Snippet of Lesson 28

Lesson Twenty-eight

GREAT THINGS CAN COME FROM “BAD” DECISIONS

“Even cats grow lonely and anxious.”

~Mason Cooley~

     The thick grayish haze hung heavily near the ceiling adorned with black-painted duct work.  What air you could find was dense with the aroma of stale beer, cigarette smoke and cheap perfume.  It’s difficult to look cool and smile when you can barely breathe, but single men try to pull it off every night in every bar across the land.  We’re tougher than we look.

     I had my back to the bar closest to the women’s restroom and leaned back between two stools and against the polished oak edge.  The heel of my left foot rested on the short step which resulted in a knee so slightly bent.  My heavily starched Wranglers made it hard to move as I scoured the dimly lit room with cigarette in one hand, cold beer in the other.  I was cooooooool, man.  Cool.

     Here I was, less than a month after Jackie’s final departure to Nebraska, standing in the same bar where she met her hot tub friend.  It was an enormous honky-tonk just outside Greenville with a circular dance floor the size a skating rink.  The dance area was separated from the dozens of wobbly tables by a rickety, yet Texas-looking wooden rail.  It was Billy Bob’s but without the steroids and the only real dance club for miles.  All the locals went to Texas Star for the weekend to dance and romance.  At least I hoped so.

     I truly didn’t take notice of her until I began to realize she was being asked to dance on a regular basis by guys other than her apparent date.  He looked a bit out of place anyway in his Air Force uniform.  Apparently in Texas, asking another guy’s girl to dance is acceptable.  But where I come from, a repeated stunt like that would have resulted in an ass-whoopin’ for somebody.

     They were sitting at a round table just to my left.  After she got up to dance for the sixth or seventh time with someone else, I approached the airman. 

     “Is that normal down here?” I asked.

     “Is WHAT normal?”

     “You know, having other people dance with your girl all night.”

     “I wouldn’t know.  I’m not from around here.” He said as he glanced over his shoulder to watch her return from her latest spin around the floor.

     I politely excused myself form the table as she approached and returned to my position at the bar, this time taking a stool.  I continued to watch the bar, afraid to actually speak to anyone, when I saw her get up to dance still another time.  On the way back she walked directly up to me, put her hands on my knees, and with eyes I later learned reflected drunkenness said, “Hi.  My name’s Renee and you can dance with me any time you’d like.”  Then she walked away.  Well, ok then!