https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VIVSHOQboo731Please respect copyright.PENANAm5ZV7gKQIg
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"Jack! Get the hell outta here, you damn knucklehead," the bartender said to me quietly but sternly. I couldn't remember his name, but we'd evidently met before. "You're drunk off your ass again. It's bad for business."
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"Aw c'mon, guy," I said carefully. "I'm Irish, it's in my blood. Plus tonight's my only night off... You're not gonna do me like that, are you? Your old pal Jack?"
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He sighed. "Fine. But I'm cutting you off. Finish your drink then get lost."
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I winked at him.
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"I mean it, Jack."
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"I know, I know you do." I raised my hands disarmingly. "It's not like I have the cash for another one anyway," I muttered as he walked away.
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I took a deep sip and looked up at the TV... We were down seven at the top of the seventh. Some things never change, I guess.
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"Aw, this game isn't worth watching anyway," I said loudly, and I walked to the door.
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"Hope you're not driving, Jack," the bartender called out as I left.
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Joke's on him. I didn't own a car.
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Not that I needed one, though. I stepped out into the cool night air and lit a cigarette. Here in the only European-style city in America (it's arguable), everything was just about within walking distance anyway. I raised the cigarette to my mouth and missed on my first try. A girl nearby turned and raised an eyebrow.
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"Doing okay there?"
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"Never been better, sweetheart. You live around here?" I said.
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She nodded. "I just came to watch the game. I don't know what I was expecting," she said with a smile.
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"Ain't that the truth," I said. "The name's Jack."
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"Nice to meet you, Jack. I'm Anne."
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I sighed. "It's a damn shame, though. If I were five years younger with two good knees I'd go and play myself. They need an ace, that's what they need."
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"You played professional baseball?" She said. "YOU?"
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"See, that's hurtful, dear!" I laughed. "Aye, I spent a few years playing for the Twins. They used to use words like 'meteoric' and 'prodigy.' It came to an end early though, after that accident at the train station."
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"You hurt your knee at the train station?" She said. She was playing along.
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"That I did, sweetheart. I stepped in between a pair of robbers and some old grandma. I knocked them both out cold but I didn't see their buddy come at me from behind. I was laid up for three weeks before I could even let my dog out by myself. Little guy was going crazy."
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She laughed again. "I can't tell if you're screwing with me."
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I mimed an X on my chest. "Cross my heart, dear. But now that you mention it, screwing doesn't sound too bad..." I winked.
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Anne snorted. "You look like you could be forty."
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"And you don't look a minute over twenty five." That was generous. "It's from spending so much time in the sun, dear. I spent a few years traveling the world on my sailboat, it ages you quicker than you'd think."
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"You have a sailboat?" She said, skeptical.
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"Aye. Well, I used to. I had to sell it to pay for my nephew's college education. He's the first in our family to graduate from Harvard. I dropped out myself after three years. I toured Europe for a few tears with my band, way back in the day."
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"Jack, you're full of shit," said Anne. "There's dirt on your face and a hole in your shirt."
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"Some things are more important than clothes, dear," I said.
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"Alright, well it was nice to meet you," she said. "I have to start heading home." She turned to walk away.
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I hesitated, and then called out. "Hey, Anne."
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She stopped.
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"Care to join me for one more round? I have some whiskey at my place."
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"Is it a mansion? Do you have a swimming pool filled with wine?" She said.
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"No, it's..." I took a deep breath. "It's an apartment. And I have trouble making rent sometimes. Besides, a swimming pool with wine in it would just get sticky."
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She sighed. "Only one drink?"
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"I only have enough liquor for one drink." I smiled.
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"Fine, let's go," she said. "It's not like I have anything better to do, right?"
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"You say that, honey, but I have no problem being a last resort. In fact, it reminds me of back when I used to fly a fighter jet. They'd send me in when nobody else could get it done!"
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"Oh brother," Anne sighed.
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I winked, and the stars over my city winked right back at me.
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