Remember Me [Jalex]

.6.

Lunch was enjoyable. We had it in a nice restaurant that served their food on wooden boards instead of plates. It marvelled me how they managed to keep everything from rolling off onto the tables and floors. Every dish was presented and decorated like they were meant to be on the cover of a recipe book. Every component of my burger was placed at some angle or another with great care and attention to detail. And it tasted as good as it looked.

Throughout lunch, I listened to the others discuss current affairs. I had no inkling about anything they were talking about so I kept silent. Their conversation switched from sports to politics to new gadgets out in the market then back to sports. I understood a bit of the sports talk. I knew the team names and the different games. But I didn't know any of the players' names and by the sound of things, a few of the teams' reputations had changed over the decade.

Politics bored me and the new technology felt like something out of a sci-fi movie. Both felt unrelatable to me and I tuned out most of it.

After lunch, we set off to visit the various pubs that we owned. The first one was called The Cornerstone and only down the street from the restaurant we were in. The name was slightly ironic seeing as the pub was situated smack in the middle of the row of shops. It had tinted glass in its windows and door so the interior of the joint could not be seen from the outside. There were a handful of small, circle tables set up outside with four chairs tucked under each table. Jack led the way in, pushing the door open to let the rest of us in.

It seemed a bit early to be in a pub but there was already a few people perched at the bar. One of two looked up when we entered but returned to their drinks after the first glance. Classic rock music played from speakers tucked away in the dark corners of the place. The bartender greeted all of us and Jack, Rian and Zack responded. Hanging back slightly, I just nodded politely when he looked my way.

Looking around the dimly lit place, I admired the way it was set up. If I had to describe the pub in one word, it would be classic. The bar and the shelves behind the counter was all made of wood. On the red brick walls hung framed posters of great rock bands from the 60's to the 80's. There was a small stage meant for live band performances and there were low coffee tables surrounding it. Further away from the stage and along the walls were taller benches and stools, still all made of wood. It felt like if I were to close my eyes and inhale deeply, I would catch the scent of cigars. Instead, it smelled of stale cigarettes and alcohol just like any pub would.

The three of them had a brief chat with the bartender in low voices while I stood around, feeling like a fish out of water. I saw Jack nudge Zack, who left the huddle to approach me immediately after on what I assumed was Jack's instructions.

"Want a tour of the place?" Zack offered. "This used to be your favourite joint."

I nodded. "It's a nice place," I said, as if to back up the taste of pre-amnesia me. "Sure, let's go have a look around."

Zack led me off to a discreet door in the corner of the room just as I saw Jack, Rian and the bartender retreat into the door behind the counter. The door we went in led to a dark, carpeted staircase that went up. Along the walls I could just make out even more classic rock posters.

"This place is kind of an, uh, bed and board," Zack introduced, a small chuckle in his voice. "All of our joints are, actually. We cater for backpackers and people who get too drunk to go home and all that." He looked up at the ceiling before muttering, "The lightbulb must've blown again."

He led me up the stairs until we reach the first floor. It was brighter in the corridor than the staircase and I could see the wine coloured carpets and beige walls with equally distributed wooden doors on either side of me. Zack fit a key into the first door on the left and swung it open.

"This is how all the rooms look like," Zack said. "Very simple, just a bed and satellite TV and a bathroom."

I nodded as I looked around. The bathroom was small, with just enough space to fit a sink, a toilet, and about three feet of standing space. A water heater was installed on the wall and that was all. The bed was a queen sized bed, at least, with two small lamps and tables flanking it. Simple and minimalistic, it wasn't designed for luxurious stay but it served its purpose.

There were ten rooms on this floor and it seemed quiet and empty. Then from the door furthest away emerged a scantily clad woman with last night's makeup smudged on her face. She gave a start when she noticed us.

"Hey, Zack," she greeted smilingly. "Hey, Alex, haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," I replied politely.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta go," she said. She walked past us hurriedly, her heels making soft thuds on the carpet as she moved.

I looked at Zack for an explanation and he just shrugged. "She's a regular."

I didn't probe further and Zack turned back towards the staircase. This stretch of stairs were just as dark as the first one. Unlike downstairs however, when I looked up I noticed that this flight of stairs didn't have a light installed. We went up to the top floor and the steps ended abruptly. Zack flicked a switch to reveal a door just a few paces from the top step.

Zack unlocked the door to reveal a suite much better looking than the other floor. As Zack turned on the lights around the place, I saw that the main room was an office with a work desk and shelves of files around it. Off the side, there was a bedroom. It was more comfortable than what was downstairs but nowhere near what we had at home.

"This is the office," Zack said, stating the obvious. "This is where we work usually."

"And there's a bed here?"

"Sometimes we work long hours," he said.

"Does that happen very often?"

"I don't know," Zack chuckled. "Usually you and Jack would be here."

"Ah, I see," I murmured. "How many joints do we have altogether?" I asked.

Zack took a moment to think before answering. "I think we have ten now," he trailed off, unsure of the exact figure.

"Ten! That's a lot," I exclaimed. "And it sounds like a lot of work."

"Yeah," Zack agreed. "We don't really do the paper work around here, we have staff help and we split the workload so it's not too bad. We just pop in to make sure things are running smoothly. You and Jack are in charge of five of them from here and Rian and I take care of five more in the next area."

I nodded my understanding. "Do all the joints look like this?"

"No, every one is different to cater for different tastes," Zack replied. "They all have beds to let but the look and feel are different. You designed this one," he added. "They're pubs, not franchises."

We both laughed.

"I think they should be done downstairs," Zack spoke up again.

When we got back to the ground floor, Jack and Rian were back out at the bar and waiting for us. Zack told the bartender about the lightbulb that needed changing and the bartender promised to see to it right away. Without following up and making sure the bartender kept his promise, we bid goodbye to him and went on our way. 

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A bit of a boring and uneventful chapter, but it's just a filler.

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I'll see you soon.