Two Men enter a bar

                             Two Men In a Bar

What can I get you?

Bottle of Stella please

I’ll just grab a sleeve of Lucky, and hey son can you stick on the Packers game?

Yeah, just give me a sec, there you go guys, 2 beers

You like that draft crap? And the Packers’, I don’t know, I might have to move, it could be catching.

No one’s forcing you

Settle pal, I’m just kidding, what’s eating you?

Work, hate the bastard boss, go Pack! Hey, thanks for the beer, thanks for putting the game on.

No prob, they’re a decent team, here’s some nuts for you two.

So what’s your game? Where do you work?

Acme Construction, downtown

That’s crazy, I work for them too, what department?

Painting and drywall mostly, my trade. What about you, I would have remembered if you were on the site in that suit.

I’m in accounting main office with the big guy himself. Hey, look at that, the Packers got a TD.

Hey, cheers, right on Rogers, my man. Hey, son, can I get another, make it a pint this time, ahh, I mean a large one.

The name is Pierce sir, this mans’ got a name.

Oh, sorry. My name is Greg. How long you been slinging booze?

A couple years now, putting myself through Management School.

I’m Larry, good to meet you two. I’m a Seahawks fan myself, from the west coast originally, but I don’t really follow football, more of a hockey fan, I follow the Av’s. You follow the puck yourself?

Yeah, Flames fan for years. It’s in the blood. I should also follow the CFL, just can’t get there.

Here’s your large beer sir, hey, how’s your stella fella, ha ha ha.

You’re a Canadian? I never would have known. How come you’re down here working? Yeah, I’ll have another, thanks kid. I don’t always wear a suit you know, I like fishing on the weekends when I can get out there. Hey, the Pack just got another one!

Cool, I met a woman, a bona fide American Beauty, moved down here for her. I used to fish, I can almost taste the lake trout over an open campfire. I’m wondering if I should have stayed on the lake, she and I have been grousing at each other for months now, totally on my case. How about you, happily married?

I was.

Was? Past tense, you divorced?

No, she passed about eighteen months ago, cancer in her female parts.

Oh, sorry, condolences and all that. Good beer, where is that stuff from?

Belgium, I like it. So you don’t like Mac the knife?

What? Oh, MacDonald, that’s funny, Mack the Knife. Good song that one.

He’s just always on our case, my crew. I mean we know our jobs right? No reason for him to be on us. What about you?

I don’t see much of him, but the emails are fast and plenty, complaints and suggestions, you know. He got the job through his daddy, can’t beat old fashioned nepotism.

No bull? Daddy eh? Makes sense.

I’ll get you some more nuts, you two must be hungry. So where in Canada are you from? I have a friend in Winnipeg, maybe you know him?

I’m from Kelowna, interior of B.C. it’s a bit of a drive to Winnipeg son, er, Pierce.

Yeah, it looks like a big country on the map. So, I have to go down and get a crate of glasses, can I trust you here?

Yeah, we’ll be cool. So you feel the boss breathing on your neck too? Yeah, it sucks. With my degree in financing I could be running my own company, but I still owe money for Louise’s medical bills. She had to go through Chemo and Radiation.  Expensive and she still died.

No insurance through the firm?

I thought we would be ok, but as Louise had cancer as a teenager too, the bastards claimed she had a pre-existing condition and refused to cover those treatments. We had been paying into a plan too. It was all MacDonald too, he wasn’t willing to cover anything or support us. Can’t stand looking at him but have to keep working.

No way, what a stain on humanity!

Yeah, not only that, but he’s also done it before, refused to sign for a loan for Hawkins down in the loading dock. His daughter has CP and needs support, no extras from the front office for her. Hawkins is doing three jobs just to get his girl what she needs. He needs to meet with an accident, I think about it at my desk sometimes, helps the day goes by.

If you had to off somebody, how would you do it?

Where is that coming from, I can’t do that to another human.

It’s just for conversation sakes, I’m not saying we do it.

We? Well, lots of ways to off a man, but just as many ways to get caught too. I guess I’m too cautious.

Well, you’re an accountant, har har. Oh crap, a turnover, come on Pack do me a favour here.

Well, I’m back, all good? How’s the beers, need another round? Hey, what are you doing to that coaster? Stress much, here’s another.

I could use another, I’m not driving.

Yeah, one more, these bottles are getting smaller, I swear it, ha ha.

So, what would you do? I walk by an empty lot on our street, two times a day. There’s a sign there saying they’re building on it before the end of the month. We could off him, bury him in the ground under where the cement floor will go.

Bury who? Here’s your brews.

No one, just a movie plot, some lame show I caught at midnight this weekend.

Yeah, I think I heard about that one, only two stars, you should have given it up.

Well, I’m heading out for a smoke, back in 5. I know I can trust you two.

Yeah, see you. That was close.

Stupid idea, like I could kill anyone, had to take my nieces hamster to the vet, couldn’t even do that myself, not I’m plotting like Cagney? That empty building lot would be an idea in a movie, we could spread the rumour at work that he left his wife or something, that would buy us some

NO! We don’t say anything. Why get involved on any level? We don’t even reveal we know each other. I mean no one would miss him, but why speak up. That’s how people get caught, saying too much. Saw that on CSI last week. I know his wife wouldn’t miss him though, I’ve overheard some nasty phone calls between them.

She’d probably thank us. Well, you know if we did say anything, which we wouldn’t. No, you’re right. Too many questions to answer. Too bad he’s got no plans to go out of town, that would play into our hands.

Hang on, I saw in one of the email streams that he’s got a conference in Chicago next week. When did you say the building is gonna start?

End of the month, not going to gel. How would we even get him out to the site to start with. His accountant and a drywaller want to have a chat at three in the morning?

No, we’d have to kill him somewhere else and transport him there.

What in my wife’s Mazda6, that would be a discussion. Well, I guess if she’s on shift that night, it might work if I drove her to work.

What does she do?

She’s a neo-natal nurse. We lost two sons, a few years back. Before they got to a month old, it tore her into bits at the time, but then she decided to help other women whose babies are sick. I know she’s still hurting when she sees the babies go home safely with their parents.

Well, I’m no pro at women’s feelings, but it could be why you two are at odds. If she’s hurting, and you’re not there for her, just makes it worse as I recall. You’re not happy at work and bringing that home too. Just a thought. She sounds like a strong, caring woman.

Yeah, she’s a good one. I don’t know why she puts up with me. I guess I should pay up and head home, give that woman a foot rub. She was on days this week. Thanks.

No problem pal, easy to see from the outside.

Well, goodnight. Hey Pierce? I’m ready to pay up now. Larry, we’ll just laugh off that prior conversation eh?

Eh? You really are a Canadian. Har Har. Yeah, we’ll just have to hope MacDonald improves.

MacDonald?

Yeah, he’s our boss at Acme, bit of a hard ass.

Yeah, He’s my dad. Don’t you just want to kill him?