Far from being on the point of leaving, Dave had returned to the booth with a table game and was helping MJ build a small tower of short oblong wooden blocks, with each level facing perpendicular to the level below. On the table were 3 empty shot glasses and a bottle of what looked like a partially empty bottle of tequila. MJ’s hands were far from steady and Dave had to rescue the tower on several occasions.
“We were just getting ready to leave and let you close up for the night, Dave”, I said in my most serious voice, adding “it’s way past closing time and this young lady has already had enough to drink”.
“Sit yourself down Bill, we’re having a private party. I’ve locked the doors, so no-one is going to disturb us, and besides, I’m going to teach this young lady a cool game”.
I tried to be assertive about going home, but MJ once again was doing her best to give me her puppy-dog pleading eyes. Reluctantly, I acquiesced and took my seat again. With that, he announced the rules.
“Each person takes a turn to slide out one of the blocks”
“if the tower falls, or you can’t go without the tower falling, you have to take a shot”
“After each block is taken out, you have to answer a question, if you don’t answer the question, you have to take another drink”.
“Sounds like a highly contrived game there Dave, not sure if MJ is ready for that yet.
“Shure I am daddy” she slurred out, “I’m grown”
Her last remark made me laugh, I didn’t agree about that, but I had to admit that tonight she was acting more grown than I had ever known.
“So, are we ready to begin?” asked Dave… I’ll go first, then MJ, then you, Dad”.
We watched as Dave gingerly slid out the first block, leaving the ones above looking somewhat precariously balanced.
“Ok MJ, ask me a question … next time your dad can ask me one”.
MJ pondered what kind of question to ask for a few moments.
“hmm… why did you want to have a Pub?” she asked; it seemed like quite a reasonable question for a semi-inebriated teenager to ask.
Dave smiled at her, “oh that’s an easy one. I like people, we get all kinds of people in here and I like getting to know them. A small pub like this was perfect, so when the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance”. MJ seemed satisfied with his answer, “besides…” Dave added, “it’s given me the chance to meet you MJ”. MJ blinked, not expecting Dave’s follow-on, but gave him a happy smile.
“Your turn next, MJ”, Dave added.
MJ reached out to take a block, her fingers far from steady. She struggled, the tower swaying slightly, but the block finally came away safely.
Dave looked directly at me… “Your turn to ask MJ a question, Dad”
I struggled to think of a question I could ask my own daughter, I felt like I already knew her so well. I decided to play it safe. “how is the alcohol making you feel?” She giggled, “shquiffy” was her giggly response, trying not to sound drunk, which to me it wasn’t surprising, given how much she had already drunk tonight. I was still of two minds about all this drinking.
“Ok Dad’s go” MJ, excitedly encouraged me to try removing a block, which was not going to be easy. The tower was already precariously balanced. I tested a few, nudging them slightly with a finger, trying to assess whether the tower looked like it would collapse at any moment, before finally settling on one. Fortunately, I was right, the block came away and fortunately the tower remained standing.
Dave turned to me and looking me straight in the eye, asked his question. “So, Dad, do you think your daughter is sexy?”. I was shocked by the question, hesitating to answer. Part of me felt it was too invasive, too inappropriate, but visions of the earlier events tempted me to say yes. MJ was staring at me with wide eyes, having suddenly realized the implications of the question. Dave raised his eyebrow, waiting for my answer. “I think she looks really pretty tonight” I responded, hoping that would satisfy him. “That wasn’t the question, Dad… you need to take a drink for avoiding it”. Dave grabbed the bottle and filled the shot-glass, handing it to me. “Drink up” instructed Dave. I objected, claiming that as a Dad I had answered the question, to which Dave turned to MJ and said, “he means yes”. MJ flushed and giggled.
On Dave’s turn, the tower almost fell, but he managed to get away with it, the remaining blocks even more precariously hanging in the balance. Dave reminded MJ that it was her turn to ask a question. She was kind of lost for a question, her brain was clearly working slowly. “Do you have a girlfriend?”, she blurted out. “MJ!”, I said in a reprimanding voice, which immediately caused a guilty expression. She was about to take the question back, when Dave interjected. “No, no, it’s fine… in the game, there’s nothing we can’t ask”. He pondered for a brief moment and then continued. “No MJ, since my wife died, I’ve been single”. I thought that was the end of his answer, but he continued. “Of course, being single I have a lot more work to do to run this place, but more than that, I miss female companionship, the affection, the intimacy”. Dave was answering as if in a group of adults, but I felt his remarks were touching on borderline for talking to a 16-year-old.
Not waiting for any reaction from me, he continued “Your turn I believe, MJ”. MJ struggled, her fingers wobbly, as she attempted to remove a piece, when the remaining tower suddenly collapsed into a jumbled-up pile of blocks.
“Aha!”, exclaimed Dave, reaching for the bottle, before taking another shot glass and filling it. MJ accepted the glass and downed the tequila in one go, no longer reacting to the strength of it, although her eyes did open wide when she swallowed it. I could see from the label that it was a particularly strong tequila. The label read “Dulce Vida Blanco”, a 50% ABV clear tequila, way stronger than most you find in pubs and I was already feeling the effects of my last shot. Clearly Dave had every intention of us all ending up drunk.
Dave looked directly at MJ, “OK, time for my question… Have you ever kissed a boy?”. If I had been drinking a beer, I would have probably choked and blown half of it out the glass at the directness of Dave’s question. MJ immediately flushed an interesting shade of bright pink, looking nervously in my direction, hesitating to answer the question. Dave, reached for the bottle.
“Wait!” exclaimed MJ, not wanting to refuse a question… “Yes… yes I have k..kished a.. boy”… “honest Dad it was just a kiss, no more, please, please don’t tell mom, promise me you won’t tell mom”. She looked pleading at me as she slurred and babbled away.
“Don’t worry honey, your secret is safe with me. Better we keep this whole evening a secret between us, so I won’t tell your mom anything. I don’t want to be the target for her anger and neither do you”. I tried to sound genuine and supporting, but now I was curious, very curious, who? when? It wasn’t a total shock, just an unexpected answer, given that she was such a homebird and my mind raced with questions.
Dave was grinning at this revelation, as if he had somehow achieved a small victory.