Chapter 4: Peter Spends Time at a Pub

There was a lot of noise in the pub, which was too much for Peter to bear. First, the music was deafeningly loud. At the same time, the pub was full of people guffawing and speaking loudly so that their voices wouldn't be drowned by the music. Despite the noise, Peter was determined to remain there. He wouldn't leave because that particular pub was his favorite spot. Also, he wasn't in the mood to meet his family or conduct any pastoral duties.

While Peter was deep in his thoughts, a woman joined him. "Hello, handsome. Is it okay if I sit here with you?" she said while flirtatiously playing with her hair. "Yeah, sure!" Peter responded enthusiastically. He was mesmerized by her beauty. She was petite, had high cheekbones and was dressed in a bandage dress that was apple red. Additionally, she had a shy smile that further made her endearing.

"What's a handsome man like you doing at a place like this?" the woman asked Peter. "Well, before I answer your question, I need to know your name," Peter asked shyly. "Oh, of course! Where are my manners? I am Olivia, and you?" the woman introduced herself. "Wow! Olivia. I love that name. Anyway, I am Peter," he also introduced himself. "Peter, nice to meet you. So, you are welcome to answer my question," Olivia said. "Well, I have no particular reason why I am here. I just like this place. It plays good music, but I just wish the deejays didn't play so loudly," he responded. "Yeah, I also like this place for its music but I despise the loudness," said Olivia.

Soon, Peter and Olivia were having deep talks and bursting into laughter. One would think they knew each other for ten years. While they were conversing, a waiter approached them. "Do you need anything else?" he asked Peter and Olivia. Peter turned to her and asked what drink she would take. Olivia took quite a while to decide what she would take. Peter figured that she would take the whole night making a decision. Therefore, he decided to buy her the same beer he was taking. Since Peter was nearly done with his beer, he ordered one more for himself.

"So, what is it you do? It's rather unusual to be in the club on a Monday afternoon," Peter asked Olivia. "Well, I am currently jobless. I used to work in a restaurant but I was retrenched. The management claimed that the business was experiencing financial difficulties," she responded. "Oh, I am so sorry. I am sure that must have been a difficult time for you," he sympathized with her. "Yeah, it was pretty difficult," Olivia responded with a heavy sigh.

The waiter soon came with what Peter ordered. When the waiter went, Olivia proceeded to take huge gulps of her drink. Peter had to intervene and snatched her drink saying, "I know you are depressed but it doesn't mean you have to chug your drink. You will pass out before we even talk properly." At first, Olivia was peeved by what Peter did, but she soon acknowledged that she had to slow down.

"I am sorry you had to see this side of me. Usually, I don't down my drinks," she said to him defensively. "No, I am not passing any judgement. As a pastor, I understand the cons of judging people for the way they handle things when they are not in the right state of their minds emotionally," he said to her. "Wait a minute, you are a pastor? As in, that is your full-time job?" Olivia was puzzled. Peter quickly regretted telling her about his occupation.

In the past, people looked at him funny when he revealed his job. That was because he participated in activities that pastors wouldn't normally do. For instance, he drank quite a lot for a pastor. He interacted with people who had diverse opinions about drinking. Some felt he shouldn't take any alcohol at all and reserve the drink for the 'sinners.' Others agreed that there was nothing wrong with a pastor drinking but felt he needed to slow down. Regardless, he hated meeting people from both camps. He always wanted people to tolerate his drinking whether or not he was drunk. Besides being drunk, he was also unfaithful. Ironically, he would preach against the sin of adultery, yet didn't care to be faithful to his wife.

Eventually, Peter answered Olivia, "Yes, I am a pastor. I know you are now going to judge me for it." "Actually, no. I just didn't expect to find a pastor at a place like this. Growing up, I knew pastors weren't supposed to take even a sip of alcohol. As a result, I always thought all pastors were boring people, but not you," Olivia said. "I will take that as a compliment, I guess…" he seemed unsure. "Oops, I am sorry. I hope I didn't offend you. I don't have a problem with pastors at all. In fact, you are one of the coolest pastors I have ever met. You are not as uptight and overly religious as most pastors are," she confirmed. Peter smiled at what she said and thanked her for the compliment.

Soon, Peter's phone began to ring. He was irritated and started ignoring the phone calls. Olivia seemed puzzled by Peter's action and said, "Aren't you going to pick up your call? It may be important." "Oh, please! Most calls I get aren't important at all," he said as he looked at the caller ID. It was his wife. He disconnected the call and sent her a text claiming he was very busy. The text wasn't enough to stop Joan from calling. This time he sent her an angry text asking her to stop calling. Five minutes later, he received another call. It was from an unfamiliar number. He concluded that it was probably Joan calling him with a different number and decided to switch off his phone.

Olivia then said to Peter, "I hope I am not distracting you at all. I have a feeling that you have some things to do. After all, aren't pastors usually busy?" Peter then said, "What, no! You aren't distracting me at all. I can distinguish between important and unimportant calls. I have decided to take some time off for today. Tomorrow, I can resume my duties." Olivia didn't seem fully convinced but she decided to play along.

"So, how have you been surviving since you lost your job? I imagine it must be quite challenging to earn some money without working," Peter asked Olivia. "I have been using my savings for the most part but soon realized I would run out of money. So, my elder sister and mother have been kind enough to give me some upkeep to keep me going as I look for a job," she answered. "That's wonderful! You have a very supportive family," he said with marvel. "Yeah, I agree. Sometimes, I wonder what I would do without them," she said.

Peter seemed concerned about Olivia spending time at a bar yet she was unemployed. Therefore, he decided to probe her further, "How are you able to afford to drink in clubs? I am guessing your family wouldn't give you that much allowance to spend here." Olivia saw red at his questioning before she felt it was none of his business. However, she restrained herself from calling out him for it. After all, he was kind enough to buy her some drinks.

Olivia had a tactic of enjoying drinks in pubs without spending a lot of money. According to her, the allowances from her sister and mother were too little ($100). So, to avoid spending so much, she would hang around pubs. She would identify a man who seemed generous and wealthy and approach them. This time, the man was Peter. Of course, she wasn't dense enough to reveal her tactic. Therefore, she decided to lie to Peter that she would get a huge allowance of $500 weekly.

"Wow, I wish I had a family like yours. They are so supportive. Who knows, maybe one day, you will buy me drinks with your allowance," Peter joked. Olivia laughed uncomfortably. She wondered why a man like him would expect a woman to buy any man drinks. After all, isn't it typical for men to offer drinks to women at all times? He sensed that she was uncomfortable with the joke and quickly did some damage control, "Olivia, I was joking. I don't need you or any woman to buy me any drink." She was relieved and said joyfully, "Thanks, Peter. You nearly scared me. Anyway, I don't necessarily have a problem with buying a man a drink. It's only a problem if the man expects me to do that most of the time."

Peter and Olivia continued with their conversation and laughed really much. At some point, other people in the pub glared at them but they didn't care. Soon, Peter and Olivia began making out. They did so after ordering more drinks. At this time, they were completely wasted. Peter then had a crazy suggestion, "Hey, Olivia. Do you mind if we do it?" She seemed perplexed by his proposal and confirmed, "What do you mean by that? Do you want us to sleep together?" He excitedly nodded like a man who had a crush on a woman for the first time.

Olivia was unsure at first but Peter kept pressuring her to agree. Eventually, she agreed and Peter yelled out in excitement. Once again, other pub customers glared at them. Peter asked the bartenders for a lodging and they soon got one. The two proceeded to make love to each other.