The Potter's Daughter - A chapter each week - Complete Novel Available on Amazon

Chapter 9

Walking into the Stone Tavern Abby was washed with a wave of warmth.  The whole place had the smell of burning wood and stale beer.  The room was full of people shooting pool, leaning at the bar, and sitting at the yellow lacquered pine tables.  A group of men and women standing at the bar wore full body snow suits, some blue and others black, all undone to the waist with the sleeves hanging behind them like tails.  They were the owners of the small fleet of snowmobiles parked in a line outside of the tavern.

In the corner of the room was a small stage that held the house band’s equipment and a space cleared for dancing.  The equipment consisted of microphones, monitors, and a single bass drum kit.  Tonight the two men on stage in blue jeans and t-shirts were not using any of the equipment.  They sat on stools with acoustic guitars and were playing a mix of originals and alternative rock covers.  They switched off on vocals, sometimes harmonized, and chose their material well.  The music was not the kind to dance to, though the melody did tempt one to sing along if caught off guard.

Sitting in the center of the room between the pool table and the hearth were Caroline and Mitch.  Mitch was pouring the last of the beer into Caroline’s glass mug.  Brian was behind them carrying a fresh pitcher from the bar over to the table.  Abby removed her vest as they exchanged hellos - kisses three times for Caroline - and then hung the vest on one of the pegs that jutted out from the large wooden pillar next to the table.

Caroline touched Abby’s arm, “Glad you could make it.”

“Wednesday at the Stone Bar,” said Abby as she sat in the empty chair at table.  “How could I miss it?”

“Well it could be karaoke night,” added Brian and they all laughed.

Wednesday night at the Stone Tavern was a regular occurrence for Caroline and Abby when they were young.  In the winters of their youth the tavern was the only place to unwind during the week.  In the summers the tavern was a great kickoff to the local cottage and beach parties.  For Caroline and Brian the tavern was a regular occurrence since they had moved to the lake.  A time to swing back a couple of mugs and commune with the other locals as they discussed hunting and fishing, building and tearing down, and how the bad winter of fifteen years ago compared to the winter of thirty years ago.  The Stone Tavern's smell, the warmth, the conversations, and the faces of the old timers holding up the end of the bar were very much a part of home as the lake.

Brian poured Abby a mug of beer then refreshed his own.  Abby needed to slip a second hand under the heavy glass mug when she took the handle so she could have a steady sip.  Abby took a drink and let the foam momentarily sit in her mouth before swallowing.  She truly enjoyed beer on the rare occasion.  She preferred wine yet pitcher beer from the tap was an old indulgence from her childhood.  The beer tasted delicious in the warm room.

“You came just in time,” said Caroline.  “These fellas have been talking about the new snowmobiles outside since we got here.”

“Well a man has to have an appreciation of machinery,” Brian retorted.

“There was a new one?” asked Abby, her eyebrow lifted.

“Exactly,” said Caroline lifting her mug to toast her friend.

The discussion at the table stayed light as they drank their beer and joked with each other.  There was a new project coming up that was still in the architectural stages.  Abby enjoyed hearing Brian passionately explain archways and stairwells though most of the conversation was Greek to her.  As she listened to the architect and the carpenter’s vision of the project to come, she noticed that both were wearing wool sweaters.  She caught herself thinking how handsome Mitch looked in his.  The sweater added to his musculature giving Mitch a statuesque quality that she had not seen in him before.  Caroline touched her hand then winked when Abby glanced at her.