feeling glum

my bartender pete
says, what's wrong. you seem glum.
he pushes
a gin and tonic
in front of me, drops in
a wedge of lime.
girl trouble, he says,
putting his hands
on the bar,
tossing a towel over his
shoulders.
love will break your heart
sometimes, he says.
stick with it, she'll come
around.
I stir the drink with
the clear swizzle stick,
stabbing the lime.
what's up buddy?
work? I've never seen
you so down. look at you
all gloomy and quiet.
what is it?
family issues? your crazy
sisters again? I know
your mom isn't well.
your son? is he okay?
nah, I tell him, taking
a long sip
of the gin and tonic.
it's not that, it's not
any of that, that's all good.
i'm just worried about the up
coming season.
we lost so many good
players, and we have yet
to sign
our quarterback. we don't even
know who's going to start
at running back. have you
taken a look at
our schedule this year?
it's brutal. pete nods
and shakes his head.
menu? he says.
no, that's okay, i'm not
really hungry.