The woman at the bar was thick. Not fat, but thick with muscles. Muscles so thick that they seemed to press outwards in a way that made you want to slice through her skin to let the muscles breathe. She was sinewy too, her veins pulsating and green. I sat next to her because I couldn't think of anywhere else in the world I would rather sit at that very moment.
"I know you from TV," I said. I probably wouldn't have said it if I hadn't been so damn tired.
"Oh yeah?" she asked, equally exhausted. "What channel?"
"You sell that machine, on that infomercial. The one that makes you lose all the weight but with no work."
She nodded and took a sip of her tequila shot. "No work."
"So that's you?" I squinted to steady the room. "You are that woman?"
"That's me. I am that woman."
"Jesus! Well, that thing mustv'e brought in a fortune huh?" I took a slug of my beer. "So does it work?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, it works."
"I can't believe it works. That's just great." I shook my head and turned back towards the jukebox.
We sat in silence for a few moments longer as she downed her shot and moved on to another. I felt uncomfortable.
"So what are you doing in this joint then?"
She turned towards me suddenly, the bar stool shaking beneath her massive thighs. "Do you want to know something?"
I didn't, really. But I nodded. I was afraid of her.
"I always wanted to be a superhero."
"Doesn't every kid?"
"No," she countered. "I decided that I wanted to be a superhero when I was seventeen. Before that I just wanted to be an animal doctor. A Vet."
I nodded, not knowing what to say. My eyes grew fuzzy and drifted down her body landing on her heaving pecs.
"I trained. I trained to be a superhero. At this school." She waved her hand around in a throwaway gesture. "A school for superheros. I was the head of my class."
"What like, a certificate program?"
"No, it was a school. Like the way clowns have school. But it was for saving the world."
We drank in silence once more, her words hanging heavy in the air. I measured the distance to the door.
"But then, it was all over. Poof, just like that. One day you are saving people and the next you are wrestling them while other people eat chicken wings and watch you." Her eyes fell to her glass.
I nodded, understanding. For a second I caught a glimpse of the girl she could be, underneath all the bulk. "So why aren't you doing super hero stuff any more?"
She shrugged, as much as the neck muscles would allow. "One day someone offered me a gig for money and I took it. I needed the money. Superheros, they don't get paid you know? You get respect. And gratitude. But you can't eat those. And they don't last."
I nodded again. "Can't help a thing like that."
"You have to be selfless," she sighed. "Which, as you must know, is impossible."
The jukebox creaked and began to play the first few chords of 'Tiny Dancer'.
"I love this song." She whispered, urgency in her eyes. "Would you dance with me?"
I must have nodded off just then, but when I woke up we were swaying back and forth by the back tables. My feet were at least five inches from the ground. She was warm but coated in a cool sweat and it felt like flying, like what it must feel like to go through clouds. No one else was dancing, and I wasn't sure if my arms were pinned to my sides or just heavy with booze.
"Thank you." She said because the song was over and she had placed me back on the ground.
"Sure." I said. "Anytime."
She patted me on the shoulder and gave me a half smile. Then she turned and walked towards the exit. Her steps were surprisingly light, and her feet were small. She paused and held the door open for an elderly man who gave her a toothless grin. Then she was gone.
I wandered back to the bar and ordered a shot of Jack Daniels.
"I'm assuming this is for you then" the bartender said, placing a white receipt in front of my drink. "She didn't give me any money."
As my eyes struggled to adjust I realized that the bill was two hundred and twenty dollars. I looked over at her empty bar stool, sagging and bent.
I paid her tab, but left no tip. Then I took my shot and walked home.
