It was a cool crisp evening, as Henry turned onto lower Montgomery Street. He was heading for a new joint that had just opened on the corner. It used to be a diner and a shake shop, but on account of the government giving people back their booze, times had changed. Usually, he wouldn’t be down this end of town or ever cross the door of this kind of place, but Henry had a date, this is where you went, if you wanted to impress.

He swung open the oak doors and removed his coat. He was early, he was nervous, and he was thirsty. Henry headed to the bar counter where he threw his faded old overcoat on the back of his chair. He never liked these places, for all the fancy design, the seats were never comfortable. He jumped up on the stool and immediately noticed that the leather cushion had no cushion at all. The back of the stool was low and pushed into his back, so he slouched forward. The bar counter had a rail around the edge, that dug into his elbows, so he had to arch himself like a bridge from ass to elbow. He looked out a place, and he was still thirsty.

The bartender glided down and greeted him, placing down a bar mat and a few dry nuts in a bowl. Henry hated this part; he just wanted a beer. The guy was going to tell him about the specials and crack some jokes, make some small talk, what was the point. He knew he was going to get his tip either way, that’s the way it was, the etiquette, part a’ the whole damn thing. So, he listened to him.

 “We gotta great new gin in, mister, makes a mean Martini, unless you’re, a bit more old fashioned, eh?, eh?, then I got this scotch that’s going to smoke ya out the water!”.

Henry mustered a smile and got ready to shoot down all this enthusiasm, but the bartender continued.

“You know what, I got you pegged all wrong mister, it’s a Champagne cocktail your after, it’s a Friday night and you worked hard enough to deserve it, I’m sure a that”.

There was not a universe that existed where Henry Thompson was drinking Champagne, any night of the week, he knew that himself. The bartender was about to continue, so interrupted him and told him he was just getting a beer, if he didn’t mind. Henry minded, he was still thirsty, and still nervous.

The bartender acted as if he were a puppet who just had the hand pulled out of him, he slinked off down the bar, arriving back with a beer and half a smile.

“Enjoy.”

Henry was sure he didn’t mean it but didn’t pay much attention to it at all. His mind drifted off to his night ahead and the morning he had tomorrow, wondering if he’d over committed. Tonight, he had a date, first one in, let’s say a long time. Diane worked down at the desk near the accounts office. She was a kind woman and often Henry would greet her as he went back and forth with his paperwork. They might talk about their week or the weather or something mundane, he wasn’t much of a talker. Last week, in what he can only remember as a haze, he got the courage to ask her out to a drink sometime. She had said she oughta think about it, datin’ men from the office wasn’t something she thought was a good idea. After lunch that day she decided they could go for a drink, see where it goes, but none of those dirty bars, the salesman often went to. Somewhere nice, that new place, up on Montgomery Street. So, there he was sitting at the bar, waiting on a woman, not his usual Friday night.

Henry moved to the city a few years back but still hadn’t found his feet. He worked for a boring insurance broker, he didn’t quite understand most of what he sold to his clients. That was part of the problem, he was not making any sales at all, at least not new ones. Last year, an old timer retired, and they split up his accounts in a raffle. Henry scored big on a chain of factories that were making motors and needed good insurance. In the last 3 months, he’d lost many of his own clients to competitors and this motor factory was really his last leg. Tomorrow morning, he had been invited to a few rounds of Golf with the owner and his lawyer. They were wantin’ to shave a few dollars off their deal, and Henry was supposed to be the man to get it done. Except, he had no clue how to do a deal, he never had to. He had been in sales for around three years, but all his other clients had come directly to him, and the motor factory was about the only lucky thing he thought had happened to him. This might just be his last and only chance. So, he sat there wondering if he might need to get a new job next week.

Every time the door swung, his eyes darted towards it, expecting her to walk in. He was early still and sat silently over his beer, occasionally swirling it and taking a few small sips. Suddenly a smack came across his back, enough to break the bridge and send him sitting up straight.

“Thompson, I thought that were you up at the bar, how you doing old fellow, got lost on the way uptown it seems.”

It was one of the other Salesman, Howard, he was accompanied by a group, standing slightly back from them, staring and giggling. Henry re-adjusted and forced a smile upon his face, stumbling over his words and trying to muster up something witty. His words fell flat, and he ended up with,

“Gotta a date.”

He wasn’t much for improvising or even conversing, so he just looked at Howard, willing him to take the conversation over.

 “Well Thompson, we hear you got a big game tomorrow, playing for your job it seems. Can’t go losing anymore accounts or you’re going up to the fourth floor, to explain yourself.”

Henry nodded along in agreement, adding a shrug and a half a wrinkled smile. He knew well that this was his last chance to turn things round, he didn’t need Howard to tell him that much. The crew behind, headed towards the door, so Howard made his goodbyes,

“Listen old fellow, don’t let em’ knock anymore than 2% off the top and promise them your soul if you have to, it’s going to be alright. If you mess it up, old Howard will sweet talk them back to the table. Gotta run, we got Champagne and cigars calling.”

Henry half stood up and shook his hand weakly then slouched back over his beer.

Diane arrived in the door around five minutes after they had agreed to meet up, Henry thought this was reasonable, he had been very early. She was wearing a long coat, and she stood in the doorway slowly undoing the belt that kept it wrapped around her. As she slipped it from her shoulders, she scanned the room and locked eyes with Henry, he was awkwardly half standing, half sitting, trying to get her attention. She returned a warm gentle smile to the flat expressionless face he had on. Then she beckoned him towards an empty booth in the window. Henry watched as she slowly walked across the room, pencil skirt, white blouse, straight dark silky hair, and confidence, more than he’d ever seen. It was as if she knew the whole room was watching, and most of them were, and so was Henry, and he was nervous.

He made his way over from the bar with his beer, and his old coat. Awkwardly smiling, he slid into the booth opposite Diane. She had already gotten, it seemed, quite comfortable. He, however, could not get comfortable at all, he wanted to look confident but that meant he couldn’t relax. He continued to adjust and shift himself in the booth until he gave up and just slouched forward towards her. She sat back, legs crossed, one knee showing just above the table, shoulders back, and commanding all his attention. She reached for a pack of cigarettes, thin, slim ones, then slowly lit one, pressing it to her red lips. She kept eye contact with Henry as  the smoke slowly escaped from the side of her lips, which she had pursed together.

“Hope you don’t mind, we all got our vices, want one yourself”

Henry shook his head and picked up his beer, as if to answer. The problem was, he didn’t answer, just gestured towards his drink. Diane continued

“So Henry Thompson, small town boy come to the big old city, tell me something I don’t know about you, tell me a secret.”

Henry shifted in his seat again, he could feel the beats of his heart in his neck, they were hard to ignore but he took a moment to think.

“Well er, when I was a boy back home, one time I was down the store and I only had enough for a few candys, so when the man weren’t looking I put a chocolate bar in my pocket, and I ran as fast as I could back home and I, er, hid in my room. No one ever caught me, but I always thought they might, still might.”

Diane looked at him for a moment curiously,

“Quite a life you’ve lived then, career criminal turned Salesman, I’m not sure which job is worse,”

She waited for him to come back with a reply. Henry sat looking at this woman, completely out his depth. He felt as if he were a helpless chicken locked in a cage with a lioness, and she was about to devour him. He still hadn’t answered so he looked up from his beer and said “I’m not so sure myself”

The evening continued much the same. Henry felt like he was barely treading water. Diane was oozing charisma, charm, and sarcasm in equal measure. She had gone on to tell him about growing up outside the city and getting her job at the firm, her first apartment, and her best friend back home. They were going to go travelling in a week, and Diane was excited to see her. Henry still hadn’t managed much more than three sentences the whole night, he just drank her in, intoxicated. Diane began to seem bored and in between the silences he caught her glancing up at the art deco clock. He had hoped she was just admiring it, but he knew really, she was biding her time. Diane was sipping on the last of her drink when she sat forward gently, looking at Henry with a smile that almost felt pitiful.

“You know Henry, I’ve had a swell time tonight, you’re a great friend. Maybe next time we might just grab a coffee instead, what do ya think.”

Henry didn’t want to rule out ever seeing Diane outside of work, so he tried to look content, and nodded back to her. Diane was gathering her things and getting ready to leave,

“I know you got that big game in the morning; you’ll need a good night’s rest. Don’t worry about me, a couple of the girls are up at Howards, and I am going to stop by and say hello. A girl wouldn’t pass up free Champagne!”

She leaned forward and lay a kiss on Henrys forehead, then standing tall beneath the lights wrapped her coat gently around herself and floated gracefully from the bar.

Henry sat over the last of his drink and began to wonder. He had been in the city for three years and in all that time he had never been happy. In fact, he left home to move to the city because he was never happy. Some people are just miserable and that’s it, he thought. There was more to life surely than a job, a wife, kids, and a home. Still, that’s all he thought he really ever wanted; all you’re supposed to have. He wouldn’t mind some friends too, he was sure he’d be happier then. Henry knew tomorrow was his last chance, to do something, anything, make his mark. Diane was off to Howards, surely to tell all the girls about the lackluster evening she spent with Henry Thompson. He was sure Howard would make some witty remarks and cozy on up to Diane, as he had so many times before, with so many other girls. Then when Monday rolled around Howard would drive down to the motor factory and close the deal, like he had also done, so many times before. Henry, well he would be where he always was, trying to catch up, trying to succeed, trying, trying, trying. All he had to do was make this deal tomorrow and everything would be back on track. Diane would have that coffee with him then, and he could tell her all about his deal. She was sure to be impressed and even consider going for more than just a coffee. Yeah, that’s what he would do, turn it all around, get the girl, and the bonus.

He wasn’t sure any of this was going to make him any happier than he ever was, but Henry always kept going. Many times, before, things had gotten pretty bad, he had kept going, and kept going. One thing was always for sure, no matter how bad things got, he always knew how to make it worse