THE BETTER PART OF VALOR • by Tad Tuleja
He had been cut this bad once before. In the Central Highlands, a punji stick had jabbed him below the knee. It had gone in less than an inch, but the feces that the VC had smeared on it had… Continue Reading
bars
A TIME TRAVELER WALKS INTO A BAR • by Joel Fishbane
In a few minutes, a guy who looks like a younger version of me is going to ask you out. He’s right over there, shooting pool with his friends, and he’s about to remark that he likes your crooked smile.… Continue Reading
BLIND TASTING • by Dawn Vogel
Hollis wasn’t sure why she’d agreed to let Macy set her up on a blind date, but here she was, heading down the stairs to a tiny, hole-in-the-wall bar. She checked her phone to see if she had any messages… Continue Reading
THE GAMBLE • by Paul Allih
When Martin walked into The Thirsty Mermaid, the bar was damn near empty. The bartender, a young, chiseled Hispanic man, gave him a nod while two old drunkards at opposite ends of the bar stared into the bottom of their… Continue Reading
A PEEK BEHIND THE (RED) CURTAIN • by Jennifer Brophy
“So… is it true what they say about redheads?” I noticed him when he first walked into the bar. I don’t mean that in a “he walked through the door and my heart skipped a beat” kind of way. He… Continue Reading
MAYBE NEXT TIME • by Dmitri Christopher
“Let me guess, education conference?” He has that late Clooney salt and pepper scruff, that skips leg day sort of build. The hotel bar is nearly empty, but he’s still here, cruising. Lucky me. “The glasses gave it away? Who… Continue Reading
DIRTY POOL ANGEL ON BROKEN BELLS ROAD • by John Weagly
The sign outside the bar read “Cheap Drinks! Free Pool! Live Music Combo!,” but the combo on stage consisted of one guy in a Santa hat with a Casio keyboard. He was singing John Denver’s “Please Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk… Continue Reading
RAINBO • by Brian Moll
One drink, another. Stack the spent $2 Hamms into a nice pyramid. The sun hasn’t even set yet. The drinks tonight are on the State of Illinois. See this leather jacket? Bet you’d never guess it belonged to Paul Newman.… Continue Reading
BAR ASSOCIATION • by Leigh Lewis
I arrived at the hotel bar just as things were picking up, slid onto a barstool and swiveled to peek up at the big guy next to me. Well, I tried to, anyway, but looking up through my new mink… Continue Reading
THE LUCK OF THE FIDDLER • by Irene Montaner
I had never seen anyone play the fiddle like her. To be fair, though, I hadn’t seen those many fiddlers playing on stage. I am not the most musical person. Jan was, and he reckoned that she wasn’t that good.… Continue Reading