Sometimes when life well and truly fucks you, all you can do is crawl into the nearest bar, order two fingers of the cheapest vodka they have, and wallow in self-pity for however long it takes you to rally and get on with your life.<\/p>\n
In Denni\u2019s case, the point of no fucking return was when the bus they were on sat in stopped traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway, realizing that the longer the bus sat, the more likely it was that they were going to miss their connection to Pittsburgh. Usually Denni would be fairly blas\u00e9 about this \u2014 being a regular bus traveler, they understood that sometimes missed connections happened and you just had to make sure you had enough charge in your phone (and in your backup battery) to keep yourself entertained until the next bus boarded. Except in this case, there was <\/i>no next bus. The connection Denni was about to miss was the last bus going west until the next morning.<\/p>\n
Calling Susan to explain what happened did not actually help. Instead of the hoped-for sympathy at the predicament, she responded with misplaced anger at Denni\u2019s inability to plan effectively. A reasonable <\/i>person with their shit together would have taken the morning off work in advance so they could take an earlier bus to New York. A reasonable <\/i>person with their shit together would have anticipated New York’s horrid traffic during the holidays. A reasonable <\/i>person with their shit together would have maybe managed to save a bit more money or made reservations sooner so they could take Amtrak instead. Denni was clearly not considered a reasonable person with their shit together in that moment, something that the current clusterfuckery only proved. Hanging up mid-harangue probably only further lowered Susan\u2019s opinion of them.<\/p>\n
When the bus finally rolled into the basement of the Port Authority bus terminal a whopping 2 hours later than the posted arrival time, Denni was not only annoyed at the whole situation, but quietly blaming themselves for it. Susan was right. If Denni had had their shit together even a little bit this entire situation could have been avoided.<\/p>\n
A stop at the Greyhound ticket counter only confirmed the worst when Denni got off the bus. The bored-looking clerk at the counter wearing candy cane earrings informed them that their ticket was not refundable since it had been bought online and heavily discounted, but it could be transferred to a different trip to Pittsburgh. Unfortunately there were no other buses departing for Pittsburgh anywhere in the metro area. The closest they could get was Philadelphia, and then they\u2019d be in the same situation, stuck waiting until morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cForget it,\u201d Denni said, thoroughly frustrated. \u201cI\u2019ll figure something out. Thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Greyhound clerk shrugged. \u201cGood luck. Happy holidays.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd a holly jolly Christmas to you too,\u201d Denni retorted sotto voce<\/i> as they and their beat up rolling suitcase slouched away from the ticket counter towards the nearest escalator.<\/p>\n
Great<\/i>, they thought, their brain churning around in their head along with the rhythmic rumbles, clanks and occasional groans emitted by the escalator under their feet. What the fuck do I do now? It\u2019s 4:00, and I\u2019m stuck here for at least 16 hours until the next bus. <\/i><\/p>\n
They sighed heavily as they got off the escalator and started halfheartedly shuffling towards the NJtransit ticket booths towards the back of the station, making despairing faces at the corridor of sad little boutique shops huddling around a giant Rite Aid drugstore. The tiny kiosks selling holiday tchotchkes, touristy \u201cI Heart NY\u201d crap, and in some cases holiday-themed touristy \u201cI Heart NY\u201d crap in the middle of the corridor likewise huddled around a Hudson Newsstand like a herd of retail sheep. Safety in numbers.<\/p>\n
The wall tile and some of the floor was the most depressing shade of brown M&M, but it was still better than downstairs, where the tiles were a lurid pumpkin orange. It was all very ugly and reminiscent of what must have been hip and modern sixty years ago but now just looked industrial and sad. Denni trudged past a crowded Au Bon Pain, grimacing as they recalled their sister deliberately pronouncing it as if it rhymed with \u201cCow Phone Lane\u201d purely to annoy them. It usually worked.<\/p>\n
A splash of green upstairs caught Denni\u2019s eye, and they looked up to see the comparatively bright awnings of a bar. McAnn\u2019s, it said, in relentlessly cheerful yellow letters. Fuck it,<\/i> Denni sighed. With the afternoon they\u2019d had, a drink probably couldn\u2019t hurt, and by the look of the place \u2014 who sticks a whole ass Irish pub on the second floor of a bus depot? \u2014 the beer and vodka on hand were likely to be kind to their wallet and disastrous to their digestion. Well. As kind to the wallet as any place in New York was likely to be.<\/p>\n
It being just after four, the pub was reasonably empty, and Denni was able to grab a seat at the bar. A kind looking middle-aged redhead – stereotypical much? \u2014 wearing way too much eyeliner winked at them. \u201cWhat can I get for you, honey?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVodka. Neat. Two fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n
She raised an eyebrow playfully. \u201cPromises to keep and miles to go before you sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n
Denni smiled tiredly. It was clearly a bit as well worn as the cracked black and white checked floor tile, but it was a good one. \u201cPromises broken already, I\u2019m afraid. Missed my connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh.\u201d The redhead smiled back, sympathetically. \u201cHappens a lot around here. Not a lot of sense putting a bus terminal in the middle of an island the natives can barely get around without getting held up in traffic somewhere for hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denni swallowed a quip about Lenape opinions on getting around Manhattan, substituting a thank you for the vodka when it arrived. The burn of the booze cleared the worst of Susan\u2019s tirade from their head, and they sighed as the muscles in their jaw and shoulders unclenched. Why the hell am I going anyway,<\/i> they wondered. Oh right. Susan guilted me into it. Perhaps a <\/i>reasonable person would just show up to Pittsburgh and dump her ass. <\/i>Or you know. Not go to Pittsburgh at all. Except they\u2019d already bought the ticket.<\/p>\n
And then she <\/i>walked into McAnn\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Denni\u2019s first instinct was to giggle, mostly because the woman who walked into this already ridiculous pub was dressed in an outfit so eye-rendingly festive it almost hurt to look at her. A red accented green plaid quilted trench coat with gold accents for starters. A green beret and scarf to match. Small crystal trees dangling from her ears. Dark red heeled boots that laced up and buckled to at least the knee, with that very slightly unhinged this-was-actually-made-by-underpaid-cobbler-elves look to them that positively screamed Fluevog if you knew what to look for. (Denni unfortunately, did. Susan had a rabid shoe obsession.) Considering the Christmas Elf from Upscale Hell outerwear, her hair and face were low key by comparison; the barest hint of eyeliner brought out her deep green eyes, and a fall of thick dark hair processed pin straight poured from under the beret to nearly her waist.<\/p>\n
Very pretty, if you could get past the Christmas-Color Dreamcoat.<\/p>\n
The bartender was completely unphased by the new customer or her coat, and Denni smiled slightly. Given the location, they were pretty sure she\u2019d seen lots weirder than this. Without batting an eyelash, she shoveled ice into a glass, added an alarming number of maraschino cherries, poured a couple of fingers of Captain Morgan, then filled the glass the rest of the way with coke before setting it, unbidden, before the new arrival. \u201cLong time no see, Holly. You look very festive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is\u2026 quite a coat,\u201d Denni agreed without thinking; when both women swung their gazes at them, they raised their glass. \u201cSpoke out of turn. Apologies.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bartender shook her head and returned to wiping out her glasses. The festive train wreck – Holly, apparently – took a longer look at Denni. \u201cNot from New York, are ya, sweetie?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was low and warm, with a quality to it that sounded to Denni that she was constantly holding back a laugh. Not at their expense, but in general. \u201cFraid not,\u201d they answered, with a half-smile.<\/p>\n
Much to Denni\u2019s surprise, Holly picked up her incredibly sweet-looking drink, shoved a couple of singles into the glass tip bowl, and walked to Denni\u2019s end of the bar. \u201cYou mind company, or should I fuck on off?\u201d<\/p>\n
Denni snorted at the bluntness. \u201cYou\u2019re good,\u201d they replied, moving their backpack off the seat next to them. \u201cAppreciate the check-in, though.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled, wiggling out of the coat to reveal a comparatively sedate but still very festive and subtly sparkly red dress underneath. \u201cNot everyone welcomes company in a strange city while sitting in an admittedly strange bar. I\u2019ve learned to ask.\u201d She sipped at her drink, then placed it down on the bar and stuck out her hand. \u201cHolly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denni grinned, taking her hand and shaking it once, firmly. \u201cDenni.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNice to meet you.\u201d Holly hung the wild coat up on a coat tree at the end of the bar, out of the way, then finally sat on the stool next to Denni. \u201cSo Mister Denni\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust Denni,\u201d they murmur. \u201cI\u2019m not a mister.\u201d<\/p>\n
She blinked once, then continued after a nod of acknowledgement. \u201cWhat brings you to New York and to this lovely little watering hole in Port Authority?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMissed connection,\u201d Denni shrugs. \u201cStuck here until tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOof. That\u2019s a bummer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed. What about you, no offense but ah\u2026 you\u2019re dressed a little fancier than a bus station warrants, no?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps.\u201d Holly paused with a smile. \u201cIt\u2019s my birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMmmhmm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denni raised an eyebrow over their drink. \u201cYour name is Holly, your birthday is the 21st of December, and you\u2019re wandering around Port Authority dressed like a North Pole fever dream?\u201d Denni looked around the bar as if hunting for hidden cameras. \u201cAm I getting Christmas punk\u2019d?\u201d<\/p>\n
Holly laughed. \u201cYeah, okay, I can see why you would think that. Here.\u201d She fished into the clutch bag in her hand, and slapped a card on the bar for Denni\u2019s inspection. It was a Connecticut driver\u2019s license, with a surprisingly good photo. The name and birthday on it were indeed Holly F. McDowell and December 21st. <\/p>\n
\u201cOkay first of all that wasn\u2019t necessary,\u201d Denni admonished her with a chuckle. \u201cSecond of all, what are you doing?<\/i> You shouldn\u2019t be showing a complete stranger all your identifying information like that. Three\u2026 you know that license expires today, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes it, now,\u201d Holly picked the license back up and squinted at it. \u201cHuh. I\u2019d best get all my drinking and contraband purchases done before midnight, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess so,\u201d Denni mused, shaking their head. This lady was definitely a little kooky, but in a fashion that didn\u2019t quite convince them that they weren\u2019t<\/i> getting punk\u2019d. <\/p>\n
\u201cBesides,\u201d Holly scoffs, \u201cthat info isn’t necessarily identifying. This is three addresses ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re supposed to update that on the other side,\u201d they pointed out.<\/p>\n
Holly flipped the card over revealing a narrow label sticker with another address carefully printed on the obverse side. \u201cYou always grill people about license maintenance and validity?\u201d she asked, putting the card back in her clutch.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally, no, but then again most people don\u2019t just hand me licenses to inspect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich answers my next question,\u201d Holly continued, taking another swig of her drink. \u201cYou\u2019re not a cop or a DMV agent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNoooooooooo,\u201d Denni laughed. \u201cFor one thing, it\u2019s not the DMV where I\u2019m from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holly frowned, clearly processing the meaning of that statement before understanding bloomed on her face. \u201cPoor lamb, you\u2019re from Massachusetts?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, ma\u2019am. Born and bred.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019re stuck deep in Yankees country?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey now. Them\u2019s fighting words.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holly raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust kidding, I don\u2019t give a shit about the whole Yankees vs Red Sox thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed. \u201cFar as I can tell neither do most New Yorkers. I have it on good authority that they actually hate the Yankees down here as much as the Red Sox fans do. Except if the Sox are in town.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you\u2019re not from here either?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot by birth, no. I did live here for a while in high school and college. Wild times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denni knocked back the rest of their vodka. \u201cSo it\u2019s your birthday, you\u2019re clearly not from here, yet you\u2019re dressed for a fancy party while walking around the Port Authority Bus Terminal looking like an extra from Christmastime in Hell?<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen that Hallmark movie, and as a matter of fact, I do <\/i>have a fancy party to go to, but that\u2019s later in my evening.\u201d She sips at her drink. \u201cI have time to kill and I\u2019m all checked into my hotel, and this is one of the better people-watching spots in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d Denni says, disbelievingly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the area, on a chilly December night? Definitely. Space to sit and drink, not outdoors in the cold, not horrifically crowded with Christmas season tourists, at a major transportation hub?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCouldn\u2019t you go to Grand Central or Penn Station for that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo place to sit in either place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denni couldn\u2019t argue with that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other aspect of being here is that I usually strike up a conversation with someone new while I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, so I\u2019m the latest stop in a pattern of what would be predatory behavior if you weren\u2019t working the manic pixie dream girl stereotype?\u201d<\/p>\n
Holly nearly spat the mouthful of rum and coke she\u2019d just taken across the bar. \u201cEileen, where did you find this one? Less than five minutes and I\u2019ve been given the third degree AND been read for absolute filth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bartender chuckled from across the bar where she had clearly been listening to the conversation. \u201cHe\u2019s not wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey,\u201d Denni corrected automatically, but in a voice soft enough to ignore.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re a they, Eileen,\u201d Holly called back. \u201cSorry,\u201d she said to Denni in a quieter voice. \u201cStill unlearning the whole \u2018assume a binary gender on sight\u2019 thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo worries,\u201d Denni waved it off, surprised by even that level of matter-of-fact acknowledgement. \u201cThanks for the amplification.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holly smiled. \u201cSo back to where you were calling me out on being predatory in a bar in an infamously seedy bus terminal\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Denni grinned, holding their glass out for a refill as Eileen passed them. \u201cIt\u2019s a little unsavory. I\u2019m going to assume you did not take a bus into town, correct?\u201d<\/p>\n
Holly shook her head. \u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have any luggage with you, you\u2019re dressed way too nice for this place even with the Santa\u2019s most exuberant elf getup, and you come here specifically to watch people going about their traveling business. On your birthday. Before you have to leave for a fancy party.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holly shrugged. \u201cStill a mostly free country at last check.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019ve clearly done this before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year for the past five.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denni shook their head. \u201cIt\u2019s still a weird as hell way to spend your birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat, I will give you.\u201d Holly smiled wistfully over her glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you have friends to celebrate with? Family?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure. But having a birthday so close to Christmas sucks. Everyone\u2019s too crazed from holiday preparations, out of town visiting people, or fed up with the entire season to want to celebrate an additional thing on top of everything else, so I tend to throw my birthday parties in mid-January when nothing else is going on and people have recovered from The Season.\u201d She drained her rum and coke, setting down the glass thoughtfully. \u201cSo on the day itself I take a solo trip to the City and spend the longest night of the year doing pretty much whatever I feel like doing, and the day after I take a train home, and that\u2019s my birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSounds nice, if lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEh. I don\u2019t get lonely very much.\u201d She smiled. \u201cI mean, I\u2019m talking to you, that\u2019s not very lonely, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for the so-called predatory behavior\u2026\u201d she laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s honestly not like that. Most of the time I end the conversation and occasionally the night with a new friend. Though I suppose you do have a point about not being able to get away with it if I were, say, a six foot bearded lumberjack.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHolly, you wouldn\u2019t be able to get away with it if you were me<\/i>. I\u2019m not a six foot anything, but I am assumed to be male more often than not and I wouldn\u2019t be cruising a bar looking for randos to chat up. I\u2019d be labeled a sex trafficker or something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re still not wrong,\u201d Eileen chirped from the other end of the bar. \u201cYou get away with it cause you\u2019re a cute girl with more than a screw loose. And I know you\u2019re not a sex trafficker otherwise I\u2019d have you tossed out the terminal by security.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holly blushed. \u201cI guess now would not be the time to note which ones of those conversations end in one night stands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denni raised both eyebrows. \u201cProbably not, no.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a moment of silence before Holly shook off the previous points and smiled brightly at Denni. \u201cWell. All of that said \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere she goes,\u201d Eileen murmured.<\/p>\n
Holly rolled her eyes. \u201cThat said,\u201d she picked back up, \u201cthis has been an unusual but interesting conversation so far, and I\u2019d very much like to continue it. How do you feel about fancy parties?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUm\u2026 like how fancy?\u201d It occurred to Denni that they were rapidly getting out of their depth.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the Met Gala or anything, but at least a nice dinner with a Christmas themed concert? Maybe some semi-famous people with too much money singing off key by the end of the night?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026\u201d Denni trailed off. They caught Eileen\u2019s eye and she gave them a small encouraging shrug. \u201cI didn\u2019t pack anything appropriate to wear to that sort of party, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Holly lit up. \u201cEasiest thing in the world to fix.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you say so?\u201d Denni felt their throat closing in a mild panic at the rapid and wild turn of events. <\/p>\n
Holly sobered a little. \u201cListen. I know this is weird, and now that you pointed it out, yeah, it\u2019s probably a little creepy too. But I\u2019m here for a good time tonight, and you\u2019re stuck here and probably in for a rough uncomfortable night until whatever time your bus leaves tomorrow. Why not have a winter solstice adventure with me in the city instead? I promise it\u2019ll beat spending the night here.\u201d She grinned. \u201cMy treat, and I\u2019ll put you on Amtrak to wherever you\u2019re going in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPittsburgh,\u201d Denni sighed. \u201cI\u2019m headed to Pittsburgh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holly pulled a face. \u201cGods, I\u2019m sorry. Why on earth are you headed there? Family?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNah, don\u2019t really have one of those anymore. Visiting a\u2026 friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh.\u201d Holly nodded sagely. \u201cI have family in Cincinatta\u201d \u2014 Denni raised an eyebrow at the pronunciation \u2014 \u201cso have had the misfortune of visiting Pittsburgh a time or two. Very hilly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 certainly a word for it, yeah.\u201d Denni sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo.\u201d Holly fished a cherry out of her glass and pulled it off the stem with her teeth. It was probably not meant to be suggestive, but Denni swallowed hard anyway, feeling a blush rising in their cheeks. \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n
A <\/i>reasonable person would decline<\/i>, Denni thought. There\u2019s nothing reasonable about this proposal. But didn\u2019t Susan already dismiss us as unreasonable?<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cFuck it. Sure,\u201d they said, knocking back the rest of their drink. \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
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