Charlie's Lucky Charm

1: New People

I've been rather home sick living in Philadelphia. Its been a month since I've moved here and I still haven't made any real new friends. I quit my job in Boston and moved here so I can work from home. There wasn't anything special about Philadelphia, it was just a city kind of like Boston but with more affordable living. I changed out of my sweatpants into a pair of jeans and headed out to some bars. The first one I went was loud and almost impossible to get a drink at. A few guys hit on me, but I wasn't there to get laid, I was there to try and meet some people I clicked with. The next bar was more of a club and I didn't even stay long enough to get a drink. As I walk off to find another place to go I stumble across a little pub down an alley I was cutting through called Paddys. I pull the door open and head inside. I'm shocked when I hear a bunch of voices yelling at one another and arguing over something. "Uhm, hello?" I say out, thinking my voice will grab their attention. It doesn't and they keep yelling. I walk a little bit closer and say out again "helllo?" No one answers and I just stand there in amazement as I start to listen to their loud argument. The four men and one women are arguing over what the best video game ever made was. Although it's hard for me to hear everything, I start to get invested into the conversation. I decide to take a seat and reach over the bar to grab myself a beer. They continue yelling at one another and I just chuckle every once in awhile at some of the jabs they are throwing at one another. At one point the shortest man screams out something about the blonde women and it makes me actually do a spit take. This is what gets their attention. They all stop their screaming and turn their heads to stare at me in disbelief. The shortest one who also seems to be the oldest comments "whose the sexy bitch?"

I return "I got myself a drink, don't worry, I'll pay for it. And I have to agree with sleeves over there-" I point to the man wearing a T-shirt with the sleeves cut off and say "Pac-Man is the best game ever made."

Instantly all them get back to arguing and yelling at one another but at the same time they start to spread a part from their weirdly formed circle and walk towards me. Three of them head behind the bar and two of them take a seat on either side of me. "My names actually not sleeves, it's Mac." He puts his hand out across the bar to introduce himself.

"Yeah but I like sleeves better, think ima call you that." I say with a smile and take his hand.

The blonde laughs "ha, take that!" She then looks at me "I like sleeves. I'm Dee."

The man next to her says "yeah it's good, sleeves works."

"I don't know why we haven't thought of it before." One of the shorter men next to me says.

Sleeves retorts "no, no. It's not good, no!"

"I'm Dennis, welcome to paddy's pub." The other man behind the bar introduces himself "how'd a beautiful lady like yourself find yourself in an amazing bar like this."

"Shut up, Dennis. She doesn't want to bang you, look she's moving back from you." The shortest man spits out.

"I'm not moving back, I'm just readjusting. Hi Dennis, I'm Bevin. And I just happened to stumble across it while walking to my next destination." I look around as I say "gotta say, its for sure got its own charm."

"Bevin? Like, Kevin? Your named after a guy?" The other short man next to me asks.

I'm not insulated by his comment at all and chuckle as I look to him and say "are any of you actually Irish here?"

"Well, I am!" The man who asked about my name says "Charlie Kelly." He gives his name.

"And I am." Sleeves returns.

I look at him and wait for him to give me his last name but he just slinks a few inches back behind the bar to search for a drink. I look back to Charlie and say "well, Bevin is traditionally an Irish boys name but it actually means lady with a song so my parents thought it'd be better as a girls name."

"Oh! You're Irish." Charlie half smirks back.

"100 percent. My parents pretty much just got off the boat." I say back.

"What boat? You have a boat?" He sits up intrigued.

Before I could respond the other man next to me says "no, you imbicile. She means her parents are full blown Irish. Like hailed from there." He shakes his head "I'm Frank."

I hear Charlie mutter "it's not hailing." And catch a glimpse from my peripheral of him looking out the window. I say to Frank "hi, thanks for clarifying that for me."

"So, wait, wait, wait. You're going to agree with sleeves over here—" Dennis starts to comment.

Mac grumbles "don't call me that."

Dennis annoyingly pauses as his friend interrupts him but then continues "that Pac-Man is the best game ever? Even after meeting me?"

"What does meeting you have to do with anything?" I ask with a grin. This guys conceited, and I'm going to let him think I think he's the ugliest son of a bitch out there. He might not like it, but I have a feeling his friends might.

He returns "because—" he gestures to himself with his hand "look at me."

"I have— and?" I say back. Dee and Mac smirk as Dennis looks at me with confusion. I speak up "so, can I get another beer?" I ask him, adding to the sting.

Clearly bewildered, he storms off and the rest of them laugh and call after him and make fun of him. Charlie says once he's out of the room "that was great, oh man, great. Get her a beer!"

"Yeah, get me a beer!" I mimic his high pitched tone.

Dee passes me another beer and I sip it as the rest of us further talk.