It was a slow morning at the Club Level Grill in the airport terminal. Alice, the bartender, had a lot to share. Once the drink orders were placed and the I.D.s were approved, she opened the conversation with an “Attaboy, Gerald, you just celebrated another birthday. I’m a Baby-Boomer, too. Been bartending since I was 22 years old living in Florida.” “I’m a DES daughter,” she continued, “My mom took drugs back then to reduce the risk of miscarriage. Might be the reason I’m dyslexic today.” A nervous laugh followed. Because the inclement weather had mercilessly snarled flight connections, everyone was forced to cope with adversity. This meant Alice, who lived on a horse farm 42 miles away from work, had to figure out how to feed and water the hairy beasts before they starved. The frigid snow-covered ground meant providing hay as an alternative food source. An easy fix. Supplying water, on the other hand, was another challenge based on the gurgling sounds of slushy bubbles passing through frozen pipes from the outdoor mineral spring opening.
“I can’t wait to go to Arizona,” she said as she turned the conversation to a more lighthearted topic. She often travelled alone in pursuit of her favorite hobby, collecting Indian pottery artifacts and fossils. In a split second, with cell phone in hand, she flipped through her photos offering us a look-see at some of her most favorite treasures. “I love pottery shards,” she confessed, “and if I don’t pick them up, someone else will.” “For protection I carry a big stick, like Kalinda Sharma on ‘The Good Wife’. Although I did buy some .22 shells in case I take my husband’s rifle this time. Then again, wasp repellent is a preferable alternative to pepper spray for protection,” she debated. About now we began to feel as though the roles had been reversed. Alice seemed to be spilling her guts as we recharged our batteries and sipped on a Bloody Mary cocktail. In many ways she appeared to be the lonely gal at the other end of the bar. As we collected our bill, I recall hearing her say, “Have you seen the platform shoes some of these girls are wearing? Ugh! My feet are killing me already.”
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