Mikey and the Chickadee

Chapter 15 - Part 1

Any lost composure had been regained by the time I arrived outside the pub—a good thing, because although I was a few minutes early, Sloan crept up beside me almost immediately.

"Wyatt, buddy, how's things?" he asked, grasping my hand firmly and pulling me close.

"Pretty good, and you?" We framed ourselves against the brick exterior so as not to block the narrow sidewalk.

"Not too bad. Same as last time we saw each other, I guess."

I indicated toward the pub's entrance and said, "Same place."

"Same fucking place, dude. We're an exciting bunch, let me tell you."

We both laughed at this. I had always been a bit taken with Sloan's presence. All told, he wasn't much taller than Marie, and surefooted in every meaning of the word. He possessed a stockiness not only self-described, but from which he derived a sense of personal pride. It felt good to be with him again.

"Marie tells me that we're meeting your man tonight."

"Is there some message thread I'm not a part of or something? Word sure gets around."

He laughed and smacked the wall with an open hand. "Well, hers and mine, I guess."

"Oh, right. Anyway, he's just a friend, and I think you'll like him, Sloan. He's a really good guy."

"If it's the Mikey I'm thinking of, then I already know him."

"Wait...oh, fuck. High school, right?"

He nodded.

"Sorry, I totally forgot you went to Brighton."

"It's okay. I don't talk about it much," he said. "Not too many fond memories from that age."

I smiled. "He even said he was a Bengal. I'm just surprised you never came to mind."

Sloan shrugged. "Yeah, when I saw his picture on your phone he looked familiar to me. But I didn't think much of it until Marie said his name."

"Crazy," I said. The temptation became too great and I asked, "Do you remember anything about him?"

He grinned. "Well, the fact that I remember him at all should tell you he was popular. I didn't give a shit about people in high school. But he was a pretty prominent guy." He paused, eyeing me a little.

"What?"

"You're loving this, aren't you?"

"You got me," I said. "Obviously I'm obsessed with him. Stop teasing me."

"Okay, okay. Honestly, it's not like I ever talked to him. Not to mention he was a grade up. He was a jock. He was rowdy and annoying in the halls just like the rest of the jocks. Let me think...he was a lot skinnier. Like...tall but—I don't know—scrawny. If that picture is actually him then the guy's really bulked up. Good for him. Man, I'm putting myself to sleep with this shit."

I laughed. "Don't hurt yourself. I just wanted to know if he was a nice guy."

"I don't remember. But I don't think it matters. People change a lot after high school."

"They really do," I said.

"You could have gotten a table," said Marie after nearly blasting past both of us. She grabbed our wrists and pulled us toward the door, letting go only as her purse slipped down from her shoulder and into the crook of her arm. "Whoops. Got to keep my moneybag secure, seeing as tonight is on me."

"Only it's not on you," I protested as we stepped inside.

"That's what you think," she said. "Is this table okay with everyone?"