It was approaching six o’clock and last call for Happy Hour was just made. Claudette stopped by our table and asked us if we wanted another round. It was last call. EJ said yes, but I told Claudette that I would pass on this one.
EJ said; “Suit yourself Max.
As Claudette returned to the bar to fill her orders, EJ said “That must be Jimmy The Peanut,. Damn, he is huge. I bet his mother kept her legs together after she delivered that.”
She slammed down what remained of her boiler maker. “Let’s get to work.”
I noticed a thin line of sweat appear on her upper lip. I figured she was keying up for a fight.
“Go talk to him Max. Try to get him to join us. You can tell him this is your first time here and your date loves this place. That should make him want to meet me.”
I got up from the table and walked to the bar with my empty glass.
After setting the glass down, I looked up at Jimmy with a surprised look on my face like it was the first time I had seen him.
“Jimmy? Hey, how are you?” I said, reaching out my hand and immediately regretting it as memories of our last handshake flashed through my mind.
“Max Fly,” I said, in case he forgot who I was.
“What are you doing here?”
Jimmy looked down at my hand before grasping it. This time his grip was a little limp. I guess he wasn’t trying to impress me anymore.
“Just looking my friend, just looking,” he said.
“Well, come over to our table and I’ll introduce you to my date and buy you a drink.”
Jimmy didn’t say anything as he looked down at me like someone would look at a bug before they squashed it with their shoe.
“You got a date? Where?”
I pointed at EJ sitting at our table and when I turned back I watched as Jimmy’s lips peeled away exposing his pearly white teeth.
“Well, what’s takin’ you so long? Introduce me,” he said as he placed one of his giant hands in the middle of my back pushing me across the floor toward our table.
“Jimmy, this is EJ Williams,” I said.
He leered down at the cleavage EJ so thoughtfully made available.
Her trap seemed to be working.
“What does the EJ stand for, extra juicy?” He asked.
“It doesn’t matter. You are a big one aren’t you,” she said.
That brought a big smile to The Peanut’s face. “That I am little lady, that I am. Do you like big ones?”
I could see EJ’s eyes smoldering as she batted her eyelids and replied. “I haven’t met one that big that I didn’t like,” she cooed.
The Peanut reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. I was afraid that he was about to offer EJ a quarter for sex and then all hell would have broke loose. But he said, “Here you go little lady, why don’t you go throw some silver down the slot and play us a little love song?”
If EJ wasn’t seething before, I bet she was now.
“I’ll do that Peanut. Do you have a favorite song you’d like to hear?”
“Naw, you just pick ‘em and I’ll toss you around on the dance floor, okay?”
“Oh boy, I can hardly wait,” she said as she went to the Wurlitzer against the far wall and started to rapidly drop The Peanut’s nickels down the slot.
We both watched EJ’s retreating backside in mutual admiration when Jimmy turned to me and said. “You don’t mind me hitting on your lady friend here do ya Max? I mean, I can feel the sparks fly. We seem to have that certain chemistry that only comes along but once in awhile between two people and when it does, you just have to take advantage of it. You know what I mean?”
Chemistry? This guy doesn’t know how to mix sugar in his coffee so what does he know about chemistry? But I just nodded my head and said; “Jimmy, I can tell she likes you. You have gotten further with her in the past few minutes than I have all afternoon.”
Unfortunately, that was true. In all fairness, I should have shown him the open wounds EJ left on my tongue.
“I gotta go see a guy about a horse. I’ll be right back,” I said when I saw EJ walking back to the table as Pat Boone started singing Love Letters In The Sand.
I heard The Peanut say, “I like this guy too,” as he got up and walked toward EJ.
I was thinking he probably didn’t know Pat Boone from Daniel Boone. He grabbed EJ’s hand and led her to the dance floor. I looked back to see The Peanut bent over with his cheek pressing against EJ’s and his big meaty hands on her other cheeks pressing her against his body. This guy wastes no time, I thought as I disappeared into the men’s room hoping Harry and Chet were keeping a close eye on EJ.
The Peanut was right about one thing, there were sparks flying between them but they were sparks from EJ that was meant to burn a hole in The Peanut’s heart and cause him immense pain.