Len and Norma Lose a Body

Chapter 14

Sharon didn't really know what her plan of action was here. She looked around at her table and realized this group was still going strong. Sure she loved hanging out with them, it made her feel young, but right now she was feeling very very old. A lot of them were from away, and she didn't like the way they were criticizing the bar, the people, the town itself. Sharon was inwardly offended, but didn't want to let it show. If she seemed grumpy it would be easy enough to blame it on the alcohol and hours spent sitting in sun at Elaine's.

Aaron was the center of attention. Sharon liked it when she was the center of attention. It was probably what drew her to him. She felt seen by him, liked the way he flirted and made her feel, but could clearly see at this booth that this is how he treated everyone. She could see the younger female teachers swoon over him and she thought that they were making themselves look like idiots. It never occurred to her that she was doing the exact same thing or that at the root of her sudden moodiness was jealousy.

Sharon slid out of the booth and made her way up to the bar. "Hey Steven, can I just get like a glass of water?" Steven grabbed a glass from behind the bar and began filling up a fresh pitcher of water to set on top of the bar. "Where's Mike tonight?" he asked looking over at the table where she had been sitting. Steven was used to seeing Mike in here and would have loved a good catch up. Sharon ignored the question and asked about the long table of oil field workers behind her. "Doesn't really matter who they are as long as they pay their tabs at the end of the night," Steven said laughing

She was halfway through her next question when an unfamiliar voice interrupted her from behind. "It's better to get your information from the source," a stranger with facial hair that Sharon thought was incredibly tacky said to her smiling. "Oh, ah what?" The guy had completely caught Sharon off guard and she responded flustered. Facial hair ordered two drinks as Sharon drank her water and tried to look anywhere except at the guy.

The plop of a glass in front of her on the bar caught her attention and Sharon noticed that the guy was staring at her. "Oh no thanks, I'm on the water?" "So what do you wanna know?" Facial Hair asked her. "Nothing," Sharon was embarrassed and not loving the attention, but he thought the small town shy thing was cute. "That drink will help you loosen up." Sharon felt a shudder go through her. Seriously, what a creep.

...

Aaron was having a great night. These ladies loved him and he reveled in it. He didn't notice at first that Sharon had left, but noticed her absence after he'd told some absolute classic stories and she wasn't there to laugh or ohh and ahh at the details. He stretched up in the booth and scanned the bar behind him. Spotting quite a few ladies he wouldn't mind heading home with tonight when he spotted Sharon at the bar chatting with some random dude. He squinted trying to get a good look and then realized that the table of rig pigs was also watching. Oh shit, he thought, I better go rescue her.

...

Norma and Len were enjoying their Friday evening coffee and a slice of chocolate cake. Norma's chocolate cake was famous, in her mind, and whenever someone had the audacity to ask for the recipe she gladly write it out in black pen on a recipe card for them. It made her seem generous, but the reality of the fact was that she left out an ingredient. The cake would turn out and they would eat chocolate cake, but there was no way it would taste as good at Norma's. This was small town baking politics.

Len didn't say much. He didn't have to. Norma said most things for him. They had been together so long that there were lots of unspoken communication that had developed between the two of them. Norma had outlined the weeks' worth of gossip and outlined the route she thought they should take for their cruise. She quizzed Len for makes and models of vehicles so they could be sure of who was parked where. Norma knew that she needed Len for this information. Len was a details guy and Norma knew that the devil is in the details.

Len always teased Norma that she had missed her calling as a detective. She knew everything that happened in this town. She still gardened not because she overly enjoyed it, but because it was easier to keep an eye of the comings and goings on the neighbours. She volunteered on several committees not because she was particularity passionate about the project, but wanted the insider information, and talked endlessly on the phone. Len who was quiet by nature just couldn't understand wanting to be in everyone else's business all the time, but if he was being honest he did kind of get a kick out of hearing it from Norma.

...

Back at the bar, Aaron sidled up to Sharon at the bar under the guise of buying another drink and casually interrupted her conversation with this stranger. Aaron also noticed his overly manicured facial hair and thought that it made him look like an idiot. "Move along bro, she's married." There, Aaron thought, problem solved. "Maybe keep better track of your wife," the stranger shot back. "Oh, she's not my wife," Aaron replied a little too quickly. "Then this isn't your business then, is it?" Aaron was done talking to this jerk, "Come on let's go," he said to Sharon who was stuck sitting on a stool between the two.

Sharon tried to slink herself out of the spot she was in between Facial Hair and Aaron without causing a scene. The tension between the two felt like she was being squeezed out of the space between them and she made her way back to the table while they continued to exchange words at the bar. Back at the booth the younger female teachers leaned in right away. "Who is that?" "What did he say to you?" "What did he say to Aaron?" They kept their eyes glued to the scene anxious about what was happening and then a collective sigh of relief as Aaron gestured with a hand that he was done with the conversation and walked back over to their table.

The bar was too loud and it was too far away but they could see that Facial Hair had a few final words for Aaron as he walked away. Aaron didn't turn around or acknowledge it and Facial Hair went back to his table laughing and as he rejoined his crew. They were both sitting at this point and they gave each other one last look that reiterated the fact that they were not going to be pals any time soon. "What'd that guy say to you?" one of the girls repeated the question now that Aaron was back. "Nothing," Aaron said as he took a sip of his drink, "he's just a douche."

...

Bev the barfly had evidently taken a break from her VLT to watch the drama unfold. Interesting she thought, she couldn't wait to tell Norma, she'd love this. Bev just couldn't help herself, she leaned back over the booth and said "Hey Sharon, who was that guy you were talking to. He's pretty cute eh?" and cackled and coughed and cackled and coughed. Good god she loved this bar.