Thru the Badger Hole

by Taki Drake

  “Did she ever finish explaining?” Brechal asked.

  “Not really. gran was gone in a few days after telling me that much,” Wynn answered. “I wish I had talked to her more. There was a lot I wish I could have told her, but I never had a chance.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I believe that Gran is in a better place. At least I like to think that my whole family is together, looking out for me. You know, like this place is…” Wynn rubbed her hand over the tablecloth and smiled at the feeling of the fabric under her hand.

  Madrik’s detached observation came to a crashing halt. Tablecloth? He didn’t remember any tablecloth! When did that happen?

  While Brechal continued to talk to Wynn, Madrik found himself in a rapid conversation with the BHB. In answer to his questions, it was obvious that the bar thought that Wynn was the one responsible for the decorative changes. Madrik was surprised to see multiple changes as he glanced around the room. Not only were there cheerful tablecloths on each of the tables, but there were a variety of things scattered decoratively around the room.

  Peripherally, he heard the conversation as it continued with Brechal asking more about how Wynn ended up in the bar and questioning her about some of the things that led up to it. Madrik knew that he could ask Brechal later so right now he was concentrating on concerns of his own.

  Sorting through possibilities and coming to some conclusions, Madrik brought his attention back to their conversation just in time to hear Brechal ask, “That’s how you came to be here?”

  Wynn nodded silently in reply.

  “You have no idea what is in the attic then?”

  “No. I suppose that I will have to go back at some point to understand what that is about.”

  Brechal responded, “I can see that.”

  Madrik interrupted the conversation, rising to his feet and looking at Wynn. He gave her a tired smile and said, “You said that you were an experienced waitress. It so happens that we desperately need one. We are trying to get the bar ready for a grand opening, and I’m short staff. Are you willing to help us out?

  Wynn laughed, a tired little shadow of mirth still on her face, saying, “I know gran wouldn’t have sent me any place that was going to hurt me. So, of course, I’m willing to help out. Hopefully, I can contribute to what you’re doing here. Other than waitressing, what else would be my duties?”

  Madrik thought more of her for asking those questions. He answered, “I’m hoping that you’ll take charge of any decorating or daily updates, like menus and chalkboards and things like that. As long as you fit in with the general plan for the bar, you pretty much have a free hand.”

  Wynn’s face lit up like he had just offered her a big prize. Her smile was dazzling as she said, “I barely survive the most frightening day of my life, and you act like presenting me with a huge rainbow that slides into a new pot of gold is a chore. I would love to have that job! Consider me your waitress!”

  Madrik smiled in response and started for the stairs. Calling over his shoulder, he said, “Come on up, and we’ll figure out which quarters will be yours. Each staff person has their own mini-suite. It’s first come, first serve. Brechal has his, and you can pick yours.”

  Moving a little unsurely, Wynn got to her feet, scooping up the old cigar box from her grandmother to carry with her. She started to trot after Madrik but stopped long enough to turn her head toward Brechal and say, “Thank you very much for the drink and for the food. I feel much better. It’s nice to know that people like you are around.”

  She left before she could see the appalled expression on Brechal’s face.

  << <> >>

  Madrik sunk down onto his couch with a deep sigh of relief. Pulling the cork from the bottle that was opened yesterday, he poured himself a full glass, carefully putting the cork back in to preserve the remainder of the wine. Breathing deeply, he let the tension of the day slip away from him.

  It had been far easier to get Wynn settled than it had been to get Brechal ensconced in his room. The woman had fallen in love with the first suite that they looked at. She immediately said she would take it and went charging around the small set of rooms exclaiming in pleasure at the different features. Puzzling over the bathroom, she had asked Madrik to explain how to control the water and other settings. When he had admitted that he hadn’t extended his explorations into the pool or the two strange-looking box areas, she cheerfully told him that she would be the intrepid explorer and would let him know how it turned out.

  Madrik had gone back into the bedroom, saying, “This is your closet, but I have to warn you that it is not terribly large.”

  He had flung the door open with one hand while staying focused on Wynn’s face.

  Her eyes had widened in astonished pleasure, and that blinding smile once again turned her face luminous. She had almost squealed, saying, “If you consider this not large, I have definitely lived in the wrong places.” She had scooted past him so quickly that Madrik was embarrassed to remember his defensive clutch of his staff.

  He could still hear her inarticulate moans of pleasure as she entered the closet. Madrik had turned around to see her standing in the middle of one of the largest walk-in closets he had ever seen. The closet was immense, filled with hangers and all sorts of beautiful fabrics fluttering down from hooks and hanging over supports.

  There were rows of shoes neatly lined on the floor, all carefully matched up and color-coordinated. Wynn had looked like she was standing in heaven.

  So absorbed had Wynn been that Madrik wasn’t even sure that she knew when he had left. The totally freaked-out male had decided that retreat was his best solution, so he had mumbled good night and eased his way out of the room, carefully closing the door.

  Moving rapidly, like all the fiends in hell were chasing him, Madrik had not stopped until he was safely in his own suite with the door closed.

  Now calming down, he sipped his wine and let his mind go free, just absorbing the quiet comfort around him.

  Chapter 17 – Settling In

  It was a good thing that Madrik had that moment of peace. The next day started an accelerating process that left him very little time for relaxation or introspection for a considerable amount of time. The first clue that he had that life had changed once again was the sound of Brechal’s roar as the bar manager headed down the staircase.

  “Dammit, woman. This is supposed to be a bar! Not some sort of fancy-dancy café.”

  “That is just too bad if it offends your sensibilities, big guy. Some of the people that are going to come drink in this bar are going to enjoy having touches that are amusing or interesting in their drinks. Little umbrellas are a perfectly normal sort of thing to put on the sweeter drinks. Which you would know if you ever had made a drink for somebody who likes sweet things.!

  “I have tended bar all over the place. I have never put an umbrella in a drink, and I am not going to start.”

  “Fine, obviously we are going to have to find a bartender that is able to handle all the drinks that offend your tender sensibilities.”

  Madrik emerged into the barroom to a scene that he could not have imagined. Towering over the smaller woman, Brechal glowered down at her with his face full of rage. Standing right next to him, face practically planted in his chest, Wynn held her position as if she was a rock braced against the pounding sea. Madrik would never have guessed that the woman who had fled in fear through the door yesterday had that much stubbornness.

  The bar manager paused only briefly to assess the situation. Trying to defuse possible tension, he came in saying, “Good morning everyone. It looks like a great day to get lots of things done.”

  Brechal responded, “Only if someone keeps her little fingers out of the bar set up.” With that statement, the bartender turned and retreated behind the counter. He failed to see the small smile that came and went on Wynn’s face as she watched him walk away.

  Madrik hurried into speech, saying, “There a lot of thin
gs that we have to sort out today and I want to make sure that we are on track for opening the bar as soon as we can. I need to find something quick to eat and then I would like to have a short meeting and to establish basic ground rules.”

  The waitress responded with a short nod and returned to zipping around the room like a demented dragonfly. Madrik noticed that there was a different feel to the room now. The tablecloths were still on the tables but had been changed overnight to a more neutral look. This pleased him because the flowered ones from yesterday were not in keeping with what he expected for the bar. He did notice that there were other touches around the room, small in nature, that nonetheless made the room feel much more welcoming and convivial.

  The chalkboard had been leaned up against the propped open door. Wynn had obviously been hard at work because a rather pleasant graphic had been drawn on the chalkboard in multiple colors and the legend of “Pardon our Dust - We are working toward our grand opening! Soon, the Badger Hole Bar will be open!!”

  Thankful that he didn’t have to do that sort of task himself, Madrik pointed his chin toward the chalkboard and said to Wynn, “Thank you for doing that. That is exactly the sort of detail that I don’t want to have to worry about. Good job!”

  Treated to a flash of her brilliant smile, Madrik went looking for cheese and sausage for breakfast just a little more happily than he had been feeling a few minutes earlier.

  The feedback that he got along the companion bond from the BHB was overwhelmingly positive. The BHB was thrilled with the waitress and loved being decorated. The pleasure from his companion was so great that Madrik vowed to keep Brechal under control, even if it meant sitting on the big man.

  The day got much busier after that. Emesh stop by as promised and brought more vegetables. This time, instead of a simple basket and bag, he brought a wheelbarrow full of different, interesting herbs, fruits, and vegetables, but there was more. Trailing after him came a group of the small brown-clad people that had helped defend the bar a couple of days before. They were burdened with all different types of animal proteins.

  Luckily, the majority of the things that they brought this time were already preserved. Madrik was starting to feel a bit stressed about how they were going to cook everything. The number of people that he was supposed to feed was getting larger, and it was getting more difficult to manage that workload. The BHB’s comforting assurance along the companion bond helped to keep him focused. He knew that this was something he was going to have to confront sooner or later, but the need for the cook just didn’t seem as important as getting the rest of the bar active.

  Out of the corner of his eyes, Madrik watched as Wynn moved around the room, humming happily to herself. The aura of satisfaction and joy, expressed after far too long of being controlled or repressed touched him deeply. To see someone happily doing something that they’ve longed to do brushed him with a faint touch of her feelings. But even that faint touch made everything in his day look better. It was like having a bracing cup of coffee or a drink of cold water.

  Her brilliant smile when she was pleased, and the energy-filled movements of her body were a far cry from the frightened, beaten-looking woman who had crawled through the Badger Hole Bar door. Thinking about the transition, Madrik smiled himself. Content that at least he had already addressed one problem, he went on to his next task with a lighter heart and a core filled with more energy.

  Emesh stopped by briefly to check with Madrik. Even the self-contained gardener was moved by Wynn’s cheerful greeting and happy smile. Looking around the barroom, Emesh said to Madrik, “It is amazing what you have managed to do. Not only is this starting to really lay out a good bar traffic flow, but it feels welcoming.”

  “Thank you, but I think that most of that came from the waitress

  Wynn has managed to infuse the whole place with a different atmosphere than we originally had thought it would have.”

  “I think you give yourself too little credit. Without you and the BHB setting the stage, her contribution would not have been effective. Your assembly of your team is going well, and I have to say that I think that you are the most effective person at doing this type of organization at that I have seen.”

  “Thank you, again. While appreciating your input, I do have to ask if there was a special reason that you stopped by.”

  “As a matter fact, there was. Have you already planned when your opening is going to be? If not, I have some suggestions, and perhaps some concerns.”

  “I had thought that we needed to have at least another two weeks to get everything set, including all of our provisions.”

  “What sets that two-week period? Anything special?”

  “Well, I need to hire a cook. As Brechal keeps reminding me, we need to have decent food.”

  “Okay, so hiring cook is one, what’s the others?”

  “Ensuring a beer supply, additional alcohol, finding some more staff like a bouncer, making sure the rental rooms upstairs are set up, etc.”

  Emesh laughed. It was a full belly laugh, not just a restrained chuckle. Obviously, Madrik had amused his visitor. Waiting until the chuckles had died down, Madrik commented, “That was funny? I didn’t mean to be so amusing.”

  “Sorry about that. Your list was pretty extensive, and I can see why any one of those things would be a problem. However, that would do for a grand opening, but I would suggest that your sights be set on a functional opening in advance of the grand one.

  “I don’t think that you’re going to be able to go much longer without people stopping in for drinks. What are you going to do until you are fully staffed up to handle a grand opening? Are you going to turn people away? Or are you going to try to accommodate them?”

  Brechal had obviously been eavesdropping. He had not tried to conceal it, and neither Emesh nor Madrik really cared if they were overheard. If they wanted to say something secretly, they would have gone someplace else. It was an implicit solicitation for input, one that Madrik used on a general strategic level. The bartender, obviously deciding that he had something to contribute, put down the glassware that he was once more arranging behind the bar and moved over to sit at the table with the other two men.

  “You talked about settings the rules of the bar. My sense is that we need to do those as soon as possible. In fact, for some reason I’m finding myself doing the actual bar set up right now, getting drink glasses ready and chopping up a variety of garnishes, etc.”

  “Crap! If we are going to start having people coming in, there’s a whole bunch of stuff that I didn’t want to think about the later. Now is the point that we are going to have to figure it out!” Madrik said, worriedly. Feeling his tension rising over the companion bond, the BHB sent reassurance and an image of a male figure holding a pen and pad of paper.

  Madrik laughed briefly, a short, stressed sound in the fairly quiet bar. Both Brechal and Emesh looked at him questioningly, but Madrik ignored their actions and instead broke into speech, “The BHB is just telling me that I’m fine. He thinks I need to get down to making lists and checking things off. And he’s probably right.”

  Brechal nodded, saying, “The first thing that we need to figure out is the policy you mentioned briefly before about food and drink. That is not one that I have ever heard of in a working bar.”

  Emesh looked interested but did not interrupt.

  Madrik broke into speech, saying, “I think that anyone coming into the BHB for the first time is going to be disoriented. I am not comfortable asking someone to pay for a drink or even pay for food, the first time they’re here. The policy I had talked about was that everybody gets their first drink and something to eat free on their initial visit to the BHB.”

  Brechal nodded in agreement but chose not to say anything. Emesh had an extremely thoughtful look on his face that he chose not to explain.

  “You all look really serious and grumpy. We are not going to have any grumpiness in this bar. So tell me what you want, and I’ll go find it for you
. If you are hungry, I’m sure that I can wield a knife and get you all something to chew on.”

  “Thank you, Wynn. We are just trying to figure out what we do if we get people that want to drink at the bar before it is really open. If we don’t understand the rules we want to be applied, it will make more difficulties later on.

  Wynn put both fists on her hips, standing with her legs slightly spread and smiling a challenge at Madrik. “It’s silly to be bothered about something like that. You just give them drinks, and you feed them. It’s all very simple. They come in, we make them welcome, we give them the food and drink that they need, and they’re happy.”

  Brechal said, “it isn’t just that easy, Wynn. You just don’t understand.”

  “I understand that you guys are trying to make this complicated, and it’s not.”

  Wynn flounced away from the table with just that extra bit of stamping feet to telegraph her irritation with their denseness. Emesh, Madrik, and Brechal glanced at each other in commiseration, all of them thinking, but not saying, “Women!”

  Chapter 18 – Soft Opening

  The discussion had been fairly general among the three men was interrupted shortly by Wynn. She came back to the table bearing a huge platter of sliced meats and cheeses, as well as a separate plate of cut-up vegetables. The waitress plunked it on the table and then disappeared for a few more seconds, before returning with four bottles.

  Brechal sat up as if he had been goosed, “Where did you get those bottles?!”

  Wynn answered, “I got them out of the cooler behind the bar, of course!”

  “That’s impossible! There is no cooler behind the bar.”

  Wynn looked at the bartender with a sympathetic look plastered on her face, saying, “You have your hand on the bottle. It is cold. I just came from behind the bar counter. I had the bottles in my hand. Therefore, there’s a cooler behind the bar, and it has beer in it.”