Elsie ; looked towards the bar ;
-- -- I think I will get a drink Ralph ...

-- -- Ok ... see ya when ya get back. [ Ralph laughs ..., right ... Elsie. ]

Elsie approaches the bar-keep.
-- -- Hello.

-- -- Hello he answers ..., enjoying the political party Elsie.

-- -- YES ! .... How did you be intimate my name, she asks ...

Mackay winks at her ; I like to recognise the gens of my good looking customers ...

Elsie laughs ;
-- - Good looking eh ! ... I am seventy young man ... you should respect your elders.

-- - Oh I do, think me ... You just do not come out to be an elderberry bush ... I had you figured for fifty-ish.

-- - Fifty-ish ... come on now ... How old are you ? ... she asks. You do not look a day over forty.

-- - FORTY ! ... While I will have you know honey noblewoman that I am XXX eight, going on eighteen.

Elsie laughs. He is funny remark, she thinks ...

Elsie orders her crapulence and continues talking with the bar-keep ... She stands at the bar chatting with him for awhile. Mackay lecture with her as he mixes drunkenness ..., excusing himself when he needs to talk with someone else about their beverage.

Mackay politely returns to his conversations with Elsie as quickly as possible.

Elsie looks at his name tag ;
-- -- MacKay, is that a first name for finis name ?

-- -- First ...., its Mackay Morrison ma lady ... [ Mackay prow ... ]

-- - ... ma peeress ... ? Now you are showing too much respect.

-- - How about this Elsie ; [ Mackay deepens, his voice ... ]
-- -- -- -- -- -- Would you like to park that classy chassis behind the bar ... [ He winks ..., or have I gone too far ... ]

Elsie laughs ;
-- -- Instead of arthritis I have rust ... [ Mackay smiles at her but he is busy with a con-sum-err ... ]
Elsie waits ;
-- -- That would be nice ... I have never been behind a bar Mackay.

She stands at the end of the bar watching Mackay mix potable ... he carries on very well with everyone she notices ... Soon Mackay leaves his Charles William Post and returns quickly with a stool.
-- -- Here ya go Elsie ... sit here and we can chat for as long as you like ...

Elsie moves behind the bar and wrench herself up on the stool ...
-- -- This is dissimilar from what I imagined Mackay ...

-- -- Would you like something else to drink ? You don-t appear to be enjoying the one you have Elsie.

-- -- I am afraid I am not lots for alcohol Mackay.

-- - I will mix you a drinkable, non-alcoholic .... a limited I serve to dignified ladies such as yourself.

Elsie sits quietly as Mackay serves several Sir Thomas More people and finally concocts her fruity drink ... Which he labels ..., WITH self-worth ... [ Elsie laughs. She is having a gay old time ... ]

They banter back and forth for awhile. Elsie excuses herself and check over up on Ralph ... He is sloshed, again, and seem-s to feature attracted a few ally, also sloshed ...

This is not Elsie-s scene so she migrates back to Mackay ... eventually Mackay has a suspension from mixology ...

Elsie is sitting on the dejection enjoying the various topics of conversation she and Mackay are delving into ... Without warning Mackay stares at her human knee ..., making her very uncomfortable. Elsie closes her legs tight and wonder what he is up too ...
-- - Mackay, why are you looking at my stifle ... ?

-- - Looking for bumps dear madam ...

Elsie looks at him, bewildered ;
-- -- Bumps, what in the world are you talking about Mackay ?

-- -- If you do not consume bumpy knees then it-s not arthritis, so it must be rust ... he says. Straight faced.

-- - Mackay, what are you talking about, it must be r -- ... [ The Christ Within goes on and Elsie get-s his humour. ]

Mackay smiles at Elsie, winking at the Saame time.
She looks at him sternly ;
-- -- -- -- -- -- You are a silly Mackay ... [ Then, matter of factly. ] ... Mackay I thought I had nice knees, even at my age ...

-- - You do Elsie ... that you do.

There is no one at the bar ... Mackay lowers his head and feigns kissing Elsie-s knees. She turns quickly from him.
-- - Mackay, what are you up to ?

-- - Kissing your prissy knees Elsie ...

-- - You will do no such thing young man ...

Mackay feigns kissing her knees again. Elsie swings her wooden leg out of the way quickly ; letting out a fragile squeal ..., like a little girl.

Elsie looks at Mackay ... He stands up, center sparkling, with a very wise grin on his grimace ...
She gets it now, he was teasing her ;
-- -You brat. She say-s ...


... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ....

Elsie checked on Ralph several more sentence ... he was having a gust ... She sat alone for a bit then returned to Mackay ...
-- -- My husband is drunk as a skunk Mackay ... I am stuck here ... I guess we will be taking a cab home ... serves him right ... he will have to cab it back in the morning time ... it-s going to cost him a pretty penny ...

-- - In which management do you exist in Elsie ... ? I have a license but no vehicle ...

Elsie told Mackay the area of the city she lived in ... As it turned out he lived in that charge but further on ..., on the other position of the river ...
-- - How about I drive you home and you pay for my cab across the river ... that would be cheaper for you and LE of an in-convenience to your hubby ...

Elsie agreed to that. They talked for awhile .... Mackay-s customer dwindled to a drip as the night became early morning ... Elsie was tired ...

Mackay convinced Elsie to test three of his commixture ... his argument won her over rather easily he thought but it turned out to be a hoot. Elsie became a little tipsy and that changed her demeanour considerably ... they joked quite allot ...

Eventually Mackay drove Ralph and Elsie home plate ... Elsie sat alone in the back of their very nice Buick ... Ralph talked constantly, near of which was intelligible ... He had had a great time this night and was grateful for Mackay-s assistance ...

When they got to Ralph and Elsie-s dwelling house it was nearly 2:30AM ... Mackay helped Ralph into the house ... He fell on his bed and stayed there, snoring loudly in minutes ... completely dressed ... shoes and all ...
Mackay had dealt with numerous drunks in his career ; Ralph was a happy drunkard ... There were no job, other than his system of weights ...
...

Elsie was in the kitchen making chocolate ...
-- - I like a coffee tree before I retire Mackay ... would you like one before you cab it home ... Oh ..., and I will get you some money .... How often do you think it will be Mackay ... ?

-- - About $ 30 Elsie.

... ... She dug into her bag and came out with $ 40 ...
-- - This is all I have Mackay ... I guess it will have to do ...

-- - I will return what is left to you ...

-- - You do not give too, you have been very helpful tonight Mackay.

-- - I want to Elsie ... It gives me an self-justification to talk with you again ... I enjoyed our conversations tonight.
... ... Mackay could see her face beaming with pride ...

-- - Ok she said, but anticipate ahead to be certain I am here ...


AND so began the friendship of Mackay, a 38 yr old bar-keep, and Elsie, a 70 yr old ma'am ...
He would see with her once a week usually, sometimes not if his job got in the way ... Ralph was happy that Elsie had a protagonist ... Ralph like the mind of a man stopping in randomly ... He liked the security factor ... The three became very close. Mackay even got them slate to a pair of dancing he served at ... including some for their champion ..., the Maloney-s.

Of course, the interrogative sentence of Mackay-s personnel life story came up ... he had no-one ... and was quite felicitous that way.
-- -- Besides, he said ... I have friends, and I have Ralph and Elsie ... my life is perfect.

Winter came and Mackay-s visits dropped off in relative frequency ... Christmas came and went with gift and invitations exchanged ...

... All was well in the land of Ralph, Elsie and Mackay ...