“Here you go. Devil’s Grog.”

“Smells like beer. From the keg, I’d say Coors.”

“Like I said, Devil’s Grog. This is supposed to be a union town, you know?”

Forty seconds later.

“Tastes okay.”

“Tastes like stale and not very good beer. Papa would not approve… I’m having another.”

“What? And spoil the whole evening? You know what happens when you drink bad beer.”

“It’s Halloween, for crying out loud. Let me have some fun. Besides, you get to pick up after me.”

“True. And I do so with great relish.”

I sighed. That was the plus of dating her... besides, she did deserve some fun. I watched her slinky-slide through the crowd, her fur rippling over svelte muscles. Her tail now here, now there, cat-like, and then checked my watch. Should be about fifty-five seconds. I started counting down. Twenty of the seconds were for her to drain the beer cup they’d give her. Ten for the stuff to have an effect. Five for her to start. Five seconds for the reaction. Twenty-five for the result. Thirty seconds for her to slinky-slide back to me. Only then would the effects wear away. It was only 4% beer, after all.

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