"Turned twenty-one today," Leo said, his voice cracking just enough to betray him. "Check the 'Under 21 until' date."
Miller grabbed a pint glass. "First one’s on the house for surviving the DMV," he said, the ghost of a smirk appearing. "But get that thing swapped for a horizontal one tomorrow. It makes my eyes hurt." can you buy alcohol with a vertical license illinois
Leo exhaled, the weight of the vertical plastic finally lifting as the first cold glass of freedom slid across the bar. "Turned twenty-one today," Leo said, his voice cracking
Leo slid the card onto the wood. It sat there, a vertical pillar of anxiety. "But get that thing swapped for a horizontal one tomorrow
Miller squinted. He didn't pick it up. He just leaned over, his spectacles sliding to the tip of his nose. "Vertical, huh?"
"Today’s the twenty-eighth," Miller grunted. He looked at the card, then at Leo’s peach-fuzz chin, then back at the card.
The bartender finally pinched the card between two thick fingers, lifting it toward the light. In Illinois, the vertical format was a scarlet letter for the underage, a design meant to save bartenders from doing the math. But the math was right there in bold red text: Under 21 until 04-28-2026.