May 20, 2005
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It seemed I was the only stranger in the room. Sipping my Jack and Coke I took a closer look at the decor, wondering why this was so comfortable. Behind me were the Keno players but instead of being depressing they seemed happy. They were winning and they weren’t smoking. That was different.
I was sitting at a small bar, in a Chinese restaurant, writing this. The drinks were cheap and I knew they had Coke, not that awful Pepsi. Someone turned the jukebox on and there is so much crap on the walls it felt like a boy’s bedroom with OSU and UofO memorabillia everywhere. TVs grace the corners and buxom blondes work the bar. I was sitting at one of the five comfy nogohide booths. The cute young couple at the booth in front of me — The booths run the length of wall opposite the bar stools — were done eating and had begun to smoke but my table was directly across from the swinging doors where you enter and which foster an air current.
The heavy man at the bar seemed popular with the women. He has a house for sale “on the national historic register.” Three ladies in their late 50s stopped by his stool, on three separate occassions, to inquire about the status of the sale and to wish him well. His house is down the street from me so I was tempted to ask, “How much?”
It has just occurred to me why I was so comfortable there, I mean besides the fact that I was on my second drink. Everyone was my age. I probably went to high school with all those people and didn’t recognize a soul. People say I look the same so maybe they recognized me.
Someone put Dixie Chicks on and I went home to call the oldest one. We had sort of a crisis today. Well, she did. I had forgotten how stressful her world can be. We spent the better part of the day together which she seems to want to do lately. When I got home I told her about one of you: goddessfourwinds. I told my daughter about what a lesson in attitude this woman is. She impresses me as someone who can handle anything. No matter what comes her way, she plugs ahead, one foot in front of the other, flourishing no matter what her world throws her. And I could tell my daughter was listening and thinking.
Comments (3)
I like your writing today! Guess I should check out goddess —of course there is nothing wrong with my attitude
I always like talking to my mother during crisis, but we handle things so very differently, that it becomes difficult for her to help me at all. It’s very cool that you can help your daughter through hers.
Thanks for your post, regarding the fidelity, he seems to have the belief that he will have trouble with it and hurt me, so I won’t require fidelity, and he won’t have to live in fear of hurting me.
It’s worked so far!
Sare
Yes you ARE meant to write! You silly! And, anyway, if you had got that job, it would just have been to write about. No-one composes a scene like you do; I was there in that nogahide booth being watched by you! I was there at the bar with you, thinking your thoughts, which so aptly created the scene itself. As ever, beautifully done… and you probably dashed it off, no sweat. Love you! xo