This is after Adam's been refused entry to the movie. Manny, Julie's husband, has dragged Adam away from a confrontation and pushed him across the street to a bar:
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"You don't want trouble in America," Manny said. "They're the arseholse of the world when it comes to prison." Then he led Adam into the noisy California version of an English Pub and called, "Julie, look what I got!"
Adam saw her at the other end of the bar, talking to a man in a blinding white suit. They both spun around and waved and Julie screamed, "It's Adam!"
And what did the man in white say? "Jumpin' jeebus!"
It was Orisi.
"What're you doing here, son?" Orisi cried as he slammed his way through the crowd to Adam, Julie right behind him.
"Too bloody jaded to bother with his own girl's movie," Manny laughed.
"Oh, no-no-no, she's not my girl," said Adam.
"Oi, everybody," Manny called around the bar, "This man's dating Casey Blanchard!"
"We're not dating ... "
"Yeah, right, escorts her to a premier but they're not dating."
Adam huffed. "Manny -- "
Julie grabbed Adam's tie and yanked him around to her, saying, "Go with it, sweets. There's men who'd die to be in your place."
"Got that right," Orisi laughed. "So tell me, son -- what's goin' on? She banish you for bein' you?"
"No!" Adam gasped. "We ... we got separated and they wouldn't let me in because I'm not her plus one, whatever that means, and ... well, my mobile is ... um, I can't find a ... I need to call my bank and can't find a phone."
"Here," Julie said, pulling hers from her purse and handing it to him. "Now what's your poison?"
"Thanks. Could I have a Guinness? Pint?"
"A man after me own heart," said Manny. "Oi, barkeep, my famous friend, Adam Verain, will have a pint of Guinness!"
Adam almost corrected him, then decided it might be better if no one knew his real name so dialed the number on the back of his cash card. As it rang, he motioned to Orisi and asked Julie, "I thought he was watching Dumpling."
She reached around him to reveal the back of Orisi's coat opened and underneath it was Dumpling, in a baby snuggy, sound asleep.
Adam frowned. "Is this legal?"
Julie put a finger to her lips. "That's why he's under O's coat. Bartender hasn't noticed."
Adam just sighed, saw several people watching him and pointing at him and smiling at him ... and so turned his full attention to the phone. He was still on it when his Guinness was set before him ... and when his second was, thanks to a touristy couple who thought he was a celebrity. As he was about to give up, the bank's customer service accepted he was who he claimed to be and unlocked his card. Just in time to buy his own round.
"Perfect," he chuckled, then jolted around to the bartender. "Do you serve food?"
The man held up a bag of Cheetos and Adam nearly cried with happiness. "Bloody brilliant. I'll take ten, and if you've got a bowl ... "
A clear basin was put before him and he opened all the bags into it then jolted to a halt and looked around to see ...
Orisi was busy singing and performing Ricky Martin's kick-ass performance of La Copa de Vida at the 1999 Grammys, off in a corner.
Adam tapped Julie on the shoulder and asked, "Does he still have Dumpling?"
She nodded. "Little beggar's knackered."
"Oh, God," said Adam, "did Patricia feed him -- ?"
"Not like what you had, sweets. She knew better."
"You ... you knew what I was having?"
Julie grinned. "You didn't?"
"I did. Eventually."
Julie laughed and grabbed Manny. "Wait'll you hear this."
Adam grinned and plowed into the Cheetos and the brew. Julie and Manny joined him, as did a number of other bar patrons, who bought their own bags of Cheetos to add in.
Orisi finally gave up and joined them and dove into the Cheetos with as much gusto as anyone else, realized what he was eating, saw the Cheeto dust on Adam's lips and fingers, howled and said, "Jumpin' Jeebus, son, you gotta work them carbs off! GO!" Then he pushed Adam into the center of the room and turned to the bartender. "Ricky Martin! Fast and furious!"
"C'mon, sweets," Julie screamed, "show us what you got!"
Livin' la Vida Loca blasted over the speakers. Adam was feeling so good, he spread his arms wide, then clapped his hands, then took off his coat, slung it around like a cape, and strutted around the room before breaking into a wild Paso Doble in the middle of the bar, the patrons clapping and pounding on tables. Every woman in the bar screamed at him like he was stripping at Chippendale's, as did more than a few men.
When he was done, he collapsed against the bar and downed more of his third Guinness. Julie was to his right.
An older man came up and asked, "Where'd you learn that?"
Adam took in a deep breath, accepted a towel offered by the bartender, wiped off his face and ran his hand through his hair. "Five years ... no, six ... ballroom dancing." Julie cast him a You're kidding glance. Adam chuckled. "Don't ask. Besides, it helps in rugger."
"Rugger?" the older man asked, his hand on Adam's shoulder.
"Rugby," Julie called over to the man. "Could've been a real footballer if he'd wanted."
"C'mon, Julie," he said, blushing. "We just play for fun. Have a few pints. Lie about what did in the match."
"You gay?" the man asked.
Adam shook his head. "Not last I checked. Couple the lads are, and I thought about it, once, but the equipment's wrong."
"Too bad," said the man as he patted Adam on the back and turned away.
Adam hesitated, looked after the man then turned to Julie. "Did he just hit on me?"
She barely kept from laughing. "You couldn't tell?"
"Didn't even think about. I'm not the sort gets passes made."
She brushed more of his hair back, smiling. "You don't think much of yourself, do you?"
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"You don't want trouble in America," Manny said. "They're the arseholse of the world when it comes to prison." Then he led Adam into the noisy California version of an English Pub and called, "Julie, look what I got!"
Adam saw her at the other end of the bar, talking to a man in a blinding white suit. They both spun around and waved and Julie screamed, "It's Adam!"
And what did the man in white say? "Jumpin' jeebus!"
It was Orisi.
"What're you doing here, son?" Orisi cried as he slammed his way through the crowd to Adam, Julie right behind him.
"Too bloody jaded to bother with his own girl's movie," Manny laughed.
"Oh, no-no-no, she's not my girl," said Adam.
"Oi, everybody," Manny called around the bar, "This man's dating Casey Blanchard!"
"We're not dating ... "
"Yeah, right, escorts her to a premier but they're not dating."
Adam huffed. "Manny -- "
Julie grabbed Adam's tie and yanked him around to her, saying, "Go with it, sweets. There's men who'd die to be in your place."
"Got that right," Orisi laughed. "So tell me, son -- what's goin' on? She banish you for bein' you?"
"No!" Adam gasped. "We ... we got separated and they wouldn't let me in because I'm not her plus one, whatever that means, and ... well, my mobile is ... um, I can't find a ... I need to call my bank and can't find a phone."
"Here," Julie said, pulling hers from her purse and handing it to him. "Now what's your poison?"
"Thanks. Could I have a Guinness? Pint?"
"A man after me own heart," said Manny. "Oi, barkeep, my famous friend, Adam Verain, will have a pint of Guinness!"
Adam almost corrected him, then decided it might be better if no one knew his real name so dialed the number on the back of his cash card. As it rang, he motioned to Orisi and asked Julie, "I thought he was watching Dumpling."
She reached around him to reveal the back of Orisi's coat opened and underneath it was Dumpling, in a baby snuggy, sound asleep.
Adam frowned. "Is this legal?"
Julie put a finger to her lips. "That's why he's under O's coat. Bartender hasn't noticed."
Adam just sighed, saw several people watching him and pointing at him and smiling at him ... and so turned his full attention to the phone. He was still on it when his Guinness was set before him ... and when his second was, thanks to a touristy couple who thought he was a celebrity. As he was about to give up, the bank's customer service accepted he was who he claimed to be and unlocked his card. Just in time to buy his own round.
"Perfect," he chuckled, then jolted around to the bartender. "Do you serve food?"
The man held up a bag of Cheetos and Adam nearly cried with happiness. "Bloody brilliant. I'll take ten, and if you've got a bowl ... "
A clear basin was put before him and he opened all the bags into it then jolted to a halt and looked around to see ...
Orisi was busy singing and performing Ricky Martin's kick-ass performance of La Copa de Vida at the 1999 Grammys, off in a corner.
Adam tapped Julie on the shoulder and asked, "Does he still have Dumpling?"
She nodded. "Little beggar's knackered."
"Oh, God," said Adam, "did Patricia feed him -- ?"
"Not like what you had, sweets. She knew better."
"You ... you knew what I was having?"
Julie grinned. "You didn't?"
"I did. Eventually."
Julie laughed and grabbed Manny. "Wait'll you hear this."
Adam grinned and plowed into the Cheetos and the brew. Julie and Manny joined him, as did a number of other bar patrons, who bought their own bags of Cheetos to add in.
Orisi finally gave up and joined them and dove into the Cheetos with as much gusto as anyone else, realized what he was eating, saw the Cheeto dust on Adam's lips and fingers, howled and said, "Jumpin' Jeebus, son, you gotta work them carbs off! GO!" Then he pushed Adam into the center of the room and turned to the bartender. "Ricky Martin! Fast and furious!"
"C'mon, sweets," Julie screamed, "show us what you got!"
Livin' la Vida Loca blasted over the speakers. Adam was feeling so good, he spread his arms wide, then clapped his hands, then took off his coat, slung it around like a cape, and strutted around the room before breaking into a wild Paso Doble in the middle of the bar, the patrons clapping and pounding on tables. Every woman in the bar screamed at him like he was stripping at Chippendale's, as did more than a few men.
When he was done, he collapsed against the bar and downed more of his third Guinness. Julie was to his right.
An older man came up and asked, "Where'd you learn that?"
Adam took in a deep breath, accepted a towel offered by the bartender, wiped off his face and ran his hand through his hair. "Five years ... no, six ... ballroom dancing." Julie cast him a You're kidding glance. Adam chuckled. "Don't ask. Besides, it helps in rugger."
"Rugger?" the older man asked, his hand on Adam's shoulder.
"Rugby," Julie called over to the man. "Could've been a real footballer if he'd wanted."
"C'mon, Julie," he said, blushing. "We just play for fun. Have a few pints. Lie about what did in the match."
"You gay?" the man asked.
Adam shook his head. "Not last I checked. Couple the lads are, and I thought about it, once, but the equipment's wrong."
"Too bad," said the man as he patted Adam on the back and turned away.
Adam hesitated, looked after the man then turned to Julie. "Did he just hit on me?"
She barely kept from laughing. "You couldn't tell?"
"Didn't even think about. I'm not the sort gets passes made."
She brushed more of his hair back, smiling. "You don't think much of yourself, do you?"
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