It was a busy night at 'Nine Inch'so when the last guest crawled outdoors at 4 am, Jimmy was exhausted. He helped Suzanne tidy the room and waved her goodbye, regretting he cannot leave yet. Just as he returned to clear the bar, his boss left the office at the back.
      Franklin Modighan was 45, plump and really nasty. He could not hide his unpleasant, greedy nature behind expensive outfit. It was written in his face. In his small, dark eyes, to be exact. There was something close to hostility between both men.
      'I'm going out' snarled fat man. 'I want you to finish the chores and close up before five. And I want the place to be shining when I open it up in the morning, you understand, whimp?'
'Yes, Mr. Modighan.'
'You better do!'
      The boss turned round on his slanting legs and walked out the door, slamming it heavily.
'Son of a...' cursed Jimmy under his nose and turned to his bottles. 'I swear that I'm gonna have my own bar someday and then he may...'
'Pour me a scotch, will you?' a deep voice sounded behind his back.
      Jimmy sprang up in surprise, his heart pounding inside his chest, spun on his heel quickly and looked at an old man in a navy blue suit sitting at the bar. He blinked his eyes several times and narrowed them suspiciously, trying to recall how much he had drunk during the evening. He should have heard the man coming, but he did not.
      After the shockwave passed, he opened his mouth to spek up.
'I'm sorry, sir. The bar is closed. You may come back in six hours.'
'I don't have six hours. Please, give me a drink, Jimmy. I'll pay handsomely.'
      The bartender was baffled. How had this man know his name? Jimmy didn't just give it to anyone. In fact, he almost never did. And he haven't met the man before, not this night at least.
      But it was not the strangest thing about the guy. He reminded Jimmy of his father astoundingly. Not because of the looks though. He had his father's silver hair but the similarity ended here. He was tall and fit and Jimmy's father was of middle height and rather clumsy. The resemblance resided in the voice. It sounded tired enormously. Like his father in his last year, when cancer finally overcame him.
      Jimmy haven't noticed when his hands moved to serve the man his drink. The customer smiled thankfully just like his father did when Jimmy tried to comfort him.
'Thank you. I appreciate. Did I introduce myself? My name's Knight.'
'Knight?' Jimmy asked forgetting he had to close in half an hour. 'No first name?'  'It's not important' the man replied mysteriously.
      Old man raised his hand to grab the glass but stopped halfway.
'I forgot. I can't drink tonight' he said with grief.
'Well, I'll have to excuse you then' Jimmy asked getting back to his duties.
      Knight stood up, put his overcoat on and sunk his hand in one of the pockets.
'I'll pay nonetheless' he whispered retrieving a pile of banknotes and placed them carefully next to the undisturbed drink.
'This is too much, sir!' Jimmy exclaimed his objection.
'Treat it as a generous tip from an old man, Jimmy. You may start your own place with it.'
      Before Jimmy could react, Knight was already out.
*
'So how much he gave you?' asked Bart putting another potato crisp in his mouth.
'Ten thousand dollars' - said Jimmy.
'Ten thousand? But that's a fortune!'
'I know. That's why I bother.'
'And you have no way of giving it back?'
'No. I already thought about that. He haven't really told me much about himself. I don't think I can find him.'
'Then I dunno what you worry about, bro. You're rich! Being in your shoes, I'd spend it all!'
      Jimmy sighed heavily. First thing his younger brother would spend the money on would be drugs with certainty. This was the reason why Bart could not be with his dying father. He was in the clinic for a therapy, got out one month ago and seemed ready to slide back the down road.
'You don't understand, Bart' he tried explaining. 'I can't just use it. I don't know where it came from. Maybe this guy's a drug dealer. Or a thief.'
'Yeah. He robbed a bank to overpay a bartender for a drink he didn't even sip' Bart dropped a sarcastic hint and looked at brother like he lost his senses.
'Maybe he's hiding it from the police. Maybe he's gonna be back for it.' Jimmy resisted.
'That is highly unlikely, bro. Quit worrying.'
'I can't. There's something fishy going on.'
'You can do nothing about it.'
      Bart got up the couch and headed to the kitchen.
'Wanna beer?'
'Sure, thanks.'
      One minute later Bart was back carrying cans of beer and bags of crisps. He started eating them to forget about his urge to do drugs again. He threw everything on a table and landed back on the sofa.
'Do they help?' Jimmy pointed the snack.
'Not very much' Bart admitted. 'I'm telling you, I'd start this bar thing if I were you. Is that money enough?'
'Well, I could rent something cheap, buy some furniture and drinks. Would you help me run the place?'
'You mean it?'
'Sure. Why not. You're my brother after all. I'll be needing a hand. As long as you wouldn't get yourself drinking. And stay out of drugs.'
'I will be clean. I'm over with this, I told you. It's a promise. You believe me, ain't you?'
'Yeah, I believe you.'
'Oh, Jimmy. I love you bro' Bart gave him a hug and continued. 'I can't wait till we have our own bar.'
      Jimmy looked at Bart and couldn't help a smile. His brother was excited in a way he wasn't in a long time. In this one special moment Jimmy decided they will run the bar. He forgot his anxiety because he just could not let his brother down.
'Say Jimmy, how'd we call it?'
'I dunno. "Jim and Bart's Post"?'
'You'd put my name on the board?'
'That would be nice, wouldn't it?'
'You bet. That's the nicest thing anyone ever did for me.'
'So it's decided. I'l go get some sleep. I'm falling head over feet.'
'OK, bro. I'll just lie here for a while and then check the paper for some cheap rentals.'
'You do that, Bart. Gooddnight.'
'Goodnight, Jimmy.'

*
     Jimmy was standing behind his new shining bar and felt happier than ever before in his life. His dream was finally realised, it didn't matter how. The remnants of his suspicions faded away when he rented his small but well kept place be the river. Mrs. Splatter was really kind and accepted only 1200 dollars for three months in advance.
     It took a week to prepare the rooms. Bart and him had a small party at the opening. The money from Knight was starting to run out but Jimmy was not concerned. Even the presence of only one old drunk sitting at the bar could not set him back. The customers should begin to arrive shortly. He really was seeing everything in bright colours. His brother's apparition had only just started to deteriorate his optimism.
'Hey, Bart, are you alright man?' he shouted across the room.
Bart was dancing in front of the jukebox he set to play some rock tune. He looked pale.
'What? Yeah, sure. I just need to go to the bathroom' came a reply and Bart vanished in the mens room.
     Jimmy felt his stomach revolting but he decided not to follow. His brother would feel offended if he had an escort anytime everywhere.
     Meanwhile, Bart staggered toward a sink, opened the faucet with his hands trembling and wet his face in cold water.
'God, it's so difficult. But I have to keep my promise.'
When he looked up at his reflection, the mirror showed someone standing behind him. Bart moved round and saw an old man in an overcoat.
'Hey, I know who you are' he said in sudden revelation. 'You're that man who gave cash to Jimmy.'
'Yes. My name's Knight' old man replied moving a step closer.
'You want the money back? We don't have it.'
'It's not about the money, Bart. It's about your desire.'
'Desire? I don't understand.'
Knight pulled his hand from one of the coat's pockets and moved it in front of Bart's eyes. On his palm two packets of white powder were resting, waiting to be picked up.
'Don't you want to try it?' asked Knight encouragingly.
     Bart felt the the blood in his veins starting to race with high pressure. The offer was tempting and his effort to fight it was pathetic.
'I... I promissed Jimmy' he said turning his head not to watch the forbidden fruit.
'He will never know' Knight assured. 'It's going to be our little secret. What can those silly little packets change? Nothing.'
     Knight's voice was like hypnosis. Something broke inside Bart. He looked again.
'Yeah, it's nothing. Jimmy will never know.'
     He took the drugs. Knight was smiling reassuringly.
'It's the last time. I promise' said Bart and disappeared into a toilet booth.
*
     After twenty minutes of waiting Jimmy was scared. what could Bart be possibly doing there for so long? Maybe he needed help? Jimmy looked round the empty room and the single drunk snoring in front of him. There was no risk in leaving the bar. And even if there was, Bart was more important then the bottles.
     Jimmy jumped over the bar and hurried into the mens room. He saw no one at first, but then he heard moaning from inside one of the booths.
'Bart, are you alright?'
     No answer came back. Jimmy tried to open the door but it was bolted from the inside.
'Bart, please open the door' he asked but all he heard was some crazy laughing.
     Jimmy knelt to take look through the space between the door and the floor. He saw more and more as he lowered his head. There was Bart sitting on the stool, acting like a lunatic, with some white powder under his nose and over the shirt. Jimmy felt adrenaline rushing. He stood up and cried.
'That's how you keep your promises? Open up or I'll ram the door!'
'Man, that stuff is so good!'
'OK, if that's what you want' Jimmy warned and took two steps back. The door swung open with a loud crack when he pushed them full force. 'You lousy bastard! Who gave you that shit, huh?'
'It's that friend of yours' Bart replied with an idiotic look. 'Knight.'
     Jimmy had a feeling like he got knocked in the back of his head. All of his former fears came back with double strength. He cursed himself for his stupidity. It was obvious that Knight character wasn't a good Samaritan after all. He wanted the money back and when he realised there's no way he's getting it, he took his strike into the weak spot. The revenge really hurt.
'I'm sorry, brother' Jimmy changed his tune. 'It's my fault. Let's call it a day, OK?'
'You're the boss, bro' Bart said with no idea of what's going on.
     Holding his brother so he doesn't trip over Jimmy reached the main room. He helped Bart get a seat at one of the tables and excused the drunk. The customer did some swearing but left without any trouble.
     Jimmy was about to close when Mrs. Splatter came unexpectedly. She brought a policeman in.
'It's them' she pointed the brothers to the cop. 'They gave me that false money.'
'Ok, you two' the policeman ordered in a stern voice. 'You come with me.'
     The world was running down for Jimmy, as he got cuffed and seated next to his brother at the back of a patrol car. Soon they where riding into the street as dark as his despair.
*
     Inside 'Jim and Bart's Post' Knight was sitting at the bar with a friend at his side. The companion was a young blonde of preternatural beauty.
'And that's how I cursed the lives of these two souls' said Knight ending his story.
'Once again you proved yourself master of deception' the blonde flattered him. 'But I can't possibly imagine why Our Lord approves your acts as the Knight of Misfortune.'
'Approval's not the right word, Archangel. Tolerance seems better one. You see, the dreams can't always end happily. The world would be so dull if they did, after all.'