3049.
[/b]
Win's Rock Bar, border zone, Colonial City-State...Dinh Nguyen took his time healing, and there would be a permanent rasp in his voice. but somehow, he'd managed to keep his fingers. The Wolverines' system prorated his tour since he couldn't be put back together in 'combat fitness'. Instead, he got some help starting a business.
The "Win's Rock bar" name came from the fact that Vietnamese spelling simply didn't catch on with most of the Colonials, they kept trying to say "New-g-u-yen" and it was annoying.
so when he made the sign, it said "Win's", and specialized in 'home foods' that could be obtained or cultivated on the land here. A little help from his friends and former shipmates meant a lot for the success of the place. Banh-Mi, Pho, Saigon chicken, and so on, it drew a multiethnic clientele of Colonials, locals, and military people from the nearby base.
and he got to pursue his 'other' passion. Music. a coin-op player loaded with classical music like the works of Lemmy Kilmister, Sadie McAllister, Robert Johnson and a host of others spanning a thousand years of recording history. He only had one rule; Nothing goes in the Juke box that couldn't be played on instruments live.
His bar, his beer, his rules.
and his employees now. Not everyone is cut out for construction or farming, some people just have a black thumb. Dinh had five people who worked for him, ranging from Rani, a Sagittairon girl whose past life had been as an 'adult entertainer', aka professional companion, aka prostitute, who enjoyed tending bar better than spreading her legs for a pole-dance, to Eli, whose Colonial service was cut short after landing by severe traumatic stress disorder and suicidal ideation-who now made his living wage helping maintain the Kitchen when he wasn't playing drums for Dinh, to Arthur, whose term of service ended honorably, but who couldn't make it work in the civilian world without help-Art, it turned out, was an able student of the Guitar, and pretty good at scaring angry drunks.
Art's bouncer-partner was Gail, of course, she usually picked up the ones who were too out of it to walk home, confiscated car-keys, called cabs, and helped Dinh handle the books after. Gail was, like Art, native New Circe, but unlike Art, she was also big enough to bench press Dinh one-handed and
looked it.
Dinh, himself, was convinced she could do better-she disagreed, and sometimes displayed her sincerity in ways not to be discussed, in his view, in public without putting a ring on her finger.
Thus far, said ring was still waiting for Dinh to get his shit together. New Circe wasn't Kowloon by any stretch of the imagination, but even in free-wheeling Hue, a man's not a man if he can't support his lady financially without landing both in debt.
Tonight, is Friday night, last day of the civilian work week. Even New Circe recognized the need for a Sabbath, though they don't call it that. The menu tonight is fish-based. Fish sauce, fine-sliced Mocktuna barbecue, fiery spiced bonefish sandwiches, and of course, rice.
Because rice grows well on New Circe, even here.
"Thank you, thank you all for coming..." tonight was concert night. Every friday, either the house band, or a guest band, playing live here at Win's. "I see we've got some new faces in the crowd, we've got some real treats lined up tonight. a New band from the City State is on tour, they really need your support, give them a warm welcome...
Kassiopiea Kassandra!!"
He gestured 'up' with his hands, and the patrons clapped politely as the small group of young women from the City State took the stage. He hobbled off as they began their set.
Gail caught him when his damaged nerves misfired and his artificial left leg threw the balance off of his artificial right leg. "Dean, you...have you been shorting your maintenance again?"
"uh, no.." he still wasn't that good at lying. "just short a little this month on the scrip, needed to work the extra hours." he said.
"Extra hours..you
own the place, come on..." she held him up and led him to a seat where he could relax and check the connectors to his legs.
"That's right, I own this place, and I have people relying on me. it was either work the extra, or cut a head." he told her, "we need everyone we've got. prices have gone up on staple foods again."
she clucked, and did the diagnostic connections for him. "You didn't mention that, I'll take a look at the books...there we are, one of the connectors is loose..."
"I don't deserve you." he said.
She looked up and flashed him a grin, looking for a moment like a teenaged girl with a crush, "I'm your number one groupie, Dean Win."
"You're my number one and only lady, Gail...I just gotta keep things balanced long enough-"
she rolled her eyes, "Not this again...Dinh, some of your cultural hangups are more anachronistic than the munchkins. My mom's coming to town tomorrow..."
"SO you need the day off?" he asked.
"WE need the day off. I'm tired of waiting for you to say it, we both know it. You're meeting my folks, we're doing this thing."
"i...I still haven't..I mean, I want to, do you want to? really? I'm
busted up!!"
"Your number one fan says yes." she said, "I accept your offer of a permanent arrangement, a pairbonding, and a wedding. Now stop fretting and stop hesitating, and
stop trying to work yourself to death."
