Had the day off, and this was rattling around in my head as I did my work.
********
Lisa sunk down gratefully on the bar stool, gave herself a mischievous grin in the mirror, and took off her wig and scratched her bald head luxuriously. Phyllis laughed out loud. "Itchy, huh?" She emptied a bag of pretzels into a bowl and placed it in front of Lisa. Lisa didn't drink much any more, but she came by in the afternoons when the place was quiet, to slowly sip a Coke and just chat. She was too thin, Phyllis noted - still getting thinner, really - so she filled up a bowl with peanuts and laid that out too.
"Like you wouldn't believe!" sighed Lisa wearily, replacing her wig and helping herself to a pretzel. She nibbled slowly, taking time to focus her eyes and make sure she didn't lose her balance. Everything was just so much work these days. "So how's Pete doing? Did he ace the exam?"
"He survived the exam," Phyllis answered. "Grades come back tomorrow, and he's already off to Denver with the ski team."
"Gonna be a genius like his dad." Lisa measured out the words carefully so as not to slur or forget what she was saying.
The door opened again, and a young man walked in. "Mind if I join you?" he asked Lisa.
"Not at all." She nudged the pretzel bowl toward him as he sat down.
"I'm Josh," he said. "Sorry I'm so messy. Been working." Indeed, he had paint on his T-shirt, plaster on his jeans, and what looked like sawdust in his beard.
"No worries," said Lisa, doffing her wig as if it were a hat. "I'm not looking my best today either." She gave Josh a wink. "I'm Lisa."
Josh exploded in startled laughter. "You're too much, Lisa." He turned to Phyllis. "Can I have a glass of red wine, please? And one for my friend too, if she'd like one."
"Sure," Lisa said. She might not finish it - wine made her sleepy even back when she was strong - but she hadn't tasted it in ages, and it sounded good.
"You don't remember me, I'm sure," said Josh.
"Nope," Lisa admitted.
"You helped me out when I was homeless. It was a while ago."
Lisa was completely baffled. "I sure don't remember that!"
"Yep," said Josh. "I was a real renegade, but you convinced me to go to the shelter."
"I don't think that was me," said Lisa. "I'm not real good at talking people into stuff."
"You shared your tuna sandwich with me. I ate as much as I could and fell asleep," explained Josh matter-of-factly.
"Whatever you say," mused Lisa. "But I sure don't remember."
"I looked different then. Here's our wine." Josh lifted his glass. "To your health."
"Thank you," said Lisa. "To your health."
They both sipped. Lisa racked her brain, trying to figure out what the heck Josh might be talking about. She definitely was a fan of tuna sandwiches, but... Must have been somebody else. "So I guess you're not homeless any more," she prompted.
"Nope," smiled Josh. "Got a forever home you should see."
Forever home? Lisa did a double-take. "OK, so you were that goofy little cat that was hiding under the car?" She was definitely out of practice on the drinking, that was for sure! But the wine was delicious, and she actually felt pretty good.
"That was me!" said Josh. "I get around." He noticed that Lisa was a bit nonplussed at this, and changed the subject. "How's your back?"
"Oh, my - " She hauled up short. Her back actually didn't hurt at all at the moment, which she couldn't remember happening for at least six months previously. "It's actually really good right now."
"Great!" said Josh. "Hey, our ride's here." The sun had come out, flooding the street with golden light, and the door of the bar opened on its own. "Let's go to my Dad's house. I'll make you a tuna sandwich.
"Why - " Lisa expected to feel bleary or disoriented, but her head was clear for the first time she could recall. "I'd love to come to your Dad's house." She reached for her purse out of habit, but thought better of it. Instead, she reached out and scratched Josh behind his ear.
"Prrrrr," he chuckled. "See, we remember each other perfectly."
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