Jack’s Bar

Another rainy night. The customers at Jack’s Bar didn’t seem to care. This wasn’t an umbrella crowd – just a put a copy of the Daily News over your head crowd. As the steam was coming up over the pavement, and little rivers flowing down the trails of broken concrete, Jack wondered how he was going to pay Louis.

Louis was the neighborhood bookie, six foot three of pure muscle, although he never had to raise a hand. His enforcers were the Riley brothers – Jake and Sean. They seemed to take pleasure in making the collections.

Louis had come around a lot more since the tragedy.

Years before, when Jack met Mary at bartender school he had really turned his life around. No more drugs, no more gambling. He pushed his high school buddies, Louis, Jake, and Sean out of his life. The only way to rise up was to leave them behind.

Jack’s Mom and Dad were so proud of his transformation. They gave their only son the down payment to buy Jack’s Bar. Every night you would see Jack at the bar serving customers while Mary took care of the books and running the business. Marrying her was the happiest moment in Jack’s life.

Every so often you would see Jack’s green eyes gazing down at Mary – she was a cute redhead at least a foot shorter than Jack. This petite woman was a dynamo and he adored her.

One night, before anyone noticed them, three men came in and drew their guns. They were scared and desperate looking, maybe just teenagers, their eyes darting from side to side. Jack knew the look – they were druggies and out of control.

“Hands up, everyone, or you’re dead,” they were screaming as they waved their guns wildly.

Jack felt under the bar for his steel bat. He had used it many a time to break up a fight. As his right hand wrapped around the bat and he was about to swing, the office door swung open. Mary hadn’t heard the commotion so she walked right into the robbers’ path.

Pandemonium, shots being fired, customers screaming, people trying to run out the door. When it was over, Jack had knocked one of the assailants down while Louis and the Riley brothers took care of the other two.

Jack looked around to find Mary and then he saw her crumpled little body lying in a pool of blood.

“Mary, Mary, can you hear me?” Jack screamed.

When the shooting started, Mary took the first bullet to her heart. She didn’t know what hit her. The paramedics had to pry Jack away from Mary’s lifeless body. He sat on the floor, rocking back and forth, covered in Mary’s blood.

“Why God, why not me?”

The once cheerful Jack now had a maudlin look on his face. His expression never changed. He became the polar opposite of the happy, well adjusted man he used to be.

When Louis came to the wake, he gave Jack a sympathy card with cocaine in it.

“I’m here for you Jack.”

After the first snort, Jack couldn’t stop. The only time he didn’t feel the pain was when he was high. The first hit was a freebie but now Louis wanted to be paid.

Although business was good, Jack was only able to bartend – not do the books. The bill collectors were calling but Jack could only focus on getting his next fix. In six months Jack was on the verge of bankruptcy and he owed Louis $20,000. Between the drugs and gambling debts, Jack could not keep up with the interest.

When he thought of the pain this would cause his parents, he went into denial.

“I’ll be able to pay this off in a few months – they don’t need to know.”

Louis would be coming soon for his money. Jack started going through all the drawers to see what he could find. As he was throwing the papers around, he came across a pink envelope. His name was written on the front in Mary’s handwriting. His hands started to shake as he read her note:

Jack, if you find this something terrible must have happened to me. I want you to know that you’re the only man I ever loved. Before you my life was a cesspool but you made me feel so special, like I really was a good person. I knew with you I could become that decent, loving human being.

I didn’t tell you everything about my past. I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve done. I was with Stevie Santos since I was 15. He took me off the streets and trained me well in how to deceive people. The deal was I had to be his lady.

When I found out I was pregnant, he wanted me to have an abortion. He said if I didn’t, he would kill the baby when it was born. I started to bond with my unborn child and I just couldn’t abort. This was one thing I could do right and maybe make up for all the bad things I’ve done.

When I was about three months pregnant, I ran away. I stole $100,000 from Stevie. He wanted me back dead or alive. I changed my name and my appearance and moved to Utah. I have a sister there that Stevie didn’t know about. My sister is raising my daughter, Kristin, who is now ten years old.

There’s $50,000 left in a safety deposit box at our bank, key in this envelope. I’m hoping that Louis hasn’t dragged you back into the old life but if he has, use the money to get back on track.

I know you’re sad but there’s still one part of me alive – Kristin. I want you to go to Utah and become part of her life. Help my sister Julie raise her.

You can tell your Mom and Dad about this and bring them with you. Kristin needs all the family she can get and so do you.

You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.

Love, Mary

Jack sat there stunned. He thought he knew everything about Mary. He was always amazed that she loved him and now he knew how much. Even in death, she had his back.

Mary wasn’t dead – part of her was still alive and living in Utah. Jack knew what he had to do.

“Man, I can’t wait to see the look on Louis’ face when I give him cash!”