A Brief Interlude: Paul's Bar

What a day. He had made it through a long one and was now attempting to relax with his second beer nearly finished and an unsettling premonition that the Red Sox were in for a bad night of baseball by having their asses handed to them by the Kansas City Royals. Yeah, the Royals. He looked gloomily at the score before commercial break and rolled his eyes towards the back of his head. Paul looked over as a truck commercial began with a smile wider than Texas and began pouring what would no doubt be Brian's third beer of the evening. This may turn into a longer night than expected he thought to himself as Paul placed the newly foaming beer in front of Brian's welcoming hands. The smell of glue graced his nostrils as he lifted the pint glass towards his mouth. Brain had washed his hands at least three times before he left and the smell was still there dammit. A couple of very small cuts adorned his fingers and the cold beer against them brought him a little relief from the heat of the slightly inflamed areas. It had been a very bad day. Brian began to think seriously about the consequences and whether or not he wanted to go to work in the morning when a young women walked up to the bar. She stuffed her hand into her jeans and pulled out a twenty and asked Paul for a Midori Sour, a Sam Adams, and a Brooklyn Lager. Who the hell drinks Midori Sours anymore Brian thought to himself as he looked the young lady up and down like any man in a bar would. It would be unnatural for him not to. As he did however, he saw that she was watching what he was doing and he looked away and started to turn a little red. She chuckled a little bit and held out her hand, "Hi, my name's Sam, and you are?" "Brian, sorry I uh..." he trailed off, cursing at himself for drinking that third beer far too quickly and suddenly feeling a rush of alcohol beginning to impede his ability to do ...anything. She was good looking and four maybe five years his junior. "It's nice to meet you, my friends and I have been talking about how you look really familiar" she started to say as a knowing look came across her face. That "Aha, now I've got you" look. Shit, thought Brian. It wouldn't be much longer before his blissful anonymity would be gone. Gone forever. A secret he had kept from everyone since he had moved to Syracuse. He knew that it really was only a matter of time. A name change and age were never going to really hide him for that long. Actually, he was surprised that it took nearly a full year for this moment to happen not counting that one incident at the airport in Buffalo and of course the Phish concert debacle. "uh...oh really?" "Has anyone ever told you that you look like that kid from that television show?" she said as she leaned forward. "Mister Belvedere?...yeah I get that a lot," said Brian grimacing. "Ha Ha..you know the one I'm talking about, it's written all over your face," she said. Dammit Dammit Dammit, you had to go straight to having beer you idiot with no food, and now this girl, woman, is going to out you in front of all of your stupid drinking buddies. Brian was in a small state of panic. If his drinking buddies and Paul found out about this there would be no end to the harassment. Every week it would be something new. Clippings from Teen Beat plastered all over the bar and Paul would put the goddamn CD in the jukebox. Brian didn't want to have to find another bar. He liked this one. He liked the regulars, he liked all the bartenders, he liked the atmosphere and he especially liked the fact that the place didn't get to damn busy on a Friday night. "I fucking hate this commercial," said Sam, "you're not going to have an adventure because you're wearing a pair of fucking Levi's." "I would tend to think you have more adventures without any pants," said Paul and with that the last of Brian's beer came through his nose as he could not contain his laughter. Paul had been waiting to use that line since the commercial started airing two weeks ago and it worked as Sam giggled. Perhaps though she was giggling at Brian's unavoidable faux paux but Paul didn't seem to notice. "I'll be right back, can you watch my drink for me?" said Sam as she grabbed the two pints of beer and walked towards a back table where her friends were sitting. One of them, a guy, was wearing a bright orange 'Cuse shirt, shorts and beach sandals, the other, a girl was wearing an "I bleed orange" T-shirt and jeans that made her look really uncomfortable. Sam had dropped off the drinks and motioned toward Brian, who gave a weak smile and the two of them raised their glasses towards him. Great a fucking toast to me. Whoop dee fucking doo. Sam started back towards Brian's spot at the bar while Paul place another pint in front of him.
"So Midori Sour huh? I didn't think anyone drank those anymore. Frankly I'm surprised Paul even has a bottle of that stuff"
"I've got a bit of a sweet tooth I guess and a low tolerance....so you're him right?
"What do you mean?"
"You're him...you were on that show"
"I'm still not sure what it is that you are implying?" (one last chance perhaps??)
"You spent six years in my living room, I think I know who you are....the sad part is that we've actually met before."
Brian's heart sank to the lowest of the low.

End Of Part One.