, Mary was a little more than tipsy.

"We'll be closing up soon enough, can I walk you back?" he turned to put a glass back on the shelf, waiting for her response.

"Sure, but don't get any pretty ideas, I met this guy named George and I bet he could take you in a fight" she proclaimed confidently. Her would-be protected lay sleeping, his head slumped on the counter resting on a cloth towel Mary herself put there not ten-minutes ago.

"Wouldn't dream of it" Josh replied. "He probably could too" she laughed at that. He liked it when she laughed.

After another hour and two cups of coffee, Mary seemed back to relative normal when Josh locked up for the night. George's wife collected him unceremoniously, a common ritual on a Saturday night. The two of them walked side by side down the sidewalk of the main street. The town was quiet, the mountains silhouetted by the low hanging moon, crickets chirped away and the wind blew lightly around the eaves of the buildings they passed. They walked in relative silence, it was a comfortable silence. The kind he could get used to.

"Are you working tomorrow?" she asked "I'd like to take in some of the culture around here, and I need a guide to do that."

Josh looked over to her, she was looking ahead but smiling.

"Lucky for you, the priest tends to scare these folks to church on Sundays, I'm all yours." he was, he thought.

"Good... good."

The silence carried them again through the night, to the doorstep of Ms. Kelder's.

"This is me I guess" Mary said, looking up at the old building.

"Guess so, I had fun tonight, I'll see you tomorrow" Josh said, raising his hand in his practiced wave and starting to turn.

He didn't expect her to take his hand, he expected even less to be kissed. Those deep green eyes closed slowly, so did his. When he opened them again, it was to a blur of red hair disappearing behind a closing door. Josh stood, stunned, the taste of coffee on his lips, and the smell of pine in his nose.

A smile slowly formed in the corners of his lips, and he put his still raised hand back in its pocket and walked back up the sidewalk to the bar.