The Fishbowl

Julia Simmons walked into the bar and sat down at a table that gave her a clear view of the beach. She wasn’t in the best of moods, and when the bartender asked her what she wanted she ordered a fishbowl. With a lift of an eyebrow the bartender John walked behind the old mahogany bar and began fixing the fruity drink, which was made with several liquors,many different fruits,and lemonade.The concoction was literally served in an old fashioned fish bowl with two straws and an umbrella. It was the signature drink of the bar, which was also named The Fishbowl.

As Julia waited for her drink, she looked around the small bar, and saw only two other patrons. There was a gentleman at the bar, clearly someone John knew, for she noticed John served him a drink without asking what he was drinking. The other patron was a woman seated two tables away. She was waiting for her drink and seemed to be watching something intently on the beach. As if she felt someone watching her, the woman snapped out of her trance and looked at Julia. At that moment, John walked between them serving the woman her drink and then moving toward Julia, placing a fishbowl in front of her. “Thanks John, “ Julia said, “I appreciate you.”  John smiled and looked toward the other table “looks like the two of you have something in common.”

Julia looked up and saw the other woman had ordered the same thing. They made eye contact and both of them smiled. Julia held up her glass. “Cheers to whatever ails ya,” she said loudly.

“Thanks,” the other woman said. “You too. I hope this helps.”

“It can’t hurt at this point,”Julia replied, “my name is Julia. I’m a fishbowl drinker,” she laughed, holding her drink higher.

“At the rate my life is going,” the blonde headed woman replied, “ I should drink through both of these straws.” The livelier of the two women then sat her drink on the table and took a long sip through the straws. She finished with a satisfied sigh. “Would you like to join me?”

Julia smiled. “Sure. Misery loves company,” she said, gathering her purse and her drink and moving to the other table. She looked out at the beach for a moment. “This will work’” She said.

The young woman looked quizzically at her. “Um, my name is Sarah,” she said.

“Julia, nice to meet ya.”

Sarah looked out again at the beach. “Do you ever wish you had the courage to tell someone how you really feel?’ she asked, almost as if she were talking to the beach.

“Yes,” Julia answered, “as a matter of fact, that is why I call this drink, liquid courage.”

Both women laughed, and both took another sip from the fishbowls.

Julia observed Sarah. She looked to be a little younger than Julia, early twenties probably. She had straight blonde hair that hung perfectly on her shoulders. Julia was always jealous of girls with straight perfect hair. Her own hair was red and frizzy, an obvious trait of her Irish heritage. Sarah was small and petite while Julia herself was somewhat taller and more big- boned. She grinned for a minute remembering how her momma used to tell her, “we are not FAT, we are big-boned.” When she snapped back to reality, Julia noticed Sarah staring at the beach again.

“Wanna talk about it?” she asked.

Sarah looked back at her with sad blue eyes. “There is this guy,” she started, smiling as she spoke. “Gorgeous, perfect smile, brings me flowers,and laughs all the time. Perfect guy. We have been seeing each other for a few months. I met him here, on the beach, and he helped me through a really tough night. My best friend was killed in a car accident and he, well he held me and let me cry. Anyway, long story short, I think I am falling in love with him.”

“Problem?” Julia asked.

“Well,” the other woman began,”I’m not sure he feels the same way, so I came here today to, well, follow him and hopefully tell him.”

Julia spit out the little bit of luscious liquid she had swirling in her mouth. “YOU FOLLOWED HIM?” she asked.

“I know, I know, “ Sarah said, “pathetic, huh?”

“UMMM, no,” Julia answered, “not at all.”

“Really?” Sarah asked, then looked quizzically at her new friend. “It sounds like you know what I 

am talking about,”

Julia took a long sip of her drink and let out a sigh. “Unfortunately, John the bartender was right when he said we look like we have something in common. I followed someone here.”

“Tell me,” Sarah said excitedly.

“Same old story,” Julia began. “Everything starts out going so well. Great guy, we meet here at the bar, talk all night, exchange numbers, then start dating. We went to the islands, we rode horses, we even traveled to my hometown in Mississippi, Fun Guy. Good looking and caring.At least I thought so. Then last month I saw him walking on the beach with another woman. She was everything I wasn’t, at least what I could see from far away. She had blonde hair, a big chest and she was in much better shape than I am.” Julia took another pull on her drink. “When I 

asked him about it, he said she was a client, and he just ran into her here on the beach.”

“They always have an answer, Don’t they?” Sarah said, looking sympathetically at Julia.

“Yes,” Julia answered. “And that's why I sit here trying to get up the courage to tell him I’m done. I’m tired of the lies. The blonde on the beach wasn't the first woman I saw him with. The brunette at the fair was his “best friend”, the brunette at the cafe was an ‘old classmate’ or how about 'his trainer', the beauty he had his arms around at the downtown concert last week.”

“Jerk,” Sarah said. I'm so sorry. “Here I am trying to get the courage to tell someone I care about him, and you are breaking up with someone. Pretty ironic, Huh?”

Jula held her drink up for another toast. “Here’s to courage, my friend.”

“To Courage '', Sarah giggled , holding the fishbowl out with two hands to clink with her new friends’ glass.Sarah looked out toward the beach again. A strange look came across her face as two people, walking hand in hand, walked up toward the bar.

“You ok?” Julia asked, as the motion of the couple on the beach drew her attention. She stared in disbelief. “I don’t believe it,” she muttered, as she instinctively grabbed her purse to look into, hiding her face as best she could.

Sarah looked across the table at her red-headed friend, hiding the side of her face with one hand.

“That’s HIM” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes, “how could he do this to me?”

Julia looked at her intently. She finished her drink with a slurping noise and said,

"the same way he did it to me."

As Julia waited for her drink, she looked around the small bar, and saw only two other patrons.  There was a gentleman at the bar, clearly someone John knew, for she noticed John served him a drink without asking what he was drinking. The other patron was a woman seated two tables away.  She was waiting for her drink and seemed to be watching something intently on the beach. As if she felt someone watching her, the woman snapped out of her trance and looked at Julia.  At that moment, John walked between them serving the woman her drink and then moving toward Julia, placing a fishbowl in front of her. “Thanks John, “ Julia said, “I appreciate you.”   John smiled and looked toward the other table “looks like the two of you have something in common.”

Julia looked up and saw the other woman had ordered the same thing. They made eye contact and both of them smiled. Julia held up her glass. “Cheers to whatever ails ya,” she said loudly.

“Thanks,” the other woman said. “You too. I hope this helps.”

“It can’t hurt at this point,”Julia replied, “my name is Julia. I’m a fishbowl drinker,” she laughed, holding her drink higher.

“At the rate my life is going,” the blonde headed woman replied, “ I should drink through both of these straws.” The livelier of the two women then sat her drink on the table and took a long sip through the straws. She finished with a satisfied sigh. “Would you like to join me?”

Julia smiled. “Sure. Misery loves company,” she said, gathering her purse and her drink and moving to the other table. She looked out at the beach for a moment. “This will work’” She said.

The young woman looked quizzically at her. “Um, my name is Sarah,” she said.

“Julia, nice to meet ya.”

Sarah looked out again at the beach. “Do you ever wish you had the courage to tell someone how you really feel?’ she asked, almost as if she were talking to the beach.

“Yes,” Julia answered, “as a matter of fact, that is why I call this drink, liquid courage.”

Both women laughed, and both took another sip from the fishbowls.

Julia observed Sarah. She looked to be a little younger than Julia, early twenties probably. She had straight blonde hair that hung perfectly on her shoulders. Julia was always jealous of girls with straight perfect hair. Her own hair was red and frizzy, an obvious trait of her Irish heritage. Sarah was small and petite while Julia herself was somewhat taller and more big- boned. She grinned for a minute remembering how her momma used to tell her, “we are not FAT, we are big-boned.” When she snapped back to reality, Julia noticed Sarah staring at the beach again.

“Wanna talk about it?” she asked.

Sarah looked back at her with sad blue eyes. “There is this guy,” she started, smiling as she spoke. “Gorgeous, perfect smile, brings me flowers,and laughs all the time. Perfect guy. We have been seeing each other for a few months. I met him here, on the beach, and he helped me through a really tough night. My best friend was killed in a car accident and he, well he held me and let me cry. Anyway, long story short, I think I am falling in love with him.”

“Problem?” Julia asked.

“Well,” the other woman began,”I’m not sure he feels the same way, so I came here today to, well, follow him and hopefully tell him.”

Julia spit out the little bit of luscious liquid she had swirling in her mouth. “YOU FOLLOWED HIM?” she asked.

“I know, I know, “ Sarah said, “pathetic, huh?”

“UMMM, no,” Julia answered, “not at all.”

“Really?” Sarah asked, then looked quizzically at her new friend. “It sounds like you know what I 

am talking about,”

Julia took a long sip of her drink and let out a sigh. “Unfortunately, John the bartender was right when he said we look like we have something in common. I followed someone here.”

“Tell me,” Sarah said excitedly.

“Same old story,” Julia began. “Everything starts out going so well. Great guy, we meet here at the bar, talk all night, exchange numbers, then start dating. We went to the islands, we rode horses, we even traveled to my hometown in Mississippi, Fun Guy. Good looking and caring.At least I thought so. Then last month I saw him walking on the beach with another woman. She was everything I wasn’t, at least what I could see from far away. She had blonde hair, a big chest and she was in much better shape than I am.” Julia took another pull on her drink. “When I 

asked him about it, he said she was a client, and he just ran into her here on the beach.”

“They always have an answer, Don’t they?” Sarah said, looking sympathetically at Julia.

“Yes,” Julia answered. “And that's why I sit here trying to get up the courage to tell him  I’m done. I’m tired of the lies. The blonde on the beach  wasn't the first woman I saw him with. The brunette at the fair was his “best friend”, the brunette at the cafe was an ‘old classmate’ or how about 'his trainer',  the beauty he had his arms around at the downtown concert last week.”

“Jerk,” Sarah said. I'm so sorry. “Here I am trying to get the courage to tell someone I care about him, and you are breaking up with someone. Pretty ironic, Huh?”

Jula held her drink up for another toast. “Here’s to courage, my friend.”

“To Courage '', Sarah giggled , holding the fishbowl out with two hands to clink with her new friends’ glass.Sarah looked out toward the beach again. A strange look came across her face as two people, walking hand in hand, walked up toward the bar.

“You ok?”  Julia asked, as the motion of the couple on the beach drew her attention. She stared in disbelief. “I don’t believe it,” she muttered, as she instinctively grabbed her purse to look into, hiding her face as best she could.

Sarah looked across the table at her red-headed friend, hiding the side of her face with one hand.

“That’s HIM” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes, “how could he do this to me?”

Julia looked at her intently. She finished her drink with a slurping noise and said,

"the same way he did it to me."