The Border: The Complete Series Read Online Free Page A

“Knock yourself out.”
    “Sure it is,” the guy continued as he took a seat and signaled to the barmaid for a drink, “but you know, sometimes when a man wants to be alone, he needs a certain margin around him. A no-man's land of the soul, so to speak.” His smile broadened as he waited for a response.
    Ignoring him, Joe picked up his glass and sloshed the remaining beer around, wondering how much was actually beer now and how much was spit. Finally, he leaned back and downed the lot, before sliding the glass toward Mel as she brought the stranger's drink.
    “You sure about that?” she asked.
    “Gimme another,” Joe replied.
    “One more, then,” she told him, taking the glass. “Just one.”
    “Same glass is fine,” he muttered, staring down at the bar. There was a chip in the wood he'd been working on, using his dirty nails to pull at the edges when Mel wasn't looking. After a moment, however, he realized the stranger was staring at him. He waited for the guy to look away, before finally turning to meet his gaze. “What?”
    “Nothing,” the stranger replied with a faint smile, “I just... You look like you're having quite a night there. Party of one, so to speak.”
    “Just grabbing a quiet beer,” Joe told him. “Didn't mean to start a conversation about it.”
    “Course not, course not.” The stranger paused. “Nice night out, huh? Pretty cold around -”
    “I'm not really much for talking,” Joe replied, interrupting him. “Sorry. I just came to...” His voice trailed off as Mel set his beer down. He muttered something else under his breath, too low for anyone else to hear, as he slid some coins toward her.
    “Fresh glass,” Mel told him.
    “I was fine with the old one.”
    “Go home after this, yeah?” she continued, with evident concern in her voice. “It's almost midnight. Don't you have to be up early for work?”
    “Don't worry about that,” he replied, barely keeping his eyes open as he took a long, deep swig of beer, some of which spilled out the side and trickled through his rough stubble. “I'll be there bang on time.”
    “I was just commenting,” the stranger told Mel, “that it's a cold night out.”
    She smiled politely, before heading over to the cash register.
    “You new here?” the stranger asked, keeping his eyes fixed on her.
    “Not really,” she replied, clearly not too keen on a long conversation.
    “But you weren't born in Bowley, were you?”
    “I moved here a couple of years ago.”
    “You moved here?” He smiled as he took a sip of beer. “Wow, I didn't think people moved to Bowley anymore. I thought the flow of traffic was strictly one-way, straight outta here. That's the smart move, you know. Go to some town that's got a pulse.” He waited for a reply, but after a moment he realized she was more interested in counting change from the register. Turning, he watched as Joe took another long swig of beer, bringing his fresh glass down to the half-empty line already. “You're moving that stuff pretty fast,” he commented after a few seconds. “Heavy night?”
    Slowly, Joe turned to him.
    “Sorry,” the stranger added, holding up a hand. “No offense.”
    “I just came to do some thinking,” Joe replied. “No offense to you , Sir, but...”
    “Totally,” the stranger said, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on your quiet time. I know how annoying it can be when you just want to hide away by yourself and then someone comes and interrupts you.” He paused. “I've always thought, actually, that it's a measure of a good man if he can be happy in his own company without -”
    “Jesus,” Joe muttered, getting up from his stool and taking a few stumbling steps around the side of the bar, heading toward the bathroom. As he passed the stranger, he patted the guy on the back. “You talk a lot, fella,” he added. “A hell of a lot. Too much, some might say. You smile a lot, too There's no point smiling unless you've got a reason for it,