Lost Hope

  Asher leaned into the brutal north wind as he made his way slowly up the street. Slow was the only pace the cold wind allowed.

Cold, like my soul, he thought.

Asher desperately wanted a drink, but every establishment he passed just wouldn’t do.

Too rich for me, he thought as he passed the windowfront of the lounge in a five-star hotel.

Too hip at another.

Too young.

Too crowded, he thought as he watched a group of friends celebrate a birthday.

“Bah,” he grumbled as he watched another group celebrate someone’s promotion. Careful you stay on the boss’s good side. Promotions aren’t forever.

She’ll only break your heart, he thought as he glimpsed the end of a successful proposal. Love isn’t forever either.

Asher was getting tired of himself and with each step tried to block out the world more and more. He needed a drink after the day he had had, but he wasn’t prepared to deal with the extras these bars brought. He would just drag himself home and to bed. He had no hope the world would be less weary tomorrow, but he was done with it for the day. As he turned the corner that would take him back to his apartment, he saw a sign he had never noticed before. He didn’t know how he had missed the opening of a new bar so close to his place.

Lost Hope the sign said.

Sounds about right, Asher thought with a sigh. Might as well check this place out.

Pushing open the door, Asher was immediately hit with pleasant, warm air. He didn’t let it take his own dreariness away, however, as he made his way to the bar. The place was clean and the lighting dim. It wasn’t the usual sleazy dim of a bar but the comforting dim as of a cozy reading nook. There were few patrons. Asher only saw one at the bar, but he could hear the murmured voices wafting from a few booths.

Asher slid himself onto stool at the bar.

“Be right with you,” came a singsong voice.

Moments later, a woman with a smile that could put anyone at ease appeared behind the bar in front of Asher.

“Hi, I’m Dawn,” the singsong voice again. “And who might you be?”

Asher was taken aback by the friendly tone and the lack of demand for his drink order.

“Oh, ah,” he stammered. “I’m Asher.” And because she still didn’t ask for his drink order, “Nice place here. Been open long?”

“Oh yes! This place has been open for years!.”

Asher’s brow furrowed.

“Surely not! I live around the corner and have never seen this place.”

Dawn smiled and giggled.

“Well, we aren’t everyone’s type of place.”

Dawn continued to smile pleasantly at Asher until he felt a bit uncomfortable.”

“So, uh, can I get a whisky straight?”

“Oh, we don’t have whisky.” Dawn’s voice had no hint of apology.

“I’ll take vodka.”

“None of that either.”

“Tequila?”

“Nope.”

           Asher sighed. It was going to be harder to get drunk tonight than he thought.

           “Fine. I’ll have whatever beer is on tap.”

           Dawn just smiled.

           “You don’t have beer?” When Dawn just shook her head, Asher continued incredulously. “Well, what kind of alcohol do you have?”

           “Oh, we don’t sell alcohol here at all.”

           “What?” Asher couldn’t believe he had found the only bar in town that didn’t sell alcohol. Figures, he thought. Just my luck. Asher wanted to leave, but the nice guy he once thought of himself as just couldn’t leave an establishment without getting something. Particularly when the barkeep was so pleasant.

           “Well, what can I get here?”

           Dawn smiled even bigger.

           “Exactly what you need.”

           The barkeep turned and grabbed a glass from under the counter. She considered the taps at her disposal for a moment before settling on one. Pulling the tap slowly so as not to spill anything, Dawn filled the glass with strange, iridescent blue liquid. It was thick and would have looked at home as unicorn hair. She set the glass down in front of Asher and gave him a nod.

           “What is this?” was all Asher could muster, and he didn’t even try to hide his disgust.

           “Exactly what you need.” Dawn turned to go but paused and turned back to Asher. “The first one’s on the house.” Dawn disappeared to the other end of the bar.

           Asher considered his drink for a long time. He wondered what drugs were in it. He considered if he would wake up naked and robbed in a ditch. He considered that perhaps he wouldn’t wake up at all. The last thought did it for him. He decided he would take a sip. Life couldn’t get worse.

           The first sip tickled going down, but the second was so smooth. The third sip was fantastic, and Asher didn’t care if it was drugged or poisoned. And all of a sudden, the glass was empty. Asher didn’t feel drunk. He didn’t feel sick. He didn’t feel drugged, but he did feel…warm…cozy…definitely okay. Asher puzzled this feeling as he slid off the stool and waved goodbye to Dawn.

           That night Asher had the best night’s sleep he had had in many months.

           The next evening, Asher made his way back to Lost Hope. The meteorologist was right. The winter storm was letting up. Asher didn’t have to bend quite as far into the wind.

           As Asher slip onto the stool, Dawn smile and said as if to an old friend, “You’re back! So great to see you again. How was your day?”

           Asher was once again caught off guard by her pleasantness.

           “Not quite as terrible as I’ve had lately.” Asher paused and looked around. “I don’t guess you’re selling whiskey tonight?”

           “Never,” Dawn said with a laugh. “Just what you need.”

           Tonight Dawn set a deep purple liquid in front of Asher. He looked at her quizzically.

           “How did you know what I was going to order?” Asher paused and hesitated. He didn’t want to offend the very nice woman. “I really enjoyed the blue drink from last night.”

           “I’m so happy to hear,” Dawn exclaimed. And then with a wink, she said, “This is what you need tonight.”

           Again Asher considered what he was drinking and again thought about drugs and poison, but again he drank up. The purple liquid went down as smooth as the blue. Again he felt warm and cozy and definitely more than okay. Tonight Asher made sure to leave some money on the bar.

           He had another amazing night of sleep.

           The third night Asher found himself on the same stool with the same smiling Dawn.

           “How was your day?” Dawn genuinely wanted to know.

           Asher shook his head. “I can’t get over it. It was the first good day I’ve had in forever. I slept well last night, and I got a call for an interview this morning from a resume I finally made myself submit yesterday.” Asher hmphed in thought. “I think I may have even seen the sun peak out from behind a cloud.”

           Dawn poured Asher a bright green drink and lingered chatting with him for a few minutes. Asher didn’t need to consider anything before he drank up. He enjoyed the company. After settling his tab, he walked out of the bar thinking that perhaps the world wasn’t as terrible a place as he thought.

           “Lost Hope doesn’t quite seem to fit this place if you ask me.”

           It was a month since Asher had first found his way to this strange little bar that didn’t serve alcohol. He was sipping on a fuchsia drink chatting with Dawn the barkeep, Hans, a businessman who had declared bankruptcy the day before and was on his second night on the same barstool, and Fred, a former regular who had stopped in to update Dawn with his good news.

           “Lost Hope sounds way too melancholy,” Fred agreed.

           Hans wasn’t quite ready to agree, but Dawn just smiled and changed the subject.

           “So, Asher, what’s new today?

           Asher smiled shyly.

           “Well,” he said softly. “I got the job offer.”

           “That’s great!” Fred slapped Asher on the back. “Congratulations!”

           Asher stared down into his half full glass.

           “It’s not so great?” Hans asked.

           Asher considered the events of the last month. He wasn’t usually one to spill his soul to strangers…or even to drinking buddies, but the Lost Hope bar always made him feel comfortable and at home. He felt this was the place to speak about what had been bothering him the last two days.

           Asher took a deep breath.

           “So much has happened the last month. It’s hard to believe it’s real. A month ago I didn’t think life could get worse, but here I am feeling good about things again. I just don’t know if it will last.”

           Everyone around him was silent for some time and considered their drinks. Dawn cleaned glasses behind the counter.

           “I know, man,” Fred finally said. “It’s why I make sure to stop in here from time to time. Share news with Dawn. Grab a drink. Life has ups and downs, but it’s something about this place that keeps my hopes up that it’ll all be right in the end.”

           Everyone silently thought about what Fred said. Hans sipped his drink. Dawn organized the glasses, a little smile playing mischievously at the corners of her mouth. Asher gazed out the window at the beautiful setting sun. Not a cloud was in the sky.

           “Man, that’s why the name of this bar is so wrong,” Asher finally broke the silence, lightening the mood again. “This is the place hope is served. You find hope here.”