Page 14 of Coty

After an hour, I’ve sent two of the bartenders on break. Jack’s grandmother, Nana, grabbed Hobbs ten minutes ago and sent Devlin home. He’s been here for over twelve hours. The man should have left hours ago. The party is finally winding down. Two bartenders are more than enough.

“Can I get you another drink?” I wipe down the bar in front of the man tucked away in the corner.

Whoever this man is, he doesn’t talk much. He’s sat in this dark corner since I’ve been here. No clue exactly how long he’s been here. He sits bent over with his head down. His dark blue hoodie hides his face enough so that I can’t get a good look at him. He hasn’t spoken a word to me. He only shakes his head. The only person he talks to is Chez when he needs a drink.

“Nah. Thanks, though.” He stands and pulls out his wallet. “There were four of you.” He tosses four twenties on the bar and walks away.

I scoop up the trash and pour out his almost full beer before tossing it in the trash. I knew he didn’t need a drink. It’s best to always check, though.

“Chez, who was the man in the corner? Does he have a tab?” I glance up at the light where he was sitting. It’s the only light around the bar that’s out. Something about this feels off.

“No. Jack took care of his tab when he showed up two hours ago.”

Wow. He was here for a long time. “Do you know who he was?”

“Nope. Just a friend of Jack’s.”

“Okay.” This is strange, but not my problem. “He left each of us a twenty-dollar tip.”

“Oh, that’s sweet.” He takes one of the bills. “You’ll find Hobbs in the kitchen with Nana. Just give her Devlin’s. She’ll get it to him.”

I swear. Half the men around here think women are stupid. I already know where Hobbs went. And of course, Nana will get Dev his tip. Chez is new, though. He doesn’t know I work here regularly. He transferred from the Texas chapter two days ago.

“Thanks, man.” No point in explaining things to him. He’ll find out soon enough.

No sooner than I turn to face the kitchen door, a crash and loud cry come from the other side. Chez and I hurry through the door with Granddad, Pops, and Lily on our heels. The scene has all of us frozen for a moment.

“Why, Mom?” Harley, Jack’s older sister, shouts.

Jack’s mom, Nanny, holds her hands in front of her, trying to calm her daughter down. “You know, we do this every year.”

“But why?” Harley whines. “It’s horrible. It doesn’t help.”

“It helps in a way. When we lost your sister, we vowed to do this every year.” Nanny takes a deep breath and fights back tears.

Harley has been lashing out for years. No one seems to be able to get through to her.

“Well, we shouldn’t. It needs to stop.”

Nanny slowly shakes her head. “We won’t stop, not ever. It’s sad and painful, but it helps us remember Ariel.”

Harley laughs with tears running down her cheeks. It’s heartbreaking and painful. “Remember Ariel? That’s all we do. It’s not like we can forget.”

“The pastor and his wife are hosting the vigil this year. I know you’re against it, but you can spare thirty minutes of your time to be there with us.” Nanny sniffles.

“Harley, yelling at your mother isn’t right,” Nana says. “The vigil lets the town come together on a horrible day.”

“Who can I yell at then?” Harley snaps. Nothing’s right. Nothing will ever be right. We don’t need a candlelight vigil in January. We don’t need memorial dinners and fundraisers in the summer and fall.”

“That’s enough, young lady.” Granddad has been begging Mack to do something about Harley’s attitude. Nothing they try helps.

“No!” Harley cries. “It’s not enough. It’s been fourteen years. This town doesn’t care about us or Ariel. Half of them hate us. We don’t all need all that to remember her. I can sit right here and remember Ariel just fine without the extra mess.”

The youngest daughter, Maci, bursts through the door and plants herself between her mother and older sister. “You need to stop.” She jabs her finger at Harley. “You can be mad all you want, but don’t you dare disrespect my mother and grandmother again. You need to lower your voice before somebody pops you in the mouth.”

“Who?” Harley laughs painfully again. “You?”

“Don’t think I won’t,” Maci snaps.

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