He dug the name of the bar
it was clever
it was one of the reasons why he
went there why he spent his money to support a local endeavor
hed bleed for a local place before hed walk into any corporate establishment
that
and its selection of craft beers
he was hitting back at all his lopsided friends
who were up to their blinking eyeballs in their posh vineyards their wines their vintages noses
and legs
what the hell was with those little
fucking fingers on their hands sticking out as they sipped
and sipping the fuck
he wanted something he
could quaff or guzzle and wipe off on his sleeve
a little finger
lose a
thumb
now youre talking real troubles
that wasnt to say that troubles didnt rear their ugly heads in cleverly named bars
his trouble had a name too
Reginald he went by
Reginald
supposedly
you werent – according to regulars – even dare ask him if you might shorten
his name to Reggie
despite Reginald
shortening everyone elses name to suit his taste
he didnt asked the regulars
he overheard them
and
being himself to a T
before Reginald got the drop on him
as he witnessed happening to others a couple three other times hed
been in the bar prior
Reginald skulked sneaked at the edges with the wiles of a hungry coyote scouting the unfamiliar territory not nefariously inappropriately before coming face to face with a newcomer
he was preemptive
Reginald wasnt happy he
beat him to the punch
the regulars werent either
so much for cliques
he liked it when they spasm and
couldnt snap their fingers from the height of their barstools
unlike
the fiction of Cheers
where
everybody knows your name and theyre always glad you came
they could save that crap for
those who would listen
he
didnt have time
-- So Reggie
-- Excuse me Nobody calls me
Reggie
-- They really suffer dragging it out to Reginald
-- Thats the name my father gave me if he
wanted me to be called Reggie he would have named me Reggie
-- So your father had a sense of humor that
didnt follow him eh
-- Eh
My
father was humorless He cuckolded And was a drunk
-- Cuckold
Cant say Ive had many conversations where cuckold has reared up
Your father died when you were
young
-- Who are you to talk to me of my father
-- Thats the name my father gave me you said
You brought him up
-- I think youve gotten off on the wrong foot up off the wrong side of the horse
-- Well
I cant possibly call you Reginald
Got a nickname
-- Reginald
-- End of conversation
-- I didnt get your name
-- No
You didnt and theres no need of introductions now either
You be who you are and Ill be me
Reginald sneered
the
regulars sneered
thats what he came to enjoy anyways
though he wasnt being entirely fair and he knew it but sometimes you can read the writing on the
wall and if anarchy is misspelled or the printing is nearing graffiti
best
keep it at arms length your back to a
wall and facing the door
he overheard Reginald --
he laughed -- talking about lovers
he had an inherent
mistrust of anyone who talked about their lovers
he met a woman in another bar once
who saddled in bedside him and launched into her success as a personal
consultant
she was there that night celebrating her lovers birthday Hes at that table
he
was sitting just over his right shoulder
Then why are you here
Because you seem like someone who would recognise the value of a
personal consultant
Youre
attractive well put together but I wouldnt have friends Id have to pay for
the violation swelled
gorgeously in her eyes
then he thought hed tip the pot
Are you soliciting me Is your lover your pimp
BOOM she was up and six feet
behind him outraged sputtering to her
lover and it wasnt as if her lover was going to have a choice in the
matter
he had offended her
and she was the kind of woman whose offenses had to be defended and
offenders punished
but he was preemptive
coming off the bench he sat
on
his hand firmly at the benchs back he bunched his fist and threw a haymaker her lover eagerly
rushed into
it wasnt a fair fight
it
wasnt a fight
it was a better than six foot
blonde on his back entering a nonfiction in the Twilight Zone
he wanted to speed her along after
him but figured things usually didnt work out this way for her and they were
going to task and stretch every last bit of her skill and shallow reserves
he didnt go to bars to make
friends
he went there for what he deemed
were adult reasons
to
share a drink with a friend or have a drink while he read a magazine newspaper a book
do a crossword or talk vicariously
with an absent old friend by wrioting them a letter
somehow
he was never innocuous or a wallflower
1345, Friday,
23 1. 15
