Veteran Barmaid Nods With Sympathy As Suit Says He Just Needs One Glass With His Jug

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

It's Friday afternoon at the Crowing Cock Hotel in the Old City and the regular crowd has well and truly shuffled in.

With them is Tony Deveroux. Today, he's earlier than usual. He's come from lunch he tells Sally Pike, a long standing bartender at the 'Noisy Dick' as it's known to locals.

Sally asks how his lunch went, assuming that due to his current state is disrepair, he's come directly from a restaurant another fine establishment closer to the office.

His eyebrows raise but is face doesn't. He says he's come from the office actually. The big bosses came down from upstairs and binned his direct boss in front of everyone. Made him put everything in a box, nod goodbye to his boys on the equity swap desk before being spiritually frogmarched out by security.

His job is safe. They told him that. His new boss is someone from the team who he gets on with. It's business as usual. But he tells Sally it's the fragility that gets to him. That maybe one day it could happen to him. She smiles.

Tony shakes his head and orders himself a jug. Sally asks who's joining him. Is it Pete? Or Ralph or his tradie mate from school, Rowan? Sally likes the cut of Rowan's jib. She's tried to tell Tony that but he's an idiot.

but nobody is scheduled to join Tony at this point. He says thanks for the jug and he'll only be needing one glass. Sally nods. With genuine sympathy. He walks it three steps to the right and sits down at the bar. In this situation, it's polite to ask for two glasses, just so it doesn't make you look like you're attempting to drink 1140ml of Cartlon Draught in under 10 minutes. But Tony didn't care. Neither did Sally. She looks at him. He's not even playing with his phone.

Rowan walks in from the pokie room toilets, his hands still dripping wet.

He slaps Tony on the back, leaving a big wet hand print. He asks what the fuck is happening and why he's being such a weird cunt there with his one schooner glass. He asks Sally for one, she already had it in her hand.

More to come.