He’s short, and of course you’d notice that, even though Lou Bouras found a slightly taller barstool for him.
He plays the jukebox sometimes, mostly recognizable metal that has crossed into the pop charts.
He drinks his drink, and taps his pinkie finger in time to the beat on the bar.
If someone told you his name was Gigi Krasserstein you might laugh out loud.
His skin is dark, and though he’s petite he has masculine facial features, weathered, experienced, but not particularly hard.
He always holds a slight smile, though he mostly keeps to himself, and drinks in Lou’s because it’s not a horse player bar.
Lou knows Gigi is a jockey.
Lou knows Gigi has been Guillermo’s nickname for a long time.
Lou knows Gigi took his husband’s last name, because that made his husband, and his husband’s mother very, very happy.
Gigi rides for Flaherty Stables.
Ed Flaherty owns racehorses because he’s rich enough to own racehorses. He’s not smart enough to own good racehorses, or wise enough to get out of a game he’s ill-suited to be in.
Gigi rides Ed’s horses, and is paid well to do so.
Gigi knows the horses he mounts have very little chance to win unless there’s a tangle and disaster up front.
Gigi hopes that never happens, but sometimes it does, and Gigi spits sadly even though his horse is in the money.
Other stables offer Gigi money to come ride for them, and Gigi thanks them for their confidence, declines and goes to Lou’s, where he drinks gin with three rocks and a tiny splash of lemonade.
Gigi won’t push a horse that just doesn’t have a win in him.
A new guy would whip their flanks raw trying to coax a win, a few more bucks for a man who doesn’t need a few more bucks.
Lou Bouras has been a tavern keeper for thirty two years.
Gigi Krasserstein is the customer Lou most admires and in that race there is no place, and no show.
***
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I love this one!
A quiet story about an unassuming man who is comfortable with himself.