Turn right to the Sand Bar

“The hell with it” you think, “I’m not going to be one of those guys who hides out in his room with the lights off listening to breakup songs”. This resolved you turn right and head down the back roads that lead to the Sand Bar. The place is out of the way and a little bit of a dive but as long as you can remember has pretty much been a local favorite. The owner, Kevin, inherited the place from his dad and when asked by a tourist once why he didn’t fix the place up more leaned over the bar to look the guy in the eye and said, “This has always been a local bar and as long as they like it I could give a shit what some rich boy tourists think.” This eloquent piece of wisdom coming from a 6’6” biker looking guy was enough to send the young man and his friends out the door so fast they were almost tripping over each other.

As you pull into the parking lot you can hear the jukebox playing Ministry’s cover of Road house Blues and smile. Even if you hadn’t seen Scott’s truck in its usual spot you’d know he and Andy were still here, off the top of your head you can’t think of anyone else who would have picked that track. You open the door as the song ends and are instantly glad you decide to come, after this summer you’ll be out job hunting and who knows how often you’ll be able to get back here. Before heading out back to the patio, where your two buddies are sure to be, you wander over to the bar to grab a drink.

When you get there you are surprised to see an unfamiliar face behind the bar. As she takes the order of one of the other customers you check out the new bartender; she’s a petite blond, you’d guess around 5’5”or so, with a nice trim figure that fills out her uniform, a pair of short jean shorts and a tight red t-shirt with ‘The Sand Bar’ on the back in tan letters. She has the t-shirt knotted at the bottom showing off a little of her flat belly. If you had to guess you’d say she is around your age. While she turns around to grab a couple of bottles out of the cooler her hips say to the sounds of Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s ‘Slow Ride”. Mentally you make a note to thank your friends for their music selection and think that this girl will definitely pull in some good tips tonight. When she turns around you catch her eye and she makes her way over to you.

“Yes sir, what can I get you?” she asks flashing you a winning smile.

Before you can answer the door to the kitchen opens behind the bar and a familiar voice interjects, “Don’t worry Ivy you don’t have to be nice to that one no matter how hard I try he keeps coming back like a bad cold.” The owner of the voice, a girl with raven black hair, then sticks her tongue out at you playfully.

“Lord knows why, the head bartender is rude and can’t make a drink to save her life. I heard she screwed up a whiskey on the rocks once.” You shoot back and wink at the new girl, who looks back and forth between the two of you uncertainly.

“Well maybe if someone wasn’t so picky about how many ice cubs he gets it wouldn’t be a problem.” The dark haired girl says tossing her towel on the bar top.

“How hard is it count out three cubes?” You ask leaning on the bar getting in the girls face. “One, two, three” you say slowly, counting off on your fingers.

The dark haired girl then grabs your fingers and nearly pulls you over the bar. This causes the new girl to yell in surprise. Instead of hitting you the girl you’re arguing with gives you a big hug. “Welcome home John, been expecting you.”

“Thanks Ash”, you respond sliding back onto your side of the bar, “the boys out back?”

“Same as ever” she confirms. She then turns and looks at her blond coworker and laughs at her expression. “Sorry Ivy, this is John he’s one of our special regulars, he’s been here longer than me even. Of course now that he’s off at college we only see him during the summer.”

“Oh, nice to meet you,” Ivy says still looking a little shocked at your exchange, “I’m Ivy. Now what can I get you?”

“Whiskey three cubes and whatever the trendy chick drink is this week.” Ashley answers for you turning to put more beer in the cooler.

“Nope just the whiskey tonight.” You correct.

“Wait, what?” Ashley turns around surprised. “Where’s little Miss. I’m so cool?” she asks referring to your ex.

“Don’t know”, you reply taking the whiskey from Ivy and downing it in one gulp, “and don’t care. Can I get a refill?”

As Ivy gets you the refill Ashley comes over, “You guys fighting?” she asks with genuine concern. Over the past two years since Ashley had been working here the two of you had become pretty good friends and you had come to trust her as much as Scott, Andy and the rest of your other good friends.

“Nope, not fighting, done.” You reply knocking back your second glass of whiskey.

“Shit what’d she do?” Ashley asks pouring you another.

“How do you know it’s her fault?” you ask touched by the fact that she automatically blames Cecile.

“Because with the exception of being a pain in the ass about your dam drink you’re too nice for your own good” she replies.

“Yeah, well it’s a long story and your working” you say. Just then the door opens and you see two of the girls you’ll be working with this summer; Sam and Kristen, or as Ashley sometimes calls them the gossip column. “Besides the bar has ears” you say nodding in their direction.

“Ugh,” Ashley says following your nod. “Well glad I’m not bartending.”

“You’re going to make the new girl deal with them without any warning?” You ask looking at Ivy with sympathy as she heads into the lions den. “That’s just mean.”

“Hey she’s got to earn her strips some time” Ashley shrugs. “What about you? You going to be ok?”

Touched by her concern you grin and say “You know me, nothing that a whiskey and cigar can’t fix.”

At the mention of the cigar Ashley wrinkles her nose. “Ugh, take it out side, and don’t go getting wasted on me. I might need you and the guys to help clean and bar back after close.”

You sigh and feign being hurt, “just like every other woman in my life, you just want to use me for your own selfish needs.”

She laughs and hands you a couple of beers and refills your glass. “Yeah but how many of them ply you with free booze for you and your friends.”

“Good point” you concede. You take the offered bribe and head out back to find your friends.

As you step out the door you are momentarily blinded by the sun reflecting off the lake. After your eyes adjust you spot the guys at your usual table at the back by the stairs leading down to the beach, with its sand volleyball court and the pier beyond. Scott sees you and waves you over. On the way you see several people you went to high school with and nod in greeting to some of them. As approach the table you here Scott and Andy debating each other.

“Not a chance” Scott says to Andy as he accepts one of the beers from you.

“Why not? I’ve got as good a shot as anybody?” Andy asks finishing off the beer in front of him with one hand and taking the fresh one from you with the other.

“At what, being ‘High Times’ man of the year?” You ask. Andy is one of your best friends but you often wonder how he can function with all the pot he smokes.

“No, but that would be pretty cool,” he replies looking wistful for a minuet, “at being senior guard.”

Senior guard was an honorary title at the beach. It meant you sat in on the scheduling meetings with the beach managers and decide who worked what shifts each week, you got to pick your own schedule, and if a manager couldn’t be there for some reason the head guard was in charge. It went to one of the lifeguards who had been at the beach the longest, and the managers thought was the most responsible.

“Sorry man”, you say clapping Andy on the shoulder, “I gotta go with Scott you’ve got no chance.”

“And I ask again, why not?”

“Did you forget about that time two years ago you fell asleep in the stand at west, twice?” You ask. “That was the first time I saw Leah really pissed. I thought she was going to drag you out of the chair by your ear.”

“Yeah” Scott says,” Bob busted you down to boat rental for the rest of the summer. If he wasn’t such a softie you would’ve never guarded again.”

“Aw man”, Andy puts his head in his hands, “am I ever going to live that down.”

“Nope” you assure him, “besides its Katy’s job.”

Katy was the only person who had been life guarding longer than you and Scott. She was a year older than you guys and was working on her teaching degree. She had been one of the popular girls at your high school but, despite that had always been cool with you and your friends.

“Guess again” Andy says, “She finished her teaching degree after fall semester and got a job at the local elementary school. So Bob offered her a manager’s job, and now they need a new senior guard.”

“How do you know all this?” you ask surprised that Andy is so well informed.

“Duh, facebook”, he replies rolling his eyes. “I know you think it’s stupid but you can find out all sorts interesting of stuff there.”

“Like what?” you scoff. As far as you were concerned all those social networking sites were just the 21st century version of school gossip.

“Like you’re ex is single and really pissed off at you.”

Scott reaches over and smacks him in the back of the head “Jackass”.

“What?” you ask.

“She changed her relationship status to single and put John is an asshole on her wall” Andy informs you.

“Lovely” you mutter, “just one more reason to hate facebook.”

“Anyway”, Scott says changing the subject and giving Andy a look that says drop it, “who do you think is going to get the senior guard gig?”

The three of you sit there and discuss who you think could get the job and plans for the summer. As you’ve been talking the sun has almost set when you hear a voice behind you ask. “So is this some sort of old boys club or can anybody join?”