Bullish

Johnny was frequently asked by potential employers, friends, and strangers about his sudden career shift in his mid-twenties. To this question, he usually just smiled and politely answered that he was making too much money at his old job. However, the more complex story of his decision to leave his home state of New York and move west was not one he shared with more than a few eager ears.

...

"Do you even have to try?" The waitress served Alisha another fresh IPA with an orange peel straddling the edge of the glass.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to." Johnny pointed at his own glass, almost empty now, and then held up a finger to the waitress, signaling that he was ready for another milk stout.

The grin Johnny wore childishly on his square face told Alisha that he knew exactly what she was referring to, but she entertained him nonetheless.

"These women, do you, like, hand them a resume, or just flex your pectoral muscles before they invite you for drinks at their apartment?"

Johnny let out a small laugh that took form as a sharp grunt.

"What, you don't think it's my irresistible charm that gets me laid?"

"I have my suspicions." Alisha smiled in that way that gave Johnny a soft shock to his abdomen.

When the waitress set his matte black drink on the small table in between him and Alisha, he announced, "Alright, this is our last drink, I need to eat something. These people at the firm seem to think that salads pass for actual food."

About halfway through his 16-ounce pour, he waved over the waitress and politely asked for the check.

"I never see you go out with the guys anymore. What's wrong with hanging out with people exactly like you?" Alisha looked at him as if trying to answer her question by studying his smile.

"The bullpen boys? I see them enough. You can only spend so much time with less handsome and intelligent versions of yourself."

Alisha giggled. Johnny didn't want to admit to himself or anyone else that he had caught feelings for a friend, especially one that knew so much about his life, but her laugh gave him a feeling that only being around Alisha summoned. He had been in a relationship with someone like Alisha before, and she had caused him to experience emotions that he would rather leave entirely in the past. But sometimes when he was with Alisha, he let his mind wander to a remote place where he owned a few acres on a lake, and made her french toast with bacon on the side each morning.

He was experiencing one of these moments when the cute waitress brought back the black leather folder with their bill inside.

Alisha reached for the check, but Johnny warded her hand away with his own robust fingers.

"Come on. Maybe when you find a job that doesn't pay you in 'experience,'" he gave her a couple of quotation marks with his fingers, "then I'll let you buy."

"Hey! They actually pay me money now, although it's only good towards Park Place and a few other valuable properties as well."

After walking out into the moist ninety-degree New York atmosphere, he looked at her and smiled mischievously.

"What train do you take again? Or do you need to catch a plane back up to Washington Heights? I can't remember. Although I hear the Southwest peanuts taste better than the United ones if you're looking for a flight." Johnny frequently poked fun at Alisha's apartment; she could hardly afford to live anywhere south of 125th St with her entry-level nursing job.