The girl asks a young adult woman wearing a jean jumper with a white, long-sleeved shirt underneath. She ordered a pocket apple pie and an espresso martini while the girl ate waffles with vanilla ice cream.
“It serves the same purpose as the basement with no laundry machine and electric box. Some households refurbished it as a bedroom for their kids, but still it became an extra storage as usual after they left.”
The woman reply as she bit on a warm juicy apple filling.
She was once known as the most isolated child. Being held captive by kidnappers for almost 10 years in a hidden camp, she developed a unique communication where she was unable to speak normally. Still, she expressed it as sequential patterns of hand gestures. To simplify her story, she started communicating by using sign language, which she learned from other abducted children in detention camps. As she was saved, she received a proper education and completed high school. She often found herself disconnected from conversations and sinking into her imagination, so she chose Farming to keep herself in touch with her family heritage of agriculture and escape from frustrated social events. However, she began writing a story for children with learning disabilities and volunteering as an assistant in a dementia center to stay connected with people.
“How did you make this pie? This is seriously a game-changer. The pie crust, an amazing filling, the texture, it all perfectly balances.”
The woman praise bartender as she clean her mouth with napkins.
“Well, I got a pre-made pie dough from a nearby bakery. I peeled the apple, then soaked it in salt water before cutting it into small chunks. I boil it with sugar until it becomes soft and pliable. The important thing is that you applied a thin layer of melted butter and brown sugar to the pie shell before putting it in the oven. It should be fine when the outside turns golden brown with a subtle sugary scent.”
The bartender replies as he prepares another batch for his customers.
“May I ask you what brings you to the bar tonight?”
He politely asks her presence today as he puts down another plate for the woman.
She went quiet for a second to process an answer for him.
“Well, I felt a bit lonely recently, and I recently drank myself to bed with homemade red wine. It’s more of the need to change, I suppose.”
The bartender looked surprised at the woman's answer, and so did the girl.
“What do you mean by ‘changes’? As in beauty or as in personal growth. What is it?”
“More of a relationship side of things, and that’s why I want to try something different.”
She suddenly speaks in a loud, cheerful tone, then proceeds to ask the bartender for a flavor to help her find the perfect drink.
The bartender hesitates at first, but he reluctantly agrees to her request.
As the night went on, the bartender prepared her some of the standard drinks often found at various occasions, including nightclubs, events, niche restaurants, and celebrations. A combination of pure and mixed seasonal concoctions is presented and tested. Some are sweet, some are very bitter, some drinks hardly ever contain spirits. All in all, none of them seems to satisfy her needs.
The girl who watches an ongoing event has a very passionate interest in bartender craftsmanship while hurrying to prepare another bucket for the woman, who has a tendency to throw up after a couple of drinks.
The woman becomes increasingly frustrated and burdened by her lack of satisfaction with any drink she has tried so far. As she was about to give up, the bartender opened a can of store-bought beer to keep himself on track. The woman asks for the same beer he holds. He pulls out another one from the fridge under the bar. The moment she takes a sip of cold fizzy foam from aluminum cans, her eyes widen as if she has discovered the treasure beneath a cornfield.
“This is it. This is what I had been looking for. I found it! Yes!”
She jumps from her seat, putting both of her arms above her head. She smiles until a wrinkle appears in the corner of her mouth. As she is about to thank the bartender, the girl laughs out loud, so does the bartender, who giggles while looking at the woman.
“Why beer cans?”
The girl asks the woman, who gulps down half of the can.
She puts the can down and replies to her.
“It's just simply lovely, balanced with the aftertaste and the fizziness when you open a can.”
“So I figure that is the kind of relationship you’re seeking, isn’t it?”
The woman is struck by the girl’s questions, for a moment. Before she may ask further, the bartender elaborates on the girl’s intentions.
“Well, in life, you will encounter different people on numerous occasions. They will have a distinct personality and achieve notable successes in life. Whether you like it or not, you are going to experience disappointment in relationships just like your tasting experience tonight.”
He pauses for a moment to keep his throat refreshed with beer cans.
“All in all, at least you know what you are seeking in relationships, but to be clear, if you never put yourself out there, you will hardly know whether that person is the one you truly deserve to nourish and grow old together. A review is just other words on their behalf; you won’t know how valuable they are until you get to know them.”
As he finishes his monologue, the girl nods her head as an agreeable sign to the bartender. Even though the bartender looks ridiculously shining with an aura of his wisdom in the girl’s eyes, she just signed and let him pass without mocking him.
The woman let out a little laugh as she begins to think about the bartender’s words. Tonight’s experience is just the beginning of her new journey in life, one that will connect her with society. Learning about people's personalities after traumatic events holds her back from opening up to others for a while.
The woman pays the bills and gives the bartender her homebrew red wine, which he gladly accepts as a thank you. Before the woman left, the girl put a dime in her hand for good luck in her future soulmate seeking.
The woman takes it and hugs her before leaving through the front door.
“I am pretty surprised about your service quality for tonight. Who would have thought someone like you would know so much about relationships?”
The girl teases him as she finishes the waffle.
“Not every relationship rolls out like a romantic comedy, and it does not always have a happy ending as well. I usually end up on the last one most of the time. You will know when you see someone.”
He quietly answers the little girl’s question, then continues washing equipment.
“If it was like that, then I think it’s time.”
“For what?”
The bartender curiously replies to the girl's question as he starts to wonder about the girl's peculiar manner tonight..
“Should we talk about you now?”