Nora returned the hug and then stepped back, pulling 4B to her side to introduce her.
“Crystal, this is 4… I mean, Grace. Grace, this is Crystal.”
Nora watched Crystal, not sure how the introduction would go. The flirty bartender, a casual friend since grade school, but never her lover, had persistently pursued Nora from the day Nora had returned to Juneau, just months after Crystal had returned from a six-year stint in the Army. Nora had never been interested in Crystal—not in that way, anyway. Despite Crystal’s obvious interest in her, she had kept her at arm’s length with the truth that she wasn’t ready to date anyone. Crystal hadn’t pushed it, but she’d made it clear she would be there when Nora was ready. But now, Nora was here with another woman. She watched the greeting unfold.
“Hi there, “4-I-mean-Grace”,” Crystal said with a wry lift of an eyebrow, as she wiped her hands down the front of her t-shirt, accentuating her high, firm breasts and toned abs, all of which were called out in high definition by the skin-tight fabric. Then she offered her hand to 4B.
“Nice to meet you, Crystal. You can call me 4B,” said 4B, accepting Crystal’s hand.
“4B?” asked Crystal, still holding 4B’s hand and glancing at Nora with a raised eyebrow and a smile.
“It was her seat number on the airplane,” offered Nora while she tried not to react to how Crystal still hadn’t let go of 4B’s hand.
“The nickname has sort of stuck,” said 4B easily.
Nora was impressed with 4B’s poise. The looks, the gestures, the handholding—none of it seemed to faze her. She was probably used to women showing off around her, paying attention to her.
“Interesting,” said Crystal, finally letting go of 4B’s hand. “We don’t get many interesting women into The Strut.” She grinned at Nora. “Present company excluded.”
“That explains the vault,” laughed Nora.
“Yes. It was very impressive,” said 4B. She didn’t seem intimidated by Crystal’s antics.
“When Crystal isn’t tending bar here at The Strut, she teaches gymnastics at the Rec Center,” explained Nora.
“The ladies seem to like it,” shrugged Crystal, giving Nora a meaningful look and Nora rolled her eyes. Crystal just chuckled and pasted her gaze on 4B again. “So, you were in the crash, too. It must have been fucking scary.”
“I don’t think the scared part has fully set in, to be honest.” 4B naturally molded to Nora’s side with Nora’s arm casually wrapped around her waist. Crystal took it in and turned back to the bar to grab the beers she’d left there.
Crystal offered them the pint glasses she’d filled with amber liquid, winking at 4B.
“Thanks,” said 4B, smiling back at Crystal, then she turned to Nora, handing her the full beer. “Excuse me for a minute? I’m going to visit the ladies room.”
Nora took the beer and nodded toward the back corner of the bar. “It’s in the back, down the hall, next to the grizzly.”
4B hesitated.
“As in grizzly bear?”
“Yep. It’s stuffed, though.”
“Good to know. Be back in a jiff.”
Nora stood next to Crystal and they both watched 4B walk toward the bathrooms. Several heads—men’s and women’s—swiveled to watch her pass. Nora waited for Crystal to say something. She didn’t have to wait long.
“She’s hot.”
“That she is,” agreed Nora.
“I can see you two are—close. A case of battlefield romance?”
“Battlefield romance?”
“You know. All hot and heavy when the shit is coming down, but then it quickly cools and you move on.”
“Then, no,” responded Nora tersely.
“Just kidding, buddy. It happens, though. Saw a lot of it in Iraq. Horrendous conditions bring people together. When the adrenaline wears off they usually go their separate ways.”
“It’s not—”
“Hey. I’m not judging. It is what it is.”
“But you’re wr—”
“What? I’m happy for you, babe. I’m just glad you didn’t pick one of the hides around here.”
“Be nice, okay?” Nora almost told Crystal that 4B was fragile, but she didn’t. The amnesia was her story to tell. Besides, 4B wasn’t fragile. Nora was beginning to see how strong 4B really was. “I like her.”
“I can see that.”
Nora didn’t have a chance to respond as 4B walked back toward them. She wore an amused expression.
“Afraid I was gonna fall in?”
It was Nora’s turn to look confused, and then she realized both she and Crystal were still standing side-by-side staring in the direction of the restroom.
“Just making sure Jerry didn’t scare you,” offered Nora with a smile.
“Jerry?”
“The bear.”
“Ah! Yeah. He is quite the specimen,” responded 4B with a smirk.
Crystal pointed her fingers like they were pistols at 4B and Nora and winked while backing around to get behind the bar. “Hey, I have to get back to work. But, tell her the story about Jerry, and don’t forget to tell her the part about Rosie. Remember, it’s on the house tonight. Take advantage of it. Lawrence doesn’t give open bar to just anyone.”
Nora thanked Crystal and then led 4B over to a tall table near one of the pool tables, where they stood shoulder to shoulder, alternating their gazes between the game being played and each other. Before Nora could tell 4B the story, more people came by to ask Nora about the plane crash. She found nearly everyone had already heard the details. News traveled fast in the small community.
Finally, when the last group had peeled away, 4B bumped her shoulder.
“Now tell me about the bear. He’s, um, very well…”
“Hung?”
“I was going to say endowed, but hung is a good word.”
“Oh, yeah. Jerry’s a legend.” Nora swallowed the last sip of her beer and smiled.
“It’s easy to see why,” replied 4B with a wry lift of an eyebrow.
“You notice Jerry is the only trophy animal in the place?”
4B took a look around the place.
“Yeah. Now that you mention it. I kind of like it. Every other place has a stuffed moose head, a wolf, or at least a fish of some kind. The airport is filled with them. Even the hotel we stayed at in Anchorage was plastered with them. I prefer the propeller over the bar here.”
“So do I,” said Nora.
“I trust you’ll also tell me the story about the bra hanging from it?”
“I actually don’t know the story about the bra. It just showed up one day. It’s Crystal’s trophy, and she won’t tell.”
“That’s too bad. I have a feeling it’s a good story.”
“The bra is a legend unto itself just from the speculation alone,” declared Nora with a smile.
“I’ll bet,” laughed 4B.
“But back to the bear.”
“Yeah, what’s the story about the bear?”
“The story of the bear starts with Lawrence.”
“The guy we met when we walked in?”
“Yeah, the owner of the bar.”
“So, does Lawrence always dress like a lumberjack?”
As if he’d heard them, Lawrence looked over at them and then raised his pint glass to them. They raised theirs in turn and smiled. Lawrence was dressed in a red plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to show off his ropey muscles and hairy arms. Suspenders held up his dark blue jeans, the hems of which were rolled to the top of his laced-up brown leather boots. The only thing missing to complete the costume was the knit cap. It was too warm for that. He took a drink of his beer and delicately wiped the foam from his manicured beard and mustache with the bandana he’d pulled from his back pocket and went back to talking to the man sitting next to him.
“I’ve never seen him wear anything else.”
“Interesting,” said 4B. “Now tell me about the bear.
“Okay. So, Lawrence is pr
etty much a rebel up here. Despite his he-man outfit, he’s not the hunting type. But, one day, a few years back, that big old grizzly you saw in the hallway started to raid Lawrence’s brew shed, getting into his stores of barley and hops.”
“How terrifying.”
“For sure,” agreed Nora. “Lawrence tried everything to deter him, successfully running him off time and again, but the bear just kept coming back. Lawrence reinforced the shed, but the bear kept breaking in. He asked animal control to help, but they said they would have to destroy the animal if they intervened. Lawrence didn’t want that, but eventually, he had enough. He borrowed a shotgun and filled it with salt shot. He didn’t want to hurt it, but with the shot, he thought he’d teach it a lesson without having to kill it. So, he sat in wait for the bear to come back. He didn’t have long to wait. But, even though the bear tore the shed door right off the hinges, he couldn’t bring himself to aim the gun at the beast. Frustrated, and without thinking of how the bear would exit the building if he was standing in the way, Lawrence stood just outside the door and fired a warning shot straight up into the air. The sudden noise startled the bear, which reared up. Lawrence thought he was a goner. No more than a dozen feet away, the bear locked sights on him and roared. The way Lawrence tells it, ropes of bear spit were flying everywhere. It dropped to all fours to charge, but in it’s fury, it knocked the legs out from under the largest fermentation tank. The two-and-a-half-ton tank toppled and fell right on the bear, killing him instantly. Lawrence’s brother Jack, who lives on the stake next to Lawrence, had heard the shot and came running, only to find Lawrence sitting next to the bear, blubbering like a baby. Then the two brothers proceeded to get plastered, drinking toasts to the bear. Somehow during all of this, Jack, who happens to be a butcher, convinced Lawrence the honorable thing would be not to let the beast go to waste and offered to butcher the remains.”
“You mean butcher it to eat it?” asked 4B, with an expression that made Nora laugh.
“Lots of people eat bear meat up here. The heart is a delicacy.”
4B grimaced. “Interesting.”
“Now, Jack is also an amateur taxidermist…”
“Oh, I see where this is going,” said 4B.
Nora nodded her head.
“Fast forward several weeks later. Tack and I had just flown in from a drop, so he and I and a few of the regulars were all sitting at the bar having a beer one summer afternoon. Jack came into the bar and told Lawrence to close his eyes. Lawrence is a good-natured man. He did what his brother asked. Jack clapped his hands and his two oldest boys rolled the bear in on its pedestal, covered with a tarp. They placed it right in front of Lawrence, who was just a sitting there, eyes closed and grinning, waiting for his surprise.” Nora started laughing like she did every time she remembered this part. “Jack told Lawrence to open his eyes while at the same time, he signaled for his boys to take off the tarp. When Lawrence opened his eyes, he nearly flew off his barstool and screamed like a six-year-old girl in terror. The first things he saw were those teeth and those eyes. He quickly got himself under control, but Jack about peed his pants laughing so hard. Lawrence stared slugging him in the shoulder as hard as he could. Everyone in the bar was laughing so hard it took a minute before any of us noticed the bear’s, um, lower extremities,” Nora pointed at her crotch. “When we did, the whole bar just got quiet—except Jack, who was still laughing about Lawrence’s scream.”
“What did they say?” asked 4B, laughing now, too.
“Well, Lawrence was the only one who said anything at first. ‘What were you thinking, Jack? What in blooming tarnation were you thinking?’ he blustered. And we all started laughing again.”
Nora had to pause to catch her breath.
“What did he say? Did he explain?” asked 4B.
“He said, ‘You told me that’s how you liked it, Larry. You’re always saying you like bears with big dicks.’”
“You mean…?” asked 4B, sneaking a look at Lawrence, who was at the end of the bar, chatting with a weathered old fellow in the stool next to him.
Nora just nodded. She couldn’t hold it together any longer and laughed so hard, she cried. The kind of laughter that made her face feel like it was going to go numb. 4B, who had laughed at the story, started to laugh again just because Nora couldn’t control her own laughter.
“That’s not the end, though,” wheezed Nora. “So, we’re sitting there laughing and it’s starting to die out, and there’s the odd cough and renewed giggle, but Lawrence is just sitting there so humiliated. We’re all looking anywhere but at him and the fully erect bear standing in the middle of the bar. But up strolls Rosie—you see that woman by the jukebox? That’s Rosie.”
4B turned to look at the dark-haired woman who was still leaning against the jukebox, moving along with a song about a sugar magnolia. “The drunk hippie, dancing by the juke box?”
“She’s not drunk. Iced tea is about as strong of a drink as she goes. She just spends a lot of time inside of her own head.” They both watched Rosie, who swayed with her eyes closed, blissfully unaware of their stares. “Anyway, we’re all just standing there not knowing what to do with ourselves, and she walks up to the bar in the way she does, like she’s floating or something—and she sets her empty water glass down for a refill. No one is really paying attention to her. We’re all checking out the bear and trying not to look at Lawrence, when she rests her chin in her hand and glances down at the bear’s—area,” explained Nora gesturing to her own lap again and starting to laugh. “And she says, all dreamy-like, but loud enough for the folks closest to hear: “I miss Jerry.””
“Who’s Jerry?” asked 4B, stealing a surreptitious glance at the woman by the jukebox.
“No one knows. There are stories—there are always stories—but no one really knows. Rosie is a bit of an odd duck. She lives alone and comes down here to listen to music and hang out more nights than not, but other than that, she doesn’t really talk to anyone or go anywhere. But somewhere, sometime, there was a guy named Jerry who the bear reminded her of, and the name stuck.”
“Fascinating,” said 4B, taking a sip of her beer, and Nora wiped her eyes and grinned at her.
“And that’s the story of Jerry.”
“The Legend,” said 4B, raising her glass in a toast.
“Yep, Jerry the Legend,” said Nora, tapping the rim of her glass against 4B’s.
They sipped their beers. Feeling eyes on her and 4B, Nora shifted her gaze to Crystal, who stood several feet away on the other side of the bar. She was drying and storing glasses, watching their every move.
“Do you want another drink?” asked Nora, stepping behind 4B, circling her waist with both arms and talking close to her ear. She had to get close to be heard over the growing crowd and the loud music, but she also wanted to make it clear to Crystal that 4B wasn’t just a passing thing for her. The smell of 4B’s hair and skin made her want to go back home.
“Why not? Neither of us is driving. How about another one of those with the moose horns? The first one was quite nice.” 4B pointed to the tap handles.
“Moose have antlers, not horns,” laughed Nora.
“What’s the difference?”
“Animals with antlers shed them every year and grow back a bigger set in the spring. Horns don’t naturally fall off.” Nora picked up their empty glasses. “I’ll get us some water, too.”
“Good idea. I should slow down. I can already feel the first two.”
Nora crossed the ten feet spanning between their table and the bar, and shouted to be heard over the music. “Two hefs and two waters, please?” Crystal nodded and went to work pouring their drinks without taking her eyes from 4B. Nora wanted to tell her to keep her eyes to herself, but she just smiled her thanks and tossed a few bucks on the bar for a tip. When she got back to the table with their drinks she felt a large hand fall on her shoulder.
“Well, if it isn’t the luckiest ladies I know,” said a booming voice from behind t
hem, and Nora turned to see Tack’s easygoing smile.
“Hi, Tack! It’s good to see you again,” said 4B, looking very happy to see someone else she knew.
Tack smiled and raised an arm toward the bar.
“Crystal! Put whatever they’re having on my tab and let’s have another round for the table!” shouted Tack in his gravelly voice. He pulled a stool over to the table and leaned in. Nora was about to tell him Lawrence was already taking care of their drinks, but Tack started to talk with a serious look on his face.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you ladies, you’re lucky to be alive right now.”
Nora and 4B looked at each other and then back at Tack. They laughed in unison.
“Considering we were in a plane crash, your point is…?” asked Nora, punching him in the arm.
“Besides that, I mean. C’mon, Nora!”
Tack blushed and swung his head. Nora felt bad for giving the gentle giant a bad time in front of 4B. They did it to each other all the time, but she knew he felt bashful around beautiful women, and 4B seemed to bring it on bad for him.
“What do you mean, then?” she asked.
“Well, for one thing, that wing you was camped under was full of airplane fuel, and you was burning a fire right under it. I don’t know how you didn’t go up in a ball of flame.”
“Seriously? The fuel is in the wings?” asked Nora.
Tack nodded his bushy head. “That it is.”
“Holy crap!”
“I took one of the guys who analyzed the scene down to Edna Bay for moose hunting this morning. He said most of the fuel must have drained from the line; otherwise, you two would have been toast. You didn’t hear this from me, but the plane went down due to a botched maintenance. You two will be set for life because of this.”
Chasing Mercury Page 22
