Levin Kelly

     –– Haley scrunched her nose as he listed off more things about the other states and their weird laws, making her shake her head. “Well, they are southern states, I guess. Do you even consider Arizona a southern state?” she pondered for a moment before shaking her head. “That’s really weird regardless. Maybe a precious donkey died in a bathtub once trying to sleep?” Haley offered before laughing. Grinning when she caught sight of the two beers, Haley was practically drooling at this point. She wanted nothing more than to just have alcohol running through her veins. “No, I don’t think Arizona does. Anyway, I’m here to get drunk, care to join me?”

      Do you consider Arizona a southern state? That was a trip. Not at all, but the mere fact that they had similar laws was a trip times a thousand. Her given explanation to the donkey’s made him laugh into his beer, “Once? That would mean Georgia or Arizona. I’m thinking some duel gold trade situation.” He was too, still didn’t make a lick of sense but whatever that’s where his mind went, “Hey, I offered.” This time pushing the one out of two beers in her direction, sitting back himself to enjoy the first of many, “Night to yourself?” 

                 Most people would grimace at Levin’s words, I mean who would want to hear someone talking about their sweat, however it wasn’t a problem for Tori. She kinda liked imagining him while he was sweating, preferably on top of her. “You made it sound like you had a wonderful summer, I am truly jealous.” She teased, crossing her legs. “Is that all you did? Struggling with sweat and mosquitos? Here I am thinking you would have some fun stories to tell.”

      “That’s all I did.” He announced, really thinking too when it came down to it what it was he actually did do this summer. Just a lot of back and forth’s at the parents, cooking, soaking up that humidity on the porch, soaking up all that free booze from the sponsors...really, that was it. What a relaxing summer now that he thought of it. “Anyways, aren’t I supposed to live through you? Whole life ahead, summers just the start or was that strictly for the YA books?” 

“Awesome! Perfect. That was my major concern.” Bentley said, as he kicked lightly at the boards he’d set down. “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t? I’m just tired of getting complaints that my roommates dog has run off again. And then the roomie comes home all freaked out and it’s all because the dog can escape from the chain link. So I suggested forever ago that we build a wooden fence around it and line it with bricks and they thought it was a great idea. But it’s been all talk no action until now.”

          “Is it a ratty mutt by chance?” Even if he was far enough awat from where they were now, that dog he was quite familiar with and now that he had a potential source well.  A dog that knew what it was doing and in turn this whole effort might just be a temporary block. Who knew. “Averting emotional crisis. Way to step up. It’s looking pretty good too, from what I know about building fences. Which is nothing. But yeah, looks good.” 

“Tacallian” She echoed, not at all sure what to make of it. “And some times I miss New York, Nashville, LA and Vegas all at once. But here I am. Anyway, You know I’ll go where ever you go. Nothin’ better to do on my night off. I got a flask, so who needs a bar?” She joked. “Besides, I’m going to need a smoke eventually. Either cigs or a joint which you know I’m always lookin’ to share.”

      “Yeah Taco’s and Italian.” A slow grin on his lips at that. “Ouch. Ouch, ouch...” he held his chest tight as if her words actually stung. But he got it, life of the traveler after all... “I think— hold on....” typing in on the device finding the quick answer and holding it out to Gerry.

Smoking is prohibited in restaurants unless the restaurant denies access to persons under 18 and does not employ persons under 18. Smoking is also allowed in private rooms in restaurants if the room is enclosed, separately ventilated from the rest of the building and the air is exhausted directly to the outside.

     “Do we want to see if they have private rooms or skedaddle?” 

“Do what now?” Holly replied as she settled onto the bar stool. She had only caught bits and pieces of what the blonde was saying, something about ice cream and giraffes. “What do giraffes and ice cream have anything to do with Chatham County. Are we getting some down at the zoo?”

     “We should.” He nodded with the prospect. “Or maybe shouldn’t—animal rights and all that. But Zoo’s...that’s a whole other ball park. So yeah, maybe we should.” Separating the two beers for the price of one that were in front of him, moving one slightly in her direction if she wanted it or not was the real question. If not, more for him, at the price of one. “But, Chatham County has absolutely nothing to do with Giraffe’s and ice cream cones...Athens-Clarke county now...just know. Don’t stick a cone in your back pocket or tie a giraffe to a pole. You will in turn, be arrested.” 

Sofie escaped the heat by stepping into her favorite bar and taking a seat at the counter once she spotted Levin, leaning her body in his direction she smiled, “Really no ice cream cones in the back pocket- I wonder if frozen yogurt counts.” Sofie contemplated and nodded taking the beer offered. “Bless Chatham county-” Clinking her glass against his Sofie took a long drink, “Not playing music these days?”

     Clinking at the initiated tap, it was really a great question— did frozen yogurt count? Tapping his shoulders, and chest in a mock religious manner, “Bless.” The beer going down with a rather smooth, but potent flavor he was trying to figure out from the IPA. “Oooh, sure I am. I played Fat Boy Slim on the way over here—still.... a rager.” He kidded, knowing exactly what she was actually getting at but, he’d been asked so many times now it’d been tedious answering ‘No, not at the moment. Still getting our heads straight. But writing plenty of new material.’ So, this worked better. “And you? How’s the ‘To be or not to be’ coming?” 

Kaytlyn sat down at the bar after another long stressful day at work, she didn’t notice the man sitting next to her until he started talking. She turned her head to look at him before looking back down at her own phone. “Interesting… and no I’m good.” She said in a low tired voice as she scrolled through her endless amount of emails from buyers and co-workers. She placed her hand on her forehead as she leaned against the bar counter facing away from the man.

      Not blind to notice the lack of interest in his discovery of laws in their very own peach state, Levin shrugged off the decline and sat back in his stool sticking his face right back into his phone like she had,”Oh boy” he commented, hand to beard, comfort setting in as he started scrolling through until he really did need someone to just hear, “And that was illegal too...’Oh boy.’ If you’re asked, think you can keep that you know—” hand making a motion of keeping quiet...she was already on the right path after all...

“Now you’re getting it.” She laughed at his circular logic that made the joke work. “Glad I was never in Chicago for more than a hot second.” Of course, Geraldine was glad he had the sense to realize that so long as it wasn’t the last thing available, she wouldn’t drink a beer. “Martini sounds good to me… Any interesting and exotic plans for tonight? Besides me, of course.”

     “Ah but it’s the Windy City; smoke pollution was bound to blow away.” he  pointed, literally too. Up in the air with a pointer directed at the dimly lit hanging light that go dimmer as a certain time of night set in. “Plannin’ on stickin’ around? As long as the Martini’s hold? Cus I got a long walk up Jefferson and a possible pit stop at Roco’s Taco—you know, they started up a truck. Tacallian. is what they’re calling it...sometimes I miss LA.” 

“And dogs can’t smoke in Chiago. So I’d say it’s a very good thing we’re here. My imaginary dog can smoke all he wants.” Gerry gave him a smirk, more than comfortable sitting next to the even more than familiar man. “And of course I want, sugar. I’ll have whatever you’re having, as long it’s something you know I’ll drink.” The woman was the type who drank nearly everything whilst feigning preference for top shelf liquor. 

     There was a long pause after all was said and done, dogs couldn’t smoke? Dogs smoked? There was a whole world of typed out rules and laws where their bases made so little sense. “All dogs....go to heaven...” he pointed, “Because lung cancer. Clearly. Except in Chicago.” There was no sense there, but now he wanted a dog. Giving a push back from the bar top, eyeing the woman with an always glint in her eye that screamed the finer things, with a subsequently taking what was given air about her, “So four Pabst’s to myself...” Levin started rearranging, pulling the pint glasses towards himself because he knew she wouldn’t want. “Martini? Old Fashioned?” 

“I uh.. Right.” Bentley said as he tried to piece together the others response to almost having his head taken off by a giant piece of ply wood. “Who’s Denise again?” He asked as if she was a person he might actually know. The odds weren’t likely. It wasn’t often he spent much time with people outside the students on campus or his roommate. “So does that mean you won’t mind the noise?” 

     Shrugging in response to who Denise was, just another name yelled out on repeat anytime he passed by. “The noise? Barely hear it.” Barely in the same neighborhood. “What bet did you lose?” asking because anyone without some sort of construction licence or trucks in the drive and grass signs had to have been put up to subjecting themselves to this daytime heat and manual labor during summer----with 90 % humidity.

      –– “Okay, but, do you have any laws about other states that are weird?” she wondered before smiling when Levin finally noticed her. “So this offer is more of a ‘fuck you’ to those three hours west of us?” Haley asked with a bemused look on her face. “Well, in that case, I’d like two for the price of one so we can say ‘fuck you’ to them. I never liked those three hours west of us. Anymore interesting laws about Georgia?”

     “I do...” phone picked right back up,  scrolling again through what was given, “Ah, in Arizona, it’s illegal for a donkey to sleep in a bathtub.  In Georgia,” He scrolled again because something similar popped up, “—and here we have in Georgia too, It’s illegal to keep a donkey in your bathtub...” He shut his phone down again to really ponder that prospect and why two states would have such similar laws, “I’m at a loss on that one.” He was too, sliding his full beer in her direction with her other full one that was placed in front of by the bartender.  Signaling for a new beer for himself because who was he to not relish in the others hatred to the other side. “Tornado. That’s all I’m thinking....some kind of mishap during a tornado. But does Arizona get tornado's? ” 

       –– Sitting down beside Levin as he started to speak, Haley raised a brow and listened with interest to some facts he was saying. She had to admit, they were amusing and definitely weird. “Are these, like, odd facts about a state?” she asked with her brows now furrowed. “Do I want what?” Haley looked at him in confusion. “If you’re offering to buy me a beer, you know I would never say no to that.”

     “These are facts about a state. This state. Even more concerning they’re laws.” Punctuating that last sentiment but closing his tab and his phone in turn to eventually fully face Haley. It was Haley, Jesus, his whole peripheral was playing tricks. “I am offering you a beer. A two for one. Most definitely now because it’s legal here in Chatham County. Three hours west, it’s not possible. Now how bout them apples?”