-Pinball & Champagne-

My phone rings

“I’m running late,” Eve says.

I hear the crunch of flint. She lights a dart on the other end of the line.

“No problem,” I reply.

“See you there at nine, love” the call ends in smokey static. 

I walk downstairs to a brisk December evening and flag down a car. Tess waits in the entryway trying to stay warm.

We hop in a cab.

Left, right, another right, and $8.00 later, we arrive in front of a dimly lit bar downtown Brooklyn.

No bouncer greets us. A single barkeep occupies his post, chatting up a few locals. The jukebox in the corner pumping out some Lauryn Hill loud enough to keep feet tapping. A single glass of champagne sits on the bar, away from the other patrons.

I turn to Tess, “looks like Eve beat us here”. It is a well-known fact that champagne is all she drinks. What a classy gal.

we grab drinks and wait for Eve's return.

I pull out my camera.

The barkeep doesn’t blink as I start snapping photos of the girls. A few rounds later, the night takes a turn, we are dj's the jukebox at our mercy. The locals don’t seem to mind. We migrate to the back corner. A Creature pinball machine begs to be fed some quarters. I oblige, while the girls go back for a refill.

It’s 01:00 the barkeep and I trade facts on Rasputin; a shot of whiskey in celebration.

“The light in the bathroom looks pretty funky,” says Eve.

I load another roll of film.

We pile in, she is right, the light is pretty funky. The restroom is a deep Barney purple, the tiled interior and graffitied mirror add some character. A few accidental bumps of the hand dryer and giggles, I can only imagine all eyes are on the other side of the bathroom door. We spend 10 long minutes in the single stall bathroom, snapping photos and laughing. Our exit, coupled with glory and mystery reserved for only film and party people.

02:00 looms closer as we settle down and get to talking, covering topics such as lucid dreams, ex-boyfriends, and acid trips. We tip our glasses back in salute to Wednesday. Gathering our belongings, we trot back to our respective parts of Brooklyn to an early Thursday morning.