Page 178 - Musings 2022

assortments of alcohol alongside them. A beer dispensing faucet is built within the counter.

Chairs without backrest span the counter on the customers’ side, and around 8 tables with four
chairs each per table lie neatly arranged in a symmetric way throughout the room. The decor is

reminiscent of typical Irish pubs from the 80s, with wooden, creaky floors and torches lining
the cold, damp walls. However, signs of the modern age, like lights and ceiling fans also line

the roof at regular intervals.

DIALOGUE.
[The bartender, Luke, is meticulously cleaning a jug of beer, seemingly in a mundane effort to

make it as spot free as possible. There is no one else in the bar, thanks to the recent riots. It is
late at night, around 11 P.M. Enter, Joseph and Ritchie. Both take off their coats and place

them on the coat rack alongside their fedoras. They both take a seat near Luke’s counter, right

next to each other. Ritchie takes out a cigar and lights it and takes a puff.]
Joseph: Luke, the usual.

Luke: Two large pints of Heinkel?
Ritchie: (Taking cigar out of his mouth) Nah Luke, I’m feeling particularly adventurous

tonight. I’ll have a Carlsberg.
Luke: (Grinning) Coming right up. (Goes to the end of his counter to fetch two beer mugs and

heads over to the beer filling faucet.)

Joseph: (To Ritchie) The department has been having it rough lately. The company stock has
fallen by 30% over the last quarter. The bigshots on board are not happy.

Ritchie: (Taking another puff and exhaling) Haha! Looks like quite the number of people are
going to get the axe. But you know they are going to fire the new interns, the board members

cannot dream of parting with their dear, hard earned fat cheques (in a sarcastic tone).

Joseph: (Wry smile) You don’t say. Surely their superyachts contribute more to society than
those poor college graduates.

Ritchie: (Putting his cigar down, with a serious face) Not to mention, your three kids. Raising
them in this economy must be hell, wasn’t the wife under the weather as well?

Joseph: Yeah. She is recovering but keeps telling me to take paid time off. I Have been insistent

that I do so for a while now. Though, doing that now is essentially the same as taking time off
permanently…

[Luke comes back with two jugs full to the brim with frothy beer; one a dull gold and one more
reminiscent of the texture of cider.]

Luke: Here you go. A Heinkel and a Carlsberg. (Hands them their drinks) Enjoy, folks!
[Both Joseph and Ritchie take a large gulp of their respective jugs.]

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