Hiram sat at his stool inside the bar and went through his phone.
"This is the fourth time I'm seeing you here this week." The female attender said to him pouring him a shot.
"Hey..." greeted Hiram with a smile putting the phone back in his pocket "Thanks," he said pulling the glass closer to him.
"I like this place, it's a good place to relax and clear my head," Hiram told her.
She smiled, "What can I get you today?"
"A full bottle of your finest," he told her picking up the shot and emptying the glass in one gulp.
As she walked away to get his order, her phone rang, she received it and after a short while her facial expression changed. She whispered something to another attender and walked away.
"Hi…" greeted a soft female voice and Hiram slowly looked up from his phone, another attender stood in front of him with his drink, "something came up," she said placing the bottle and glass in front of him.
"Klara has told me so much about you," she said pouring him the drink.
The name didn't ring a bell to the young billionaire, "who?"
"She also said you never bothered to ask her name." she laughed softly.
"My bad, she has a beautiful name." he said taking a sip.
"Enjoy your drink." She told him and walked away.
"Who are you really?" The attender asked when she later came back for his glass.
"Why ask?"
"You are obviously not from around here, I know most of the regulars." She pointed out.
He didn't answer, just grined as he placed some cash under his glass and walked away.
** ** **
At their house, Hiram dropped his car keys on the table and walked to his room where he found his sister on his bed.
"Where are you from?" Callie asked.
"Needed to clear my head." He replied, walking to his bed.
"I was worried Hiram, Its now half past midnight."
"Sorry Callie, I didn't mean to worry you, it's just that I have a lot going-" Callie cut in.
"Just promise you will be careful."
"I promise," Hiram said reassuringly.
She stood from the bed, gave him a good night kiss on his cheek and took her leave.
** ** **
Random Thursday, he walked into the bar and went to his usual sitting spot and the dark attender walked to him.
"Hi Hiram," she began and smiled seeing the shock on his face.
"How do you ..." he wanted to ask but broke off. People knowing who he was was the last thing he wanted. He specifically chose that bar and that spot because he knew no one would recognize him as the son to billionaire Darrius Michaelson.
"Someone mentioned it to me." She answered.
"Oh wow! And who might that be?" He wanted to know.
She didn't reply for what flet like an eternity to him, then she spoke, completely ignoring his question. "What can I get you?"
"The usual." He answered and watched her as she walked away.
"Hey handsome," he heard a soft female voice call from his left and felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned and was met with a smile from a lady. "Wanna buy me a drink?" She asked looking at the watch he had. She could probably fetch a couple of thousand dollars in a pawn shop off of it.
Before Hiram could answer, the attender was back, "Trixie!" she called sternly and the stranger walked away with a disappointed look. "So sorry about that."
She placed a shot glass and filled it.
"Can I get like six more," he requested, she fought hard to conceal her shock but he saw it. "I have a lot on my mind." He volunteered as she placed five more shot glasses in front of him and filled them all.
"Hope it clears your mind." She told him and walked away.
He drained the first glass and hesitated on the second, lost in thought.
He didn't even see the attender walk back in front of him, she spoke but it missed him. She touched his arm and brought him back.
"Sorry," he said with a soft laugh.
"Wanna talk about it?" she asked looking at him.
"Not really."
She didn't push it, she separated the remaining shot glasses and pushed three to him. "I bet I can finish these three before you," she said to him, quite unsure if she should be asking him to a challenge.
He smiled and picked up a shot glass, she counted down and they gulped. She won. Obviously, she probably did that on a daily, he was no match for him.
He laughed, "In my defense, I had already taken a shot before you."
"Fact still remains, I won," she told him with a soft laugh. She looked into his eyes. " I'm trying to figure out what would make someone like you drive all the way from Los Angeles to a shitty bar, sit by yourself, order the same thing every day and leave without talking to anyone."
"I'm talking to you aren't I?" he asked with a smile as he removed the pay. "Thanks for the drink."
She picked the cash, "you should be careful by the way, mister Michaelson your dressing and jewelry has caught eyes." She warned looking at his watch.
He looked at her then at his watch, he removed it, "why don't you keep an eye on it." He told her handing her the Rolex "I believe it is safer with you than it is with me." He added.
She didn't make an effort to hide her shock. "What! No, I surely can't." She protested.
He took her arm from the counter, opened it, paced the watch on her palm, gave her a smile then walked out.
** ** **
At lunch that Friday, his friend Rob suggested that they meet up later and go for drinks, all four others agreed.
After his class at 7:30pm, he drove home and a few minutes later his friends picked him up, Rob was on the wheel.
"Tonight we let go," Rob told them as he parked outside a bar in downtown L.A. A very popular place where mostly the mighty in L.A went to get loose.
They drank and emptied bottle after bottle, pushing late into the night but Hiram was careful on how much to drink, he believed that he controlled the drink, and not the other way round.