Titbits for Pennies
“They don’t know the half of it,” he opines, throwing a copy of today’s paper on the bar. “These reporters think they’re so clever but their sources are just tea ladies selling titbits for pennies.” He goes on, talking to nobody and everybody. He’s important, at least in his own mind; people will listen.
I don’t want to, of course. He’s handsome and arrogant and almost certainly an ass. But he’s spilling words like overfilled beers. If I make him feel I can’t get enough of him and his words and his self-confidence, he might drop something for tomorrow’s column.
Extroduction
By the way, genre for this one could be quite different depending whether you’ve just watched a Netflix / Hallmark Christmas movie (I started wrapping yesterday), or a political drama like Impeached: An American Crime Story, which is a weekly treat for me. 😉
elmowrites 
The trick of managing self-important people is lavish flattery. Well-observed
Thanks Neil!
Someone doesn’t like his lies in the newspaper. Good one, Elmo.
Do any of them?!
No I guess not.
Lovely subtlety here. The way you reveal that the barmaid is one of the “tea ladies selling titbits for pennies,” is admirable.
I had her down as a fellow patron, but the barmaid thing works just as well. I’m glad the subtlety worked.
Information is the currency of the present. If can glean a few coins, good for her.
Ain’t that the truth.
Dear Jen,
I’ll go with the Hallmark Christmas movie. 😉 Sometimes ya just gotta have a romantic happy ending. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
In the Hallmark version, they end up in love though. I always think that initial nastiness is a dubious foundation for a relationship once the romance wears off, but who knows. And in the political drama at least one them’s going to end up dead, so that’s not necessarily better!
Love it. The blowhard can’t help himself, and he’ll let something drop 🙂
Pretty sure you’re right. And she can pick it up and take it to the bank!
The neighborhood pub. Exactly the right place to get the true story. Well done.
I’m sure that’s true, Bill
I could have revealed a thing or two to the local rag when I was a pub landlord, but it wouldn’t have gone down too well with my regulars!
Here’s mine!
I’ll bet!
overfilled beers. you’re being kind. sounds more like overflowing toilet. 🙂
haha, yes, could be more like that!