She smiled seemingly relieved herself by my decision to stay and inwardly I felt at peace grateful to still be here watching her. I looked at my hat on the bar.
My fingers fairly itched to put it back on, but that didn't seem right somehow so I left it there. This was all uncharted territory for me and I really didn't know what move to make next. I was hoping she'd give me a clue of some kind.
"So Mr. Tyre what do you do, when you're not stalking me?"
She was back and she'd asked the one question that would tear her away from me. Should I lie to her? No, if a relationship was to be at all meaningful it should be based on honesty that much I knew.
I looked up into her teasing eyes and the seriousness of my gaze had the humor dropping out of hers within seconds, "I'm a wet man." I responded simply.
She laughed nervously, "What's that?"
"I kill people among other things."
She took two steps back from the bar top visibly shaken. The fingers of her hand shook, as she reached up and curled several stray hairs of her blond hair back over one ear. She was speechless it seemed and abruptly turned away, but then stopped and I wondered what she would do next. She turned back to me; her hands were clenched together in front of her,
"Why?"
She wanted to know why I killed people. Truth was I did a lot more than just killing in my work, but killing did seem to play the major role.
"Some people need killing so that other people can live in peace the way God intended them to."
"You justify what you do like that?" She asked incredulously.
"I'll be judged like everyone else will be someday. I don't believe I'll get away with anything I've done wrong."
"And knowing that you still do what you do?"
"Someone has too."
She studied me for a moment more and then walked away. I studied the scarred counter top of the bar before me. Now what?
A glass with a cute little umbrella sticking out of a frothy red mixed drink was gracefully set down before me. I glanced up at Anna and then back down at the drink before me.
"Am I supposed to read something into the fact that you've given me something that looks like blood to drink?"
She half choked on a spurt of laughter, "Goodness no! I just thought you might like something else to drink other than that awful club soda that you never even bother to touch."