What He's Been Missing

“I’ll take that,” she said. “I was just looking for you to say thank you for Western Unioning that money down to Jake for his school books. He needed it for real. And I ain’t had no way to get it to him.”

“No problem,” Bird said. “Don’t mention it. I got Jake long as he got those grades up.”

Ronnie turned to me and said, “My boy Jake in his second year of college down at Tennessee State University.” She nodded to Bird. “This man here sends him money every semester for books and what not. Don’t know what we’d do without him.”

“I don’t know how you have a son in college,” I said. “You can’t be over thirty-five.”

“I had him real young. I was just a baby myself. Ain’t had no business giving birth to nothing at all. But I got lucky. Jake smarter than a roomful of doctors. Got a full scholarship. I just got to send money for his dorm and books. If it wasn’t for people like Bird, I’d have to find me a pole to swing on at the Clermont Lounge—’cause my boy staying at the school.”

“You always talking about swinging on a pole,” Bird joked. “You know damn well you ain’t about to take your clothes off at the old timey strip club. Need to take these drink orders. Get my food ready. All this talking you doing.”

Ronnie hissed at Bird and turned to me.

“Now I know what this fool eating and sipping on. What you want, Ms. Lady?”

“Well, Bird tells me you have seafood,” I said.

“We got fish.”

“What kinds?”

“We got whiting and porgies.”

“Oh . . . How is it prepared?”

I could feel Bird staring at me.

“Both fried,” Ronnie answered.

“No blackened?”

“Fried. On white bread.”

“Wheat bread?”

“Fried. On white bread. I can bring you extra hot sauce.”

“Sounds great.”

“Now, what you want to drink?” Ronnie asked.

“Do you have any wine?”

“Not none I would be drinking,” she said, leaning into me. “I’d stick to the liquor. Manager don’t spend a lot of money on the wine. Don’t nobody here drink it.”

“OK.”

“What you got a taste for? Blue Mother Fucker? Sex on the Beach? Pretty Asshole?”

I didn’t understand anything she was saying, so I went with the best option: “Surprise me.”

Ronnie disappeared into a room behind the bar that looked like a kitchen.

“You ain’t know what she was talking about,” Bird pointed out.

“Nope,” I said and we both laughed.

“Well, don’t be surprised if the drink she makes you has you out on that dance floor grooving like MC Hammer in like ten minutes. She’s been working in this little bar for a long time and they don’t serve light drinks.”