He Humiliated Me in Public, So His Regret Pays by the Tear novel · Chapter 10 of 32
Chapter 10: The Bar on Damen
Marta knew where line cooks go to be alone.
It was a tavern on Damen called Dubek's, with a Hamm's sign and a bowl of pickled eggs on the bar.
The back booth sat under a television that had been tuned to the same hockey game since 2009.
I found him in the booth at eleven on a Friday in December.
He had on his work jacket and a gray scarf I had given him.
He had an empty glass in front of him and one in his hand.
The bartender watched him in the mirror with a patient, professional face.
The white line came up across the hockey game the moment I stepped through the door.
[Pending regret: active. Source: Dominik Kral.]
I stood in the doorway until my eyes got used to the dark.
Then I crossed the floor and sat down across from him.
He looked up slowly.
He did not say my name.
"Hal," he said, after a long moment, slowly.
"Dominik."
"You're real."
"I'm real," I said.
"I've been seeing you in here for a week." He lifted his glass, put it down. "You keep not being you."
"How many?"
"Four. Five. Whatever the line is."
His eyes were red.
His collar was unbuttoned and he had not shaved.
He was a mess, and the mess looked right on him.
The man in the black jacket at the opening had been the costume.
"I got the money," I said.
"Good."
"You didn't have to."
"I did." He wet his lips. "It was yours."
"You could have fought me for it."
"For what?" he said, and laughed, a terrible small sound. "You were right. There's no argument. I took your grandmother's house and told my mother it was a gift. I've been telling people for three years. The first time was at a wedding."
He picked up his drink.
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