Redemption in a Bottle

As she carefully slid onto the tall, swiveling bar stool, Renee admired the overall design of the backdrop. The liquor was stacked high on mahogany shelving units accented by dim lights underneath. Between the columns of varied glass bottles were tall mirrors framed by wood in an antique-looking pattern.

A sense of satisfaction washed over her for picking this spot for her first date with Kevin. The bar was organized and sophisticated—qualities Renee could project on her better days, of which there had not been many lately.

She had taken to internet dating recently in a concerted effort to expand her pool of potential partners, hopefully ones that were as eager as her to make a long-term connection. It wasn’t so much that she wanted to get married right away—she felt she still had time at thirty-one—it was more of wanting to get out of the cycle of disappointment.

Internet dating, so far, had unearthed the usual cadre of men for Renee to weed through: the ones who message too little or too much, the ones who overshare too soon, the playboys who start off every message with, “Hey beautiful, what are you up to tonight?”

Kevin was the first connection in a while that seemed to hold a good possibility for some success. He was gainfully employed in tech, an avid reader, liked to be outdoors and indoors approximately the same, and had shown a high interest in getting to know her. He checked off all of Renee’s preference boxes, so to speak, and their conversations through the dating app had been mostly effortless.

Renee brought her wondering eyes down to the bartender that had appeared before her, gently laying a coaster on the smooth-finished wood her arms were resting on.

“Good evening. What can I get for you?” he asked as he leaned straight-armed against the back edge of the bar. He pushed the sleeves of his long, white shirt back up above his elbows, exposing the bottom edge of some tattoos.

“Hi,” Renee replied cordially. “Could I please have a glass of water? I am actually waiting for someone.”

“One glass of water coming right up.” Clearly, he was used to saying that phrase on a regular basis.

Renee opened the shiny black purse that had been softly resting on her lap and retrieved her phone. No messages from Kevin, yet. Still, it was early. They had agreed to meet at 7:30, and it was now 7:35.

She glanced at the door to confirm Kevin was not in sight before smoothing out the subtle ruffling around her neckline and down the center of her black dress, brushing her brown-layered hair behind her ear, and wiping the corners of her mouth where her berry red lipstick had gathered. Renee could see that the bartender was approaching from the side and had caught her primping show on his way to drop off her water.

“First date?” he asked. Renee felt embarrassed that it was obvious to him but pleased to make conversation.

“Yes…he should be here any minute.”

“Well, good luck. I hope it goes well. Let me know if you want anything else to drink.”

While he had been stoic at the outset, the bartender relaxed into a more lively and genuine tone. Renee allowed herself to review his features with subtle consideration. He seemed to have a young face covered by a dark beard, just a touch unkept. His hair was gelled and combed over in a controlled poof to one side. Small silver hoops wrapped around his earlobes.

“I think I would like a glass of red wine,” Renee kept the bartender engaged, “What would you recommend?”

“That depends. Do you like light-, medium-, or full-bodied? Hints of berry or spice? Dry or sweet? High or low tannins?”

Renee held her breath as her eyes widened. She had only wanted a simple glass of red wine to feel sexy. Now, she felt in over her head.

Through her intimidation, she confessed, “I honestly don’t know. I’m not a big red wine drinker. I only occasionally buy what’s on sale at the market.”

It wasn’t that Renee needed to save money; she just didn’t like spending a chunk on something she didn’t care that much for.

“Oh dear, I see.” the bartender said, shaking his lowered head. “You’re really missing out. Wine making is an art. There is a whole world of wines out there beyond the bargain shelf of the supermarket that are amazingly crafted. You see, wine is not meant to be just consumed; it is meant to be savored and appreciated. You’ve really not had wine until you’ve tried some from vintners that put their heart and soul into their creations.”

Renee was struck by his impassioned speech. She noticed that his features were appearing softer to her, more attractive.

“Wow,” she paused, “I have to admit, I had no idea there was so much enthusiasm around wine. I just don’t know what type I’d like.”

He smiled a sweet smile. “I do tend to get overly-excited when discussing wine. I hope I didn’t come across too strong. You know what, let me get you a nice Merlot. It’s the perfect middle-of-the-road wine for the person who doesn’t know what they like. How does that sound?”

“Ok, but I’m trusting you. Don’t let me down.”

“Never,” he delighted as he turned away to pour the first glass of Renee’s wine education.

She glanced down at her phone. 7:45. Still no sign of Kevin. She felt she had been waiting an acceptable amount of time to check in.

She texted:

Hi Kevin. I just wanted to let you know that I’m at the bar. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

When the bartender returned with her wine, he seemed almost giddy.

“You should smell it first,” he instructed. “It prepares your brain for how to process the flavor.”

“Really?” Renee hesitantly dipped her nose into the glass and inhaled deeply.

“What do you smell?”

Renee took a few more short sniffs, trying to make out what she was detecting.

“Hmmm. It smells… good. I think I’m smelling something slightly fruity, maybe cherries? And something familiar I can’t put my finger on.”

“Vanilla?” the bartender asked in a way that indicated he already knew the answer.

“Yes! That’s it. Vanilla. Wow, I’ve never really smelled wine before, like this.”

“Now, take a small sip and let it rest in your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing.”

Renee complied. There was a strong punch of flavor when it entered her mouth, settling into a velvety smoothness of intricacies. She could now taste the berry and vanilla that she had smelled, but there was something else. A flavor that reminder her vaguely of milk chocolate, but she had to search to lock on before it would quickly retreat into the milieu of stronger flavors.

“So, what do you think?” he eagerly asked.

Renee was beginning to understand why he had been so passionate about wine. There was a complexity that she had never appreciated before. Her senses were pleasingly engulfed and heightened. Drinking wine had immediately become an experience, not an action.

She matched his enthusiasm, “It’s amazing. I have never had something like this before. There are so many flavors and sensations. Each sip seems slightly different and pleasant in its own way.”

The bartender flashed a big smile. He was clearly pleased with himself.

“As it should be. I’m glad you like it.”

He seemed like he wanted to talk more, but a patron from the other end of the bar called him away.

Renee took a few more sips and enjoyed how each one seemed to hit her tongue with slightly different flavor notes. The bartender had been right. She was missing out. This was a game changer.

With all the excitement of the tasting, Renee had forgot to check her phone. She pulled it out.

Message from Kevin at 8:05:

Hey. So sorry. Playoff game going into overtime. Rain check? Thanks.

Renee’s heart sank. Though antics like these were not surprising with internet dating, she had set up expectations that Kevin was different. This time, this chance, was not supposed to end this way. But it didn’t matter how nice Kevin looked on paper or how agreeable he was during online conversations if he couldn’t keep commitments and respect her time. There would be no rain check.

The bartender returned, presumably to share some more wine knowledge. She couldn’t hide her disappointment.

“Everything OK?” he asked with a hint of concern.

“Yes…no…” Renee rambled, “My date just canceled on me. Guess the game was too important.”

The bartender held his fingertips to his lips and closed his eyes while shaking his head in disbelief.

With the same intensity he had delivered his soliloquy on wine, he urged, “You know what…forget that guy. You’re beautiful and sophisticated and now a red-wine expert.” He winked, clearly trying to cheer her up. “I’ve learned enough about reading people at this job to know that you deserve better.”

“Thank you.” Renee hadn’t noticed that she had rested her right hand on her heart. “That’s very kind of you to say.”

“I mean it. I’m not just being nice. Don’t let people like that get you down.”

Again, the bartender’s attention was pulled to the end of the bar. He shot Renee an apologetic glance and stepped away.

She lightly stroked the base of her now empty glass, in deep thought about her latest letdown and all the ones before. Sometimes, it just felt so exhausting—spending time and energy wading through dating profiles and trying to decide based on limited conversation if she should meet someone only to be stood up.

Renee realized that the most fun she had had recently was her brief foray into wine tasting.

The return of the bartender interrupted her thoughts.

“Would you like to try something else?”

“No, thank you. I think I’ll call it a night. My only hope of salvaging tonight is to get into pajamas as soon as possible, bust open a pint of ice cream, and watch a movie musical.”

“Nice. That sounds like a good night to me.” He was sincere.

“I’ll just take my check. But thank you so much for this whole wine experience tonight. It has been a bright spot in this dumpster fire of a night.”

“My pleasure,” he slightly bowed. “And your drink is on me tonight. It’s the least I could do.”

Renee was now standing, wrapping her gray wool coat around her and pulling her hair out of the collar.

“Thank you. Truly, that makes my night. And I don’t know where you’re at with dating, but you too deserve someone great.”

“I’ve been on a break from dating. Too much stress and frustration. But I would jump back in for the right person without hesitation.” The bartender’s eyes met with Renee’s as she recognized the implications of his tone.

Renee ducked her chin and looked down, unable to stop her shy reflex. She was nervous but logically knew she had nothing to lose.

She stepped to the bar with purpose and turned over the coaster the bartender had placed in front of her an hour before. She quickly grabbed a nearby pen, wrote her name and number, and handed the coaster to him.

“Well, if you have any more wine recommendations for me, let me know.”

She didn’t want to see his expression and possibly face more disappointment, so she turned and walked out of the bar swiftly.

A few blocks later, she heard a message notification from her phone.

She opened to an unsaved number:

Hi Renee, this is James from the bar. I have many more wine recommendations for you. What are you doing tomorrow?

Renee smiled, stepped with a small hop, and joyfully continued her walk home filled with renewed hope.