The old bar was empty when Chad arrived. Empty except for the young barmaid.
Not quite the way he remembered it, he thought. The barmaid as well he couldn't recall. Hardly possible, for she didn't look as if she had been born before he'd left this godforsaken hellhole – the place he had once called home all these years ago.
This thought made him realize once more he was about to hit forty – not a pleasant number looking from below.
He sighed, hoping this alone would help his rather depressing train of thought set a more enjoyable course and sat on the barstool right in front of the barmaid.
“Our first customer tonight. What can I get you, Mr...” the curvy, young girl started.
“It's Chad,” he answered, “and I'll have a pint of whatever draft you got.”
“I'm Lara. Pleased to meet you Chad,” the barmaid replied while filling a fresh pint, “guess you know this place from an earlier time. Long enough ago for me not to have ever seen you. Not many strangers make it to this sleepy chaff from outside.”
Chad chuckled, and said, “don't you talk to me like I was that old, kiddo. Is at least the warm piss good ole George dared to call beer still the same?”
“No, Chad, I'm sorry,” she apologized, handing him his pint, “got a new provider a few years back. Beer's been halfway drinkable ever since. Still, not that much of an improvement, if you ask me.”
“Things sure tend to move when time passes,” Chad sighed, “I can see, though, that good ole George's good taste in staff hasn't changed a bit, much to my delight.”
Lara blushed a bit at the compliment, but not enough for Chad to see in the dim light. He saw, however, taking a closer look, that the barmaid had not bothered to contain her young breasts with more than her tank-top.
“Used to be a damn lot more crowded here,” he stated, lifting the glass and slowly pointing to the seated area of the saloon, “that was during my time anyway. Guess some things are subject to the ravages of time, huh?”
Lara smiled wryly and replied, “that's my fault, I'm afraid. Our guests prefer the other girl who's not around tonight, the oh-so skinny Sandra.”
“...and I can't see why. You're just like a donut, sweetie, all sugar and curves, just the way girls should be,” Chad nonchalantly cut her off.
Lara tried to hide her coy, yet joyful embarrassment.
“Oh, stop it, silly,” she said, placing her tender fingers on Chad's forearm, “I'm just too fat for the boys in town, you know. Wouldn't want to trade places with Sandra, though. They're practically drooling all over her, these immature snotty boys our age. Good bargain for the bar, though. The boss naturally won't complain about it either.”
Chad sighed, shaking his head, and rolled his eyes before speaking again, “when I was your age, we were all over girls like you. We didn't like these skeletal bag of bones. Bones are for dogs, we used to say. What's happened to our youth?”
“Things change. Change affects everyone, so deal with it. Can't say I'm unpopular with the gramps, though, or that I don't enjoy the attention – and maybe even more – I get from them, but I don't see any wrinklies like you here, now do I?” provoked Lara.
“Yeah, rub it in, will ya?”
“Guess, I hit a sweet spot, huh?” Lara sneered, “let me fill that pint up for you. On the house, gramps. Hope you'll forgive me my faux pas.”
Chad grinned and commented, “atta girl! Guess I won't need to be spanking you and giving you a lesson in conduct after all.”
“Bummer,” Lara sighed, biting her bottom lip, “and what if I asked you to?”
“You, girl, don't look like you have a lot to offer to a wrinkly like me. I've been getting laid by chicks who have more experience than you're old, kid.”
“That's where you're wrong, old man, but you'll never find out if you don't try,” saying this, Lara leaned over the counter, pressing her ample bosom together, allowing Chad a close look down her cleavage.
“Tell me, girl,” he started, cleared his throat, and proceeded, “what does good ole George think of his barmaids giving away his drinks and offering their bodies – if he's still around, that is? Are you even old enough to serve these beverages, let alone drink them?”
“His son Tim took over the bar, but don't worry, it's still old Georgie who's pulling the strings – and yes, still serving drinks to kids my age. Always been his best customers – his only ones even. Making enough sales to bribe the authorities on this town's youth alone. It's him who hired me, actually. Has the same taste in girls as you do.”
Chad chuckled, “glad to see there still are certain things that don't change that much.”
He emptied his glass in one big sip to pick up the fresh one Lara had filled up.
“I was about your age – what's that? Seventeen? Eighteen? – when we were his regulars. I grew up in this hellhole, you know. Good ole George used to offer the only excitement in town. Always had the most gorgeous girls behind the counter – hasn't changed much either as I can see. As time flew by, however, I moved out to the big city. Had it with this place, with my parents, the girls, everything. Was barely twenty years old.”
Lara filled up her own pint, saying, “let me guess. It was the girls, mostly. Am I right? Broken heart and shit. As you so nicely put it: some things never change.”
“Wasn't so hard, was it, little girl? Didn't your parents tell you not to ask such impertinent questions to people their age? I'm about to reconsider that spanking, you know.”
“You wouldn't want to spoil that donut you were talking about earlier, now would you?” she cheekily asked.
“Got a point there. Would be a shame to mar that delicious tushy of yours,” Chad chuntered, wrinkling his nose. He checked his wristwatch, and sighed, “turns out I'll have to leave anyway. The check-in counter of the Old Town Inn will close in half an hour. How much do I owe you?”
“Lemme see... That's gonna be seven fifty,” replied Lara.
“Seven fifty for a couple pints? There's one more thing that's still the same. Good ole George doesn't seem to have given a single shit about the inflation of the past twenty years,” Chad explained, “but I only have that c-note. Make it twenty since you were such a nice flirt. That chat was worth this money. That'll still leave me with enough to pay the room at the inn.”
Lara took the bill winked at Chad, and commented, “how generous, old man.”
She typed the amount in the old register and, as the drawer sprang open, let out a questioning gasp of surprise.
“That's weird. There's no cash in there. Tim must have taken it out to count it and forgotten to put it back. No one expected anyone tonight anyway,” Lara told Chad frowning, “can't return you your eighty bucks, unfortunately.”
Chad sighed, “what are we gonna do about this? I can't leave without paying, huh, but can't go to the inn with no cash either. Last time I checked they didn't accept credit cards or has that changed as well?”
Lara nervously nibbled on her bottom lip, then placed her hands wide apart on the counter, and leaned over as if to conceal secret conversations from eavesdropping ears.
With a crooked smile, she nervously suggested, “how about you forget about the inn altogether? I live alone. My place is humble and my bed's not exactly big, but comfy enough for the two of us. I'll cash the c-note and I promise I'll make it up to you. Still gotta convince you I have more to offer than you've seen on first glance, old man.”
Chad laughed loud and heartily, “sure, girl, and what might that be? Teeth for a blowjob? How old are you, really?”
“Just turned nineteen. Wanna see my driver's license, Mr. Policeman?” she returned, rolling her eyes, “as for what I can offer: ever heard of pole dancing? I'll dance on your pole like no one's ever done before.”
Chad laughed again, louder than before this time.
“Wow, kid, sounds like you're really trying,” he chuckled between his bursts of laughter, “good one, but no, not good enough. What else you got?”
“Well...” Lara began, hesitant about whether she should continue.
“I'm listening,” Chad challengingly piqued.
“I don't know. Most guys I've been with think it's gross.”
“Come on, don't put me on the rack, sweetie.”
“Okay, so... uh... how about, uh, watersports?”
Chad grinned dirtily, “that's more like it. Always had a thing for squirters, but no girl ever squirted enough for my taste. Maybe a young girl might do me some good for once.”
Lara opened her eyes wide with a mischievous expression in her gaze and slowly stepped around the counter towards Chad.
“Oh, you're about to get properly waterboarded, mister.”
Chad took her hand, spun her around as if they were dancers, pulled her close, and leaned in, slowly moving his lips to hers.
Before their lips locked, he whispered, “I like the sound of that.”
Their two pairs lips brushed, caressed, and finally sucked on each other, then parted to give way to their hungry tongues. Lara wrapped her arms around Chad's body and pushed her bosom closer to him. He ran his hands over her exposed upper arms and let his lips wander over her cheekbone, down her neck towards her cleavage.
Before he could reach her tender orbs, she took his face in her hands, lifted it away from her chest, and looked into his dark eyes.
