“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
- Khalil Gibran
Jack was amazed at how busy Barney’s was for a Friday night. The only park they could find was down a side-street. He worried that it was too far away from the bar, but Ally insisted it was fine. By the time he got out of the car and walked around to open her door, she was already lifting her legs out of the car. Her crutches leant against the inside of the door. In his haste to help, he pulled the door wider for her, sending them crashing to the ground.
“Shit – I’m sorry,” he mumbled, hastily gathering them up and handing them to her.
“Don’t worry about it. They’re pretty tough, they can take it.”
She didn’t seem fazed, but he felt like an idiot just the same. He retreated to a safe distance, holding the door as she leaned the crutches against them again, moving herself forward and preparing to stand. She locked her braces through her jeans, using the car door and the back of her seat to hoist herself upright. Shuffling until she got her balance, she reached for her crutches, sliding her arms into the cuffs. Despite the intense concentration on her face, she didn’t even break a sweat. Once again, he found himself with a deep admiration for her.
He fell in step with her as they made their way up the sidewalk towards the corner. It was a far cry from the way they used to walk together. He pushed his hands deep into his pockets to avoid reaching out for her hand.
Barney’s was noisy, crowded and fairly well-lit. A loud group of revelers jostled them as they made their way through the door and into the bar. He grabbed Ally’s arm automatically, stepping in closer to her. This was exactly the opposite of what he expected and his heart sank.
“Sorry,” he said, raising his voice to be heard above the general din. “I had no idea it was gonna be like this.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Ally smiled tightly. “Let’s see if we can find a table.”
“I was here the other night and it was pretty much dead. Is it always like this on a Friday?” he asked, leaning closer to her in order to be heard.
“I guess so. I haven’t been here on a Friday night in a long time, too crowded for me.”
Jack took her arm again, careful not to interfere with her balance. “You should have said something. We could have gone somewhere else instead.”
“There really isn’t anywhere else these days, that’s the problem. Harry kind of has the monopoly.”
“Just between you and me, I’d have happily stayed home and had a drink there,” he admitted, wishing they had.
“We’re here now, I guess we might as well make the best of it,” she said, inclining her head towards the rear of the room. “Hey, look – I think that booth is clearing out up the back. Maybe we can grab that?”
He followed her gaze. “Looks like a good bet.”
He kept his eye on the group of people who were exiting the booth, deep in conversation over the music blaring out from the jukebox. Ally began navigating slowly across the room towards them and he fell in behind her, watching nervously. She seemed confident enough, but it wasn’t her he worried about, it was everyone else. Half the bar was intoxicated, and as a result, completely self-absorbed. As if to illustrate his fears, she narrowly avoided being knocked over by a drunken patron who slurred an apology as he eyed her up with open curiosity. With one eye on the table and one on Ally, he made a quick judgment call, recklessly abandoning chivalry to walk ahead of her. With one arm held out protectively towards her, they moved slowly through the crowd towards the corner.
They finally got to the booth as the last of the table-stragglers was leaving. He waited while she eased herself in, sliding in opposite her. She quickly stowed her crutches beneath the table and away from the masses, and then it was just the two of them, smiling nervously at each other over the table.
“That wasn’t so bad,” he quipped, trying to lighten the mood.
Her smile became more genuine. “Thanks for your help.”
Trepidation melted away a little.
“You’re welcome. Right,” he stood up again and dug out his wallet from the depths of his pocket. “First things first: beer. I’ll be right back.”
He fought his way through the crowd to the bar and waited impatiently to be served. He glanced back at her a few times, but she seemed engrossed in people-watching. Someone jostled him, apologising loudly. He brushed it off, moving closer to the bar.
“Jack!”
The throngs of people around that end of the bar seemed to hush and he turned around slowly, holding his breath.
“I thought that was you. Heard you were back in town.”
Brown eyes narrowed slightly as a guy he went to school with made his way through the crowd towards him.