A boisterous group's cheers shook the natural wood themed rafters of the sports bar, Rib Racks. Four tables of football fans had been pulled together in front of the giant screened TV in order to rowdily enjoy the playoff game. The west coast broadcast was running late in the east and this group was the last batch of customers left in the restaurant: and they showed no sign of going anywhere until their game was over.
Heather, their Rib Rack girl, bent from the waist to deliver their latest round of beer pitchers. The signature move showed a generous view of her cleavage from the low cut halter top, as well as tightly wrapping her shorts across the back side. But none of the men seemed to acknowledge her display as they roared at a questionable ruling on the screen. Heather stood back up and forced herself to maintain a smile; even after an offensive slap by one of the patrons forced her to twitch.
But the smile was quickly replaced with an annoyed sneer as soon as she turned away from the obnoxious customers and faced Dee, the bartender. Dee suppressed her own grin as Heather hurried to join her behind the bar.
"And you thought they weren't paying any attention to you." Dee whispered with a smile.
"Aren't they ever going to leave?" Heather responded with a moan.
"Not the way LA's offense is playing" Dee nodded toward the TV.
"Don't they care that I have school in the morning?"
"Why don't you go ahead and get out of here. I can take care of these guys."
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Heather tried to politely suppress her enthusiasm.
"Sure, Rodney's still in the back cleaning the grill. I'll be fine." Dee went back to wiping down the bar. "You go."
"Thanks, Dee. You're the greatest." Heather scurried to grab her jacket and slip out the back door into the rainy night.
Dee shut down as much of her station as she could and leaned back to resign herself to watching the rest of the game over the screaming drunks.
But suddenly she swore softly as the sound of the front entrance revealed a new customer, she should have locked the door over an hour ago. Fortunately she recognized a friendly regular as he shook off the rain and cross to the bar.
"Hi Dee," James Wayne said as he wiped his rain spotted glasses off on his shirt sleeve.
"Hi James," Dee said with a sincere smile, "I'm sorry, the grill's closed, but I can get you a drink?"
"No thanks," James replaced his glasses and sat at the bar. "I'm here to see you. Remember how you said that you didn't have any memories of your childhood?"
"Oh, I'm sorry I went on about that." Dee said, turning away from her short, nerdy looking friend. "I don't know what got me started about that. It's not the kind of thing I normally tell anyone."
"Hey, it's okay." James smiled reassuringly, "I'd rather hear you be honest than hear your normal Rib Rack line. 'Check out my rack... of ribs!' Do guys really like that?"
"Sharing personal information isn't really in the Rib Rack's manual." Dee rolled her eyes, "You just seem to bring out the honesty in me."
"Well, I have good news for you," James grinned, "I found out why you don't remember anything before you were 17."
"What a minute, you've been checking out my past?" Dee was shocked.
"Only the stuff that you don't know about," James replied
"Don't you think that's stepping over the line?" Dee fought to keep her anger in check, "Confiding a little personal information does not give you the right to spy on me!"
"Wait! Give me a chance!" James held up his hands defensively, "I can explain everything. You do want to find out why you forgot things, don't you?"
Dee paused before replying, "I... I don't know. I mean, I'm not sure. I assume I blocked those memories for a reason. I've heard enough stories from other girls about uncles and stepfathers... Maybe I'm better off not knowing."
"Well I can tell you that it wasn't anything traumatic." James stopped and caught himself. "Actually it probably is kind of traumatic, but not like you're thinking."
"But you think you can help me remember my life when I was little?" Dee could feel her heartbeat begin to quicken, "Even the good times?"
"Guaranteed! Especially the good times." James smiled and pulled a small dome shaped object out of his pocket. "But I have to warn you that it might be a little hard to believe."
"I'm willing to believe anything."
"Sure, you say that now," James handed her the small device. "Do you know what this is?"
"Should I?" Dee asked.
"These are your memories up until you were 17 years old."
"It looks like an electronic deviled egg."
"This is the part that's going to be a little hard to believe." James glanced at the group of sports fans who remained focused on the game. Then he leaned across the bar and whispered conspiratorially. "The reason you don't remember anything before you were 17 is because you were abducted by aliens and they wiped out your memories. For some reason these guys love messing around with human memories."
"And you're going to fix what the aliens did to me?" Dee looked at him skeptically.
"That's what I'm here for." He threw his arms wide.
"Oh come on. James I'm so disappointed in you. I've had every kind of guy come in here and hit on me with all kinds of insane stories. I really thought you were different."
"I'm not hitting on you... I promise." James implored her to believe him, "I'm not saying that I wouldn't... I mean, you are beautiful, but I'm not. Really!"
"You'd do better just being yourself than making up a stupid story about aliens."
"All I'm asking you to do is hold this to your head for 10 seconds; nothing else." James held up the egg shaped device. "You don't know what I went through to get it!"
"That's crazy."
"Come on, what have you got to lose?"
"I'm not going to end up naked on the bathroom floor regretting this, am I" Dee asked.
"I promise you won't." James smiled sincerely.
YOU ARE READING
Nerd Knight Short Stories
Ciencia FicciónThey are here. They walk among us. They have been with us since the beginning of civilization. Most people don't notice. Most people just pass them by. But those that notice, those that look closely can see that they're just a little bit... gee...
