My name is Carl Wallace. During the days I spend my time helping other people get full use out of their computers, but in the evening I try to write, poetry mostly, although occasionally I'll try to write a story or two. Sometimes it's easy and at other times there seems to be no way that I can get anything down on paper.
On those nights when the muse is in hiding, I go down to my favourite pub to hoist a couple of beers and listen to the plans and dreams of my buddy, Sam Martin. He doesn't let many folks know that his first name is Sam, prefering that people just call him Martin, but he has an ulterior motive. The pub is called the Purple Martin, so folks that don't know any different think that he owns the place. Unfortunately, the most that Sam ever owned in the place is the clothing that he wore on his back.
Not that Sam is a ne'er do well, he has a little import business on the side that keeps him occupied when he isn't slinging drinks. Which is why we first became friends, he was having trouble with the inventory program on his computer and he called me up to sort it out. I ended up saving him a few bucks and after he paid me, he invited me down for a beer. The company in the pub was great and I enjoyed the evening, besides some of his regulars gave me a few ideas for a verse or two.
Dropping in to visit him became a habit whenever I was bored, too tired to be able to write, or suffering from whatever form of tedium that life had dealt me.
In some ways the pub was refreshing because it was always changing, and yet there were always things about it that were constant enough to make the place feel like a home away from home. The one constant, five nights a week, was Sam himself. He seemed to always have another idea on how he was going to get rich, so he and I would argue about the merits of his latest scheme in the spare moments he had between serving his regulars. Another constant was that he often had one lady or another dropping in to visit him, but his lady friends never seem to come around more than a few times. As he described each one to me, she was always more glamorous than the last and when I meet them, I was always disappointed. To me, they all seemed to be made in the same mould. All of them were small, plump, meek, and most of them had bleached blonde hair. The worst traits they all had though, were the fact that they all giggled at the slightest hint of humour and all of them wore cheap but strong perfume.
I had gradually come to know what to expect. If Sam started to break off our conversation, watch the clock, and then polish glasses at the far end of the bar, I could be almost certain that another of his lady friends was due to come in soon. Not that he ever excluded me from the conversations when she came in. In fact he had come to depend on the fact that I always sat next to a post and draped my coat over the seat next to me. He would smile at his new ladylove and motion her down the bar to seat her next to me. That coat on the seat almost always guaranteed him a place to have his lady sit and I suppose that I was someone he could trust to talk to her whenever he got busy. He knew that my taste in women was radically different from his, besides he also knew of my extreme shyness with the fairer sex.
However, one night he took me totally by surprise. It was a Monday night. I'm sure of that, because the pub was almost empty. Mondays are one of my bad days. I think computers that sit unused over the weekend get lazy, so I get very busy on Mondays and I come down to the pub most Monday nights just to relax after a hard day.
I was tired and when Sam started his dance with the clock and the glasses, I thought "Oh great another night of giggles and cheap perfume. Just what I need!"
When his face broke into a smile and he led his friend down the bar, I didn't even bother looking up. It wasn't until I heard a contralto voice at my elbow that I even glanced in the mirror behind the bar. Behind my shoulder I could see a tall blond who in no way met Sam's usual standards. The bottles racked in front of the mirror were obscuring my view, so I turned to be able to see the lady.
"Is this seat taken?" She smiled.
Sam chuckled. "Carl, move your coat and make room for Janet to sit down. Janet, meet Carl; Carl, Janet."
I was astounded. This lady was beautiful. She had long, ash blonde hair, blue eyes, classically beautiful features, along with a gorgeous smooth complexion. She carried herself confidently, and she was tall and thin. Altogether not what I expected, she didn't see to be Sam's type at all. Her hair was a soft silver blonde, shoulder length, with just a hint of a curl at the ends. She didn't look the giggling type and certainly wasn't wearing a strong cheap perfume, what she was wearing was subtle but should have been called "Raging Hormones" or perhaps "Ultimate Lust." Whether it was her voice, her looks, her perfume, or my shyness, I simply sat there for long seconds, staring at her, totally unable to speak.
I came out of my fugue long enough to say hello and then went back into a state of shock, but now my silence was based on my frustration with talking to ladies. I have always had a hard time speaking to women, other than at work where I'm all business. If I'm meeting someone new, I seem to become tongue tied and if I do speak, I have an unerring instinct for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. A long time ago I'd come to the conclusion that I was so shy and unskilled with women that I'd probably die, still a virgin.
Basic introductions done, Sam had served us both, and then went to the other end of the bar to polish more glasses. I had expected him to stick around and chat with his friend, but he was plainly letting me know that he wasn't in the game. It seemed he really had just found a pretty lady a seat where she would have company. The ball was in my court, it was my serve, and I was lost. This lady was so beautiful that she intimidated me more than any woman I had ever met before.
I watched her in the mirror behind the bar through the spaces between the bottles. As she sat beside me, her eyes were on a level with mine, they were that powdery ice-blue shade that I've only seen in glacier lakes, and soft twinkles sparkled across them like sunlight on waves. Her complexion was clear and looked soft as silk. Her lips had a hint of colouring, but like the rest of her make-up was subdued. She sat erect, yet relaxed, but when she moved it was with the grace of a cat.
Suddenly as I sat staring at her in the bar mirror, her eyes met mine, she winked, then she giggled. On her, it sounded good, and it broke the ice. I smiled slightly and turned to look directly at her.
"Did you know you were staring?" She asked with a blush, as she looked down at her hands.
Her voice rang through me like bells on a spring morning, touching something deep in my soul. I flushed slightly, then caught in the act, I did my best to brazen my way through.
"I'm sorry, but I wasn't prepared for such an attractive lady to be sitting beside me. I'll try not to stare, but you're so beautiful that I . . . " My voice simply faded out, I just knew I'd said the wrong thing, or said too much or . . . ?
"Thank you," She smiled, accepting my complement graciously.
I couldn't speak, I was so surprised that I'd said the right thing and not offended her that I was holding my breath.
"I'm not like most of Sam's female friends then?" She continued
"No, you certainly aren't." I managed to dredge up a tentative smile.
She sat quietly for a few seconds. To try to get her to speak again, so that I could hear that lovely voice, I had to think of something to say to draw her out.
"How did you know that Sam is his real name, he certainly never uses it around the pub, everyone here refers to him as Marty or Martin. I only found out his real name when he gave me a check to pay for work I'd done on his computer. "
Her chuckle was soft and low, like her voice.
"I've known Sam a long time. He and I are cousins." She answered.
We both fell silent for several moments, I was tongue-tied again and I think she was being polite and waiting for me to speak. Finally she looked directly at me, her face flushed slightly, those soft ice-blue eyes staring deep into mine.
"Mr. Wallace, I have a confession to make to you. I asked Sam to set up this meeting. He phoned me when you came in tonight and I rushed down to meet you." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
She paused and sipped at her wine.
She really had me rattled then. She knew my last name and I didn't think even Sam knew that, at least I'd never told him. Well not that I could remember and I don't think I'd ever been drunk enough while I was in the pub that I would have run off at the mouth. Not only had she known my name, but she'd admitted that she'd asked him to introduce us. She had to have a reason to want to meet me that I couldn't see, I was positive it couldn't be a romantic reason, after all I'm no prime catch. I may be single, and own a relatively successful business, but I'm forty-two years old and slightly over weight. I'm starting to go bald, and I'm certainly no great conversationalist. On top of that I'm neither rich nor handsome. As opposed to that, she was young, beautiful, sexy and extremely desirable. I simply stared at her in astonishment.
"You see," She continued quietly. "I read a lot, magazines, books, anything I can get my hands on. In fact, my mother used to have to hide the cornflakes' box at breakfast or I'd read that and forget to eat."
I had to grin, imagining her mother taking the breakfast cereal box away from her and she smiled back at me. While I felt relief that she had some reason that she wanted to meet me, I was still feeling slightly disappointed that her being there wasn't for romantic reasons. I waited for her to continue with mixed emotions. Lets face it, I'm an incurable romantic and I think I had always daydreamed of one day meeting a beautiful princess who would rescue me from my dreary life and make passionate love to me.
She paused and her hand reached up to brush a strand of long silvery hair back from her forehead. Her fingers traced a path up her forehead, over her brow and down behind her ear to her neck, pushing her hair back into position. It was her left hand and as she brought it forward below her ear I noticed that there were no rings on her fingers. Her head arched back and swung from side to side gracefully, seating the hair against her shoulders. Lifting her glass she sipped at her drink, smiled again, then in a soft voice she continued.
"I do read a lot. The last while it's been mostly poetry. Over the last few years I've been collecting poems. Special poems. In particular, I've been collecting your poems. I found the first one in a magazine, others in newspapers, and the last one I was given was written on a bar menu. It's the only one that hasn't got your name on it. But it's the only one that is written out in longhand. Could you sign it for me?"
The lady had me really rocked to the core. I admit that I try to write poetry, and I even get it published on occasion, but . . . ? I remember doodling on a bar menu while I was in the pub one night, but I was sure that I'd crumpled it up and thrown it away. My face must have shown her that I was slightly surprised, she reached out a hand and rested on mine. A light frown played on her brow.
"Carl, please? I have it here. Sam saved it, after you threw it away. I talked him out of it."
Her hand was warm against mine and I could feel tingles of emotion running through my whole body as if her touch carried an electric current. I couldn't get my breath well, let alone respond. Although my mouth opened and closed, nothing came out. I turned and did my best to look at her without falling all over myself at her beauty. I didn't succeed. I found that my hand had turned over on its own accord and now I was holding hers. At the same time I was smiling like a silly fool.
Sam chose that moment to come up the bar toward us and smiled as his glance caught me holding her hand.
"Well Jan, from the looks of you two, I'd say that for once I introduced the right people. Carl, she's wanted to meet you for years. She has your poetry framed and hanging on a wall in her house. Did she tell you that she teaches modern romantic literature at the college? She has her students reading your poetry too."
When neither of us answered, he carried on.
"She's my cousin, that's why I only introduced her by her first name. At a family reunion, Jan raved about a poet who's work she was trying to collect, she asked some of us to send her anything we found that had been written by Carl Wallace. So whenever any of us see another poem in a paper, we send it to her. I didn't know you were her 'mystery poet'. Then one night you had a few too many, and started to quote one of her favourites. When I asked you about it, you mumbled something about 'a bard in his cups'. I wasn't really sure even then, not until the night you sat here and wrote out the poem she has now. Even I could see that it was good. That's when I dug out my old cancelled cheques and found your last name."
I felt like a fighter who had been knocked silly, but I was managing to get my feet back under me. I guiltily released Janet's hand and I managed to grin at Sam.
"Hell of a note when you can't even trust your own bartender. If I threw it away, it was junk."
"Oh, I disagree." I heard Janet say.
Sam got called off just then to serve another customer and I could focus my attention fully on Janet once more. She had opened the purse in her lap and was pulling out a folded sheet of paper. It was one of the menus that the owner of the pub ran off in the back room in a vain attempt to try to get his customers to spend their money on something else besides beer. She opened it and turned it over. I glanced down at it as she placed it on the bar in front of us.
"This is one of yours, isn't it?" She asked quietly. "If it is, I'd love to have it as a signed original of your work."
I looked closely at it and it was definitely my handwriting, so I read what I had written.
Evening at the Pub
A seat upon a swivel stool,
a glass of dark at hand.
A gracious host behind the bar,
who seems to understand.
A maid who stops to pass the time,
alive with youthful glory.
A codger with a tale to tell,
a sad and rambling story.
A dowager who sits alone,
just sipping at her drink.
A man who downs a dozen beers,
he doesn't want to think.
A couple who sit side by side,
just lost in one another.
A lady who came here to hide,
and ran into her brother.
A group of friends who take the seats
that sit before the fire.
A pair of gents who play at darts,
and never seem to tire.
A quiet card game in one corner,
players intent on who will win.
A sudden sound of dawning pleasure,
as new guests wander in.
A tinkling in another corner
where the old piano stands
An elderly musician,
exercises aged hands.
A rattle coming from the hearth,
the host is adding wood.
A quiet night down at the pub,
and each will call it good.
I really didn't remember writing it, but it was mine all right. I took out a pen and signed my name across the bottom. Picking it up, I handed it to Janet.
"There you go, all signed, sealed, and delivered."
"Thank you, Carl." She smiled and quickly put it in her purse. "That means a lot to me."
Then I realized that perhaps I shouldn't have given it to her so fast; now I had no reason to keep her sitting at my side, but for some reason, giving her that poem made it easier to talk to her. It was almost as if the poem was part of a business deal, I was able to relax and actually talk to her.
To make a long story short, she didn't rush off, in fact we spent the rest of the evening together, simply talking with each other until it was time for Sam to close up. After an evening of Sam filling my mug with beer every time he saw the level dropping and her quiet conversation keeping my mind involved, I had stayed far longer than normal and had drunk much too much. That meant that by the time we had to leave, I was too drunk to drive.
It was cold outside when we left, but Janet's car was parked right outside the door. Since she'd only had one glass of wine and had then switched to soft drinks, I accepted her offer to give me a ride home. She even offered to give me a ride back down to the pub in the morning to pick up my car. Since I was so fascinated with her that I wanted to spend more time with her anyway, I didn't argue. I accepted.
By the time I realised that we weren't heading to my apartment, we were pulling into her driveway, then she was leading me into her little house. I have to admit that I wasn't thinking clearly at all and I did agree to join her in having the cup of tea that did me in. The warmth of that little house, the fact that it was well past my normal bed time and the fact that I was half sloshed combined with that soothing cup of tea to provide the final knockout punches though. I remember feeling very tired as I sat on the couch, then I suppose I dozed off.
The next thing I remember we were in her bedroom and she was helping me off with my pants.
Then suddenly we were both nude and we were sliding into bed.
She was kissing me and I was holding a wonderful set of full breasts.
Then somehow, I was on my back and she was . . .
MY GOD! She was pressing herself down . . .
She was going to . . .
OH . . . MY . . . GOD . . . THAT . . . FELT . . . SO . . . GOOD !!
I have to admit, losing my virginity woke me up. I sobered up and my cock stayed at attention long enough for Janet to have a climax too. Then to my delight, I found that the infatuation between us was mutual and Janet was as ecstatic about making love as I was. Both of us were tired, but completely elated at the same time. After that first time, sleep didn't seem important, getting to know Janet and her delightful body was. In fact it was hours before our desires were somewhat satisfied. That's when we gave in to exhaustion and fell asleep in each other's arms.
Neither of us made it to work the next morning. In fact we never even left her small house for two full days. We might not have made it then, but halfway through the third night, it suddenly dawned on us that we weren't using any form of protection.
We dragged ourselves to work the next morning and during the day I visited a pharmacy. That night we tried condoms, however after about thirty seconds, we decided that 'bareback' felt a lot better. In fact Janet insisted that I pull out so she could strip off that offending bit of latex before she'd let me continue.
We gave the other forty seven condoms in the box to Sam and Janet went to see her doctor about going on the pill, he just laughed when she explained what had happened with us. When he gave her a prescription for the pill and a 'morning after' pill, he warned her that she might be too late.
Eight weeks later, we decided that the kid was going to need both parents living in one place. Yeah, your right and so was her doctor. In fact, he's certain that I got her pregnant during those first few days. So, I sold my condo, we paid off what was left of her mortgage, and I moved in with my lovely woman.
Now don't get me wrong, we aren't married and we aren't about to get married. Both of us have friends who are married and friends who are living together, the ones who aren't married are the ones who are getting along well. It seems almost as if that piece of paper makes many people feel that they 'own' the other person. Janet and I prefer to say we're partners and try not to get into that old argument about who wears the pants in the family.
I do kid her that she not only collected poetry, she wanted the poet in her collection as well. She replies that she isn't sure about me, but she did want a sample of my genes. She seems to have her mind made up to the fact that she and I might have the perfect combination of genes to produce a literary giant. I just laugh and tell her that the kid will be whatever he wants and she agrees with a smile, but insists that I have the gender wrong.
Truthfully, both of us are just pleased that we met and that there is going to be a kid. We owe fate and circumstance a huge debt for getting us together.
Which brings me back to the 'Purple Martin', the pub where we met and where Sam works. Things have changed a bit there in the last few months, but really not all that much. The pub has had a change of ownership and it's been cleaned up a bit. The combination seems to have drawn in a few more regulars, but Sam is still working there.
I spend even more time there in the evenings now and Janet often drops down for a while ass well. It's just to keep me company though, and she likes to visit with some of the regulars, but since she's pregnant she doesn't drink anything alcoholic at all.
Why do we go down there? Well, you see, the owner was going to close the place, but I'm a sentimental sort, that place is where I met the woman I love. So I bought the pub, but only on the condition that Sam stay on and run the place. What the hell, you could say that blood is thicker than beer and he is Janet's cousin.
Now it's almost eight and Sam will have a beer waiting for me, so if you'll excuse me, I have to go.
The End
PS: Another reason for buying the 'Purple Martin' is the fact that I'm so well entertained by the stories that get told to me by the regular patrons as I sit there sipping my beer. Actually Janet has been encouraging me to write a few short stories based on the better tales that I've been told and I'll be honest and admit that I'm considering it. When and if I do, you'll find them posted here. They won't be hard to discover, I'll post them as "Purple Martin Tales" so they'll be easy to recognise.