Bruce Noel, Durham Todd, Angela Hornsby, and Christian Dejesus (8)

Bruce Noel, Durham Todd, Angela Hornsby, and Christian Dejesus (8)

    It was seven o'clock and the regular Friday crowd was in The Big 100, 100 Oak Valley's bar. The regulars were Durham Todd, who ran the Quickie! Gas, Angela Hornsby, who was the librarian at Mary Elizabeth Public Libary, and Christian Dejesus, the hip assistant pastor at First Church of 100 Oak Valley. They came in about three minutes apart and were all there, sitting at the counter, side by side by side, by 7:10.

    "A Rowdy Rooster for the regulars, Bruce," Durham said as Angela, the last to arrive, walked in.

Bruce Noel, the Big 100's owner and bartender grabbed three bottles of the beer, cracked them open and splayed them onto the counter.

    The bar, as always at seven when the bar opened, was beginning to fill up with people. The juke in the corner was playing soft rock (Bruce's favorite) and the air was beginning to fill with smell of cigarettes.

    "A toast!" Durham spoke loud over a group of rowdy young people who were coming in from the football game over at Apple Garden K-12.

    "To what?" Angela asked.

    "Same thing as always," Durham grinned and, in unison with Christian and Angela shouted, "TO THE WEEKEND!" And took a large drink from his Rowdy Rooster.

    As they brought their drinks down, the regulars were all giggles and laughs of good joy.

    "How was the week for y'all?" Bruce asked as he filled a mug from the tap.

    "Lousy," Angela admitted, pinching some complimentary mixed nuts from the bowl in front of her and eating them. "Midterms over at Apple Garden started this week and I've been up to my teeth in high schoolers."

    "They really that bad?" Durham asked, swigging his beer.

    "A lot of 'em are, yeah," Angela laughed and shook her head. "Keep trying to peek down my shirt, some of those creepy boys."

    "Hey," Christian Dejesus pointed out. "You're young and smoking, darling. Sometimes the creeps have good taste."

This caused laughter up and down the counter.

    "Well thank you, Christian," Angela giggled around the mouth of her bottle. "But sometimes it's a little gross, you know?"

    "Sure," Durham nodded. "Anyway," he leaned over to look past the young librarian to speak to Christian. "I hear you got yourself a gig at Junior Sermon on Sunday. What's up with that?" Christian rarely ever did Junior Sermon, although by his young, cool look you'd think it was his calling.

    "Gotta talk with some boys," Christian informed the others. "James thought I should do the JS and talk to them after."

    "Who's the boys?" Angela asked.

    "Willy Cross and Billy Moss," Christian said. "At practice today James told me the kids were fishing down at their spot and came across a body floating down the Crick."

    "Oh, Jesus," Angela muttered and then covered her mouth, realizing what she'd just said. "Sorry."

Christian waved the apology away. "Not a thing," he said. "Anyway, I thought I should talk to the boys and see if their alright. Might want to have their folks take them up to St. Claire in the city."

    Both Durham and Angela nodded solemnly and then Durham said, to break the somber mood, "How's the ol' Pastor doing? He got a home run for us come Sunday?"

    "Oh yeah," Christian grinned. "God damn the holy man if it ain't a doozy!" This got all three laughing again.

    "How about you, Durham?" Angela asked after the laughter died down. "How's things at the Quickie Gas!?"

    "Pretty good," Durham said. "Got the cabins up in the Woods all filled."

    "Yeah?" Christian asked. "Any characters out there?"

    "Oh I think so," Durham nodded. "Let's see, got a family from New York over in Cabin 4, some kids in the neighbor cabins, probably here for underage drinking and partying. I swear if I have to go up there more than once this week, they're out. Oh, and then in Cabin 1," He turned to Angela. "You ever hear of the writer Geiger Nelson?"

    "Yeah!" Angela said excitedly. "Geiger Nelson's staying in 100 Oak Valley Woods?"

    "Yup," Durham nodded, finishing off his beer. "Out there working on a new book, he told me over the phone. Out there for the month."

    "Wow," Angela shook her head in amazement. "I wonder if I can get him to autograph the books of his over at the library."

    "I dunno, Angie," Christian shrugged. "You know those celebrity people, always buying caviar and never saying thanks."

    "Guy seemed pretty cool to me," Durham said. "I'm sure he'd be willing to give you his John Hancock. Hell, you and him got a passion in the same league, right?"

    Angela nodded, her thoughts lost on the fact that there was a famous writer somewhere not even thirty miles away.

    "Want another beer, Durham?" Bruce asked from behind the counter, gesturing to the empty Rowdy Rooster bottle in front of the gas station operator.

    "Yeah, what the hell," Durham nodded and took one from the bartender.

    "How about you, Angela?" Bruce asked.

    "I dunno," Angela smiled. "I'm already a bit fuzzy from that one."

    "Girl can't hold her juice," Christian said in a false whisper.

Angela laughed and lightly swatted the assistant pastor in the shoulder.

    "I'll walk you home later," Christian said and then, to Bruce, "Yeah, man, give her another. On me."

    "You're too sweet Christian," Angela grinned.

    "Get a room, you too!" Durham laughed and the others joined in.

Bruce handed Angela another Rowdy Rooster and the regulars sat around drinking and talking and laughing the night away.