Page 55 of The Cocktail Bar
Sanctuary.
Did he have to mention that word? River didn’t need any more reminders today that he still hadn’t found his get out clause for Saturday’s date with Jane Austen and her furry friends.
Two men were engulfed in silence. One sitting, one standing, until River knew it was his turn to offer up some advice.
“Want me to let you into a little secret?” He coughed in a bid to calm himself down again, like that might also help him locate his voice.
“Well yeah, okay,” said Lee, still looking as glum as could be. “Shoot for the stars but I doubt it’ll make any difference.”
“Give or take a few hundred thousand, you and I have a rather similar looking net worth.”
“Geez Louise. You’re joking, right?”
“No, I am not.” River moved his head from side to side to further reassure.
“Well then what didyousquander it on? And more to the point, why are you still driving around in that hideous excuse for a motor?”
“I’ve been a bit boring, true; a tad sensible. But I’m proof that you can come into money – and mine also came in pretty thick and fast…” He turned, suddenly regaining his composure to gather a selection of bottles, since a stiff drink could not come soon enough for the both of them. “Put it this way,” he continued, “I never really had chance to spend it, that’s how quickly it was piling up. What I mean to say is you can be a multimillionaire without it running your life; you can do it in such a way as to enhance what you have. It’s all about staying grounded. That’s it. Find the thing you’re passionate about, and follow it. Refuse to get entrapped by life’s falsities.”
“Can I ask you something?” River plonked the bottles down and carried on with his interrogation anyway. “Would you still have said yes if Jonie had popped the question after your balls had been picked?”
“Such a way with words, Riv… such a way with words.”
“Well, are you going to answer my question?”
“Yes. Not a doubt about it.”
“There then. That tells you all you need to know… but also that you owemea big fat drink as a thank you for having the inspiration to walk to Tequila that day.”
“I’m still not convinced about that story, you know.”
“You will be soon. Things are only warming up.”
***
River faltered, paper in hand; one last look at Alice’s hastily penned words before he decided if this gave him permission to investigate.
“…weekend break in the city… maybe longer, really not sure. Not sure about anything anymore to tell you the truth. Something’s come up, got to get my head together. Don’t want to hold you back. Will love you forever for all you have done for me. Alice xx”
Autopilot – and the Black Russian he’d shared with Lee half an hour earlier – took over his logical mind. The next thing he knew, he was calling the number at the top of the taxi company’s headed paper receipt, and then waiting, nervously, for somebody to pick up the receiver.
“I’ve been expecting this… to be honest, like.” The woman on the other end of the call let out a deep breath, and, if he wasn’t mistaken, appeared to be simultaneously munching on a packet of crisps. “I’ll call into the bar, gimme five.” And with that she’d hung up on him before he’d even had chance to protest.
“I didn’t mean right now,” River said to the four walls.
He walked over to the door, twisted the sign to ‘closed’, and waited at the nearest table so the driver wouldn’t escape his notice when she did arrive, fingers drumming in anticipation. How had he been so bloody jejune as to take Alice’s erratic words at face value? He stared at them again, suddenly realising they were nothing but a lie laced with anger, fear and upset. There was clearly more to all of this than met the eye and had he only been more tuned in from the start, she’d still be here now, helping him prep for the evening, spoon feeding him with jokes, coming out with long forgotten snippets about the past, further cementing their bond.
No way was she in London. Yet if she’d got a taxi all the way to either one of the two closest cities to Glastonbury, who did she know in Bristol, or Bath?
An excitable shadow blocked the stream of daylight which would usually illuminate the bar through the sheer glass door at this time of day. Intuition told him it wouldn’t be long before this woman spilled some seriously helpful beans, and so he let her in with a welcome smile, and the offer of a strong drink.
***
“Well this is like one of them deja-vus,” said the woman matter-of-factly, adding a quite non-essential snort. She’d thanked River for his cocktail offer, opted for a non-alcoholic Mexican Limeade and then insisted upon taking him to Bath Spa train station immediately, not before outstretching her hand for a business deal kind of a shake. “I’m Hayley by the way, never did introduce myself to your… to Alice.”
“Are you sure about this?” he’d asked. “It’s more than hospitable, and I’m more than happy to drive – the both of us – if you think you can help sniff out some clues.”
“And miss the opportunity to give a lift to the original frontman of Avalonia? Not a snowflake’s chance in hell.”
