[PRIVATE] Europäischesbier

The taxicab pulled to a stop at the side of the street, right at the edge of town.

Julius stepped out and scanned the sidewalks, squinting against the setting sun.

Declan, late? How very unlike him.

In over ten years of having kept up appearances, Declan has not been late for all of the differing events that crossed his path. Through hell and high water, sleet and chilling snow, and all other such matters of ornaments one could place on the mundane, Declan was sure to be not less than twenty-five minutes early, which a second more would be quite late, quite. Alarms would be set and agendas written, which there are the usual count of two post it notes on his desk, one on his nightstand, four in the kitchen, one inside the fridge and three inside the car once he opened the door. Of the alarms there was more to say, each had a varying degree of annoyance only bettered never bested by the one that rang thereafter. Set at intervals precisely designed to have more than enough time to spare on preparation and transportation that there could be no fault on no-one else but himself, even with outside factors.


Which was more the stranger that not only was Declan late, but almost helplessly unaware that he had an obligation with anyone today. None of the above were set, none of the above were written, surely he knew there was naught to do that day. Except there was, and he was met with it when his smartphone's voice-mail came up with more messages than he received in the past three weeks. Dear me, dear life, I'm actually late, but to what and how? The git's not specified a time or did he. 'Tisn't like me to miss a right ol' craic.

With his mind on right, Declan went right to call Julius, who went off right on his own. "Good afternoon Julius, I don't suppose you care to remind me if I'd set a time the last we spoke. I remember that I've not... I am right about the point of being sure..." Declan's voice tapered off as he went off in his thoughts to track the evasive memory and back to being wired wrong not long after.

Julius answered his phone as he continued to look around.

"Good evening, Declan. Not to worry, I've only just arrived in town myself. Now if you'd be so kind as to remind me exactly where this place is…"

The sound of car keys jingling could be heard as Declan replies, with no sign that's he's actually even reached the car yet. "From just having entered the town... a half block north until you find a crosswalk, turn right and keep going straight until you find a corner store, turn left on that bend and you'll find what at first appears like a café with a banner of what may be familiar flags to us being Europeans. I believe O'Connor and a barkeep named Mizuno are who would be at the taps tod... eve, evening, tonight."

"Couldn't be more than five minutes if you're on foot. I'll be there in ten."

I'd better be there in ten minutes or I'll need to actually sit on that thrice-damned chaise to find out what happened to me, my life and my sense of time.

"The block past the convenience store, then? I'll see you there."

He hung up and replaced the phone in his pocket. Lighting a cigarette, he began to make his way over to the agreed-upon venue.

---

Sure enough, he soon spotted the familiar Bundesflagge, among others. He waited outside and finished his smoke while Declan's car came into view.

Traffic on this day was as optimal as could be. The town was almost always devoid of activity in some form or another, but this day was something special. Average delays on taxicabs were usually a wait of ten minutes, with the way it was now it wasn't out of the realm of perhaps every seven, nay, five minutes. Buses that would have a few people here and there had less going hither and yon as they stayed stationary right as they were. Three such buses had almost right to be shut down for the day with the few they had even paying fare, mostly using up their senior and student rights respectively. Ten minutes was more than enough, ten minutes were a breeze. Zipping down the street Declan went, hardly a care in guiding his way through. That was right until he came to a head with an abrupt jam of vehicular mass only just near the "drink district" as he dubbed it. He came to understand why there weren't many cars on the street. A good portion of the people were bleedin' drunk, as put by Declan later. Wallowing in their sorrows, drowning in yellow froth which couldn't be ascertained from their mouth or cup being the source, people of various classes drunk away like Russian men on release from duty. After finding an open space between a city car and a SUV shifted ever so poorly off to the side, he got out of the car and gave a right shout.

"Oy, oy!, sorry for keeping ye'. Looks like you'd have quite a bit of work to go around looking at some of these lads. Too bad you're part of the school like me, eh? We could make a killing diagnosing depression, cirrhosis and a slew of other right mess."

A cry from the street across from Declan could be heard from a rough looking man about thirty, with a jaw line built as if from stone, mounds of wrinkles on his forehead and a snarl from massive lips. The man was heavy-set with some muscle hidden beneath a layer of gelatin or was it collagen, whatever it was, was "disgusting", again as Declan would have it. Short as though he was being Asian, he did hold some formidable danger for Declan who being not as strong and even less a fighter wasn't at all prepared to be trading replies. It seemed he was bright enough to know what Declan was saying and spoke in broken English in retort.  

" I am not deplessed, I am a salaryman, I make more than you ever... will, you wouldn't say that to my face would you gaijin. Oy! Ale you even listenin'!? I'd make a omamori from your teeth..."

However as he said this he tripped over his feet and right into the "drink" which was more correctly a puddle of water. Let's say it's water by any means.

"Don't mind him... even for all I did end up saying, I know the one we'll be at will be much more respectable than what the street we're on portends."

Julius's English was still a little rusty – the last time he had used it much was back in the army, when he had been on joint operations with British and American troops – but his conversations with Declan were helping that.

"Eh, don't worry about it. And yes, I suppose we would; but I'm more than content to be at the school."

His muscles reflexively tensed as the "salaryman" approached, only to relax when the man fell flat on his face.

Julius turned and opened the door for Declan.
"'Age before beauty,' right?" he said with a playful smirk.

Declan's face was one of confusion. If he was right, and it was often he was, they were both around the same age. Unless Julius was so astute as to narrow it down to the days and months, they were both thirty-four as of right then. What he could muster was a simple "Thank you", as he tilted his head in minor thought before shaking it off and just getting on with it. It? Ah yes, the drinking, the dulling of the wits and harbinger of the worst of men. "Oy! Porter! What's the craic? How's things going with you with the er... what was it now..., yes, how's it going with the degree, heard you've went and got right back to school."

Declan got himself all acquainted with Porter O'Connor back in the hospitality course back when he first came to Japan, where only a few members of the Food Services and Hospitality field got through to that stage. Total count was a mere three, two from China and our barkeep from Scotland, who came over only having just consummated a deeper relationship with a woman he met on the web, the selfsame Mizuno mentioned earlier. Porter was thirty-five years old, built by hard work and toil who had only recently took the care to go back to the books, he was a rather burly fellow. He had sandy brown hair cut low and square, a full beard that was still well trimmed and green eyes that only just started having crow's feet nest right around his eyelids. He wasn't unbecoming by most opinions, and for all of his bulk, he was less intimidating once he began to speak. On that note, let it be known that he carried around a cheatsheet of sorts carrying pronunciation keys, vocabulary and standard phrases that comprised most of his working spoken Japanese. Recently after having learned that the nation cared more about how well prepared one was than how one appeared gave him enough of a shock to try to catch up to all he lacked these passing years. To have two Europeans who spoke English was a great relief to him.

"It's been going well, they accepted the credits I've received a few years ago before I got into this business and would ya believe it, all of this is online, I don't even have to worry. Anyway, not much has happened other than that, flows been great. Ever since we added more offerings from Germany and Belgium, there's been an upsurge in clientele. Enough of that though, who's this? A friend of yers?"

"This is me mate from Yamaku, Dr. Julius Schmidt, we've come by to have a go at some of your offerings. Speaking of that, how's about I ask for a shot of Guinness now?

"Aye right! Ye best be paying well for this. Import fees are giving me a beating. Anyway, that's you settled for now, I know ya take yer time getting pissed."

Porter then turned his attention to Julius for a moment to ask him for his order, "What will ye be after?", he then moved aside, just off-center enough for Julius to have a glimpse at the plethora of choices he now knew he had.

Julius took a seat at the bar, reading through the impressive selection.

"Well now, this is a treat indeed.
An ale for me, I think… how about a Smithwick's.
And just start a tab; I imagine we'll be here a while," he said with a grin.

He turned back to Declan.
"I must say, this is a rather excellent spot. Good choice.
Normally Yumiko would be joining us, but not when she's four months along now, of course.

"So, what have you been up to lately? Any news?"

"With Reddie about, you'll be here a while indeed. I find it strange too, how passively he drinks, it's...

"It's as if I had nothing to do. I know, I know. The time I do spend is not for free though, I've got enough dosh to spend the free time I do have here, and I do."

Anyway, your friend here actually knows about ale, and the bloody one is from your homeland, I struggle to understand you red but you'll get yers and his the better.

"Just a simple man from Limerick is I"

Simple!? Out of the three of us, I'd be more oft the simple one. However, yes, I'll give you this simplicity. Had ye not a some understanding of your trade, you'd be right along the sod.

"Joke went right over again I see. Not many can say they graduated from Trinity and you know this well."

Away with that, away, enough with you, never humble.  I've got people to get to. People who know a right ale.

A chuckle could be heard as Porter turns to the taps to pour each their drink.

Here you go gentlemen, tab's being ran now, do keep that in mind. Also, not sure how fond of you are of the telly, but here, if it's looking scarce, we do have access to channels that you couldn't get otherwise streamed directly from Europe. Within an hour Sasaki will come by with whatever musical talent he's found on the notice we gave him, do be sure at least to give them the proper respects initially. I'll leave you be on that note, carry on.

After this exchange a few more people came by, some tourists who upon seeing the amount of choice they had there, were a little less sour about their detour into such a bland town otherwise. They sat some distance from the two, a few stools to be exact and began to share laughs. Declan then turned his attention to his coworker.

"I do remember you've a lass. Four months? As in four months pregnant? Best share these times whilst you can then mate, soon you'll be met with the grand obligation. The one of raising a child. I won't be like most and will say that it's a good thing you are. It's been a short time but you've a gentle way about you. The child's in good hands methinks. Now, onto the news, yes, I've gotten a new place now that I've been here long enough to no longer require the flat I was renting. With jobs only just coming back on the rise, one could not ever be too sure to be so complacent with a new job. Not so new now. It's real nice, quaint, homely. Still, it feels strange having a new place just for oneself. How's your end? What's new?"

"Oh, busy as ever. Half the time at the school of course, and the other half postdoc training under my seniors in Sendai. It's a good thing I'm used to sixty a week; I'm lucky to be home half a day.
But, I'm sure you know all about that already. Managed to finish everything up early today so we could meet tonight. Yumi and her friends are having a ladies' night, so don't feel too bad about her not being here," he said with a jocose smile.

"Anyway, what with the baby on the way, we'll probably end up moving out of that little apartment soon as well. Fortunately, we've been frugal enough to pay off most of both our loans by now. Hopefully we'll find something nice in the suburbs. Let me know if you spot anything, too.

"Now that I think of it, whatever happened to scheduling a meeting with that Inaba boy? He never showed up."

"That's simply because I've not reached him yet. Now before one starts on me being double-minded, it's just that whilst I know where he'd be, I've not much recourse to get out of my office. There's a few students that know him, and I believe I know just the one that could coax him to come to. I am even unable to call for a checkup as his previous one's not been expired on record." after a brief pause to take a sip, Declan continued on another note, as if he was sure if that the issue could be solved if what he knew could come through.

"Here's you with barely any time and there's me, with time to spare, perhaps going back to school would have be nice, it's already wearing on me mind to be here as Porter may tell you. On that note, sure, I'll look about to see if any homes seem right for you and yours, not a problem."

"Oh no you don't. You won't get out of this so easily," he said, furrowing his eyebrows in mock malevolence. "Relax. Stay a while. Have a few drinks. We've both earned it.

"But I will ask, while we're still decently sober and memory should serve, what do you make of this whole Wilson case? Goes missing for 3 months without a trace, then reappears without explanation and apparently without any memory of it. Strange, very strange."

Declan raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Perhaps I misused some words there, I meant going back to university in my spare time." "Wilson has always been a bit of a nutter, I still remember our few talks and it would appear he was a few sandwiches short of a picnic. What with attempting to pin stereotypes on me and disparaging accents. Anyway, even for him I find this too strange. The town is small and unassuming with few places to hide and even less to be, if you're the age he is by any account. He's been known to be erratic but on this grand a scale, I've be hard pressed to believe it. Yet, here it is, right in front of us, this...farce."

"Definitely far from the realm of normalcy. I'm considering asking the headmaster to have him meet with me as a condition of his continued enrollment. Assuming he hasn't been kicked out already, I suppose."

Julius took another draught of his ale. "But enough of that.

"So, you say you're all alone in that new house now? No one caught your fancy yet? I find it hard to believe that a charmer like you would be single for want of a lady's company."

"That salaryman's description of me earlier was mostly the reception I get with the ladies here." Declan points to his hair, mostly in the attempt to bring its color to attention. "You might have thought people would have gotten past the fact that not only am I Caucasian, but that I am a "ginger". However, it seems that either I've met some rather reactionary women in my day or simply dealing with the effects of being foreign, I've not had much luck. Doesn't help I have an accent that however light it is, gets in the way of certain words in Japanese."

He then shrugs, looking at his dwindling glass of stout, "I should probably just seek out other foreigners at this pace, it's not much of an hassle being single though. However, I am getting closer to forty each passing year so I should hurry up and decide whether I care enough to try."

"Well, I suppose that is a decision you have to make for yourself.

"Porter, I'll take a Schumacher Alt, please," he said, swirling what little was left in his glass. "And a steak and ale pie," he continued after looking over the food menu.

"… Anyway, if 'ginger' seems to be the issue, Miss Rifkin seems quite nice."

Right away, won't be long.

Within only five minutes, O'Connor returned with the order and gave the contents to Julius with a grin. Returning to matters at hand, Declan seemed at a loss, not wanting to be thrust in the middle of suggestions so early. "Aye right, I did say it wasn't a hassle. Simple consideration was all I was ponderin'." After a few seconds of staring at the now empty glass, Declan asked for a glass of Strongbow before rambling on again. "Also, I'd have to be the judge of that, I pay only minute consideration of other opinions. I've been scorched a fair few times by the power of suggestion before." Declan smiled still betraying his frustration, "...yet, I doubt you'd steer me far too wrong, I'd like to think.

"Thank you, Porter."

Declan's always so very touchy about that subject. I wonder…

"Me, steer you wrong? Not even if I were plastered," he said with a laugh.
"But yes, I know how little you take to suggestion. Let's have it from the horse's mouth, then; what sort do you have under 'consideration'?"

"The ideal woman would be one who can stay steadfast and convicted when her beliefs are questioned but still receptive at first to hearing you out. A woman who is well-read and knowledgeable on more than just her line of work. This said, she should also be one that keeps work at work, I am not particularly one to care about how massive a new project you're working on unless it's personal or one that was entrepreneurial. She should also be a great conversationalist, I couldn't be with someone who only has a few topics at hand, there needs to be some diversity. I would prefer a homemaker housewife, but again if she can keep career conversation to a minimum, I'd be okay with working women. Moderate size and body frame, not too petite but also not nearing the thin line between being plump and obese. She also should be active and fit with a good eye for nutrition. Lastly, she should have some modesty but not to the extent it highlights my buffoonery even more than it does itself, just enough to offset it."

Declan than called Porter over for more of the same stout. With a shake of the head and a pour of a tap, Declan was soon restocked and took a sip as soon as he was able.

"Wait... wait, there's one more thing. Nationality doesn't matter. Whether Japanese or foreign, if they fit the bill, if they wouldn't mind, I hardly would either."

"No, Declan, you can't have Yumiko," he jested.

"In all seriousness though, that's quite a list. Just where do you expect to meet such an ideal woman?"

"It's why it is an ideal innit. I'll tell you one thing, not even here, that's for sure." He was greeted with a bit of a half-turned scowl by part of an overhearing O'Connor who turned right at the critical moment. Declan simply shrugged rather dumbly in his general direction with hardly a true attempt to soothe him. "See, it's comments like these where I start off on the wrong foot from go. Now, answering the question, I don't put so much stock as to where rather what to do when there's even a small chance of that person having some of those qualities that gets me."

"I suppose you're right. Problem being, tact is not exactly paramount among your many qualities.
You do have a tendency to come off – well, to put it bluntly – snobbish."

"It's hardly blunt if you have to announce it, just say it. As for me being a snob, how so? I don't think myself any better than anyone else here. I could lack some tact, aye, that I know, but I don't see where I am carrying different shades of pretense and holding contempt for every living thing that isn't on me level. What even is me level anyway to be thinking myself so highly for?" Declan almost choked on his drink when he heard what Julius read of him so far. He clearly wasn't buying what was considered of him. He made a motion for the barkeep for an "expert" opinion. Which probably showed even further how much Declan felt. "Porter, friend, do you agree with Dr.Schmidt that I at times have a sort of snobbishness about me and the way I come across?"

Porter seemed to relish in the opportunity to get a cheap shot in past Declan. With a little more savvy, perhaps Declan should have realized not to open up such a great chance to be cut down to size. Judging by expression alone, Porter was primed to deliver a blow to the gradually deflating ego of our man from Limerick. His eyebrow raised, a cocksure smile and a wink towards Julius and off he went.

"Aye, that I do.

"W-what?"

"What? Forgot how to comprehend English, mate? I says I do, and it's mostly due to how you try to remind anyone and everyone how you could be excused so easily, sic, "merely", which if I may, doesn't have the sense in that sentence that you'd like to think. Now, that you could be excused so "merely" for your buffoonery and your roughhousing because you could cure the ails of all the town in one swoop. I do remember why you take an epoch to get drunk, it is precisely because you don't want to debase, (again, this is exactly as I heard it, gentlemen) yourself into "succumbing into the stupor and total willful ignorance of the drunkard man; to avoid the revelry of the sluggard mind as to no longer know what day, time or year one finds themselves in. Especially not to roll on the floor as if to become epileptic and ruin all the furnishings"  Now, tell me, if that wasn't the worst load of crock to ever come out any even seemingly respectable man's mouth. I want to know where you get your news, because I want in on the laughs.

Declan became a new shade of red, called "Irish Flush", as it's unknown whether he was devoid of color or full of it. All that is known is the sounds of a dirigible popping over yonder could be heard as an ego gently crashes. Begging all pardon, a hot air balloon far in the distance crash landing as an ego crashes with it.

Julius sipped his ale as he wordlessly watched this exchange.

"… Yes, I do believe that pretty well hits the nail on the head," he finally responded.
"It would seem that it pains you to admit any mistake, no matter how small. You're always trying to distance yourself, and you succeed, but in doing so, you make yourself unapproachable."