As I was closing the bar this evening a young guy was at a table talking on his smartphone. I had to clear the tables and set the chairs on top so I couldn’t help but hear. He was very agitated while talking to his female partner. It seems she had kicked him out of her place. He had nowhere to go. He repeatedly plead with her. I could hear crack out “no” for each of his pleadings on his phone.
Finally he said, “OK, I’ll be your slave.”
“You mean that?” the voice asked.
“Yes I really mean it this time,” he said.
There was a pause. “You still there?” he asked her.
“I’m thinking”, she said. “Are you in that bar?”
“Yeah,” he answered, “and he’s closing.”
“Jake?”
“I think his name is Dave.”
“Let me talk to him.”
“Man,” he said to me, “is your name Jake or Dave?”
“I’m Dave,” I stopped mopping the floor, “We’re closing. What can I do for you?”
“It’s my girlfriend,” his watery eyes looked at me, “she wants to talk to you!”
“OK,” I said, “but it’d better be quick.”
He handed his phone to me. His girlfriend, Rosy, calls here often usually looking for him, her Carl. Carl expects the bartenders here to cover for him while he’s out somewhere else and probably cheating on her.
“You been covering for that dumbass Carl, Dave?”
“No, ma’am,” I swore to her. At least not recently. Carl just hasn’t been here at all and I tell anyone who asks me how I see it.
“Will you let me know if he comes by here and does that again?” she asked.
“Yes, but you’ll have to ask Carl if he’ll let me”
“OK,” she says, “Thanks, Dave. I’ll tell Carl my terms. Let me talk to him.”
I hand the phone back to Carl and continue placing chairs on the table and mopping. He talks to Rosy in a conciliatory way. Finally he says, “Yes, Rose, I’ll be over right away.”
“Hey thanks, Dave,” he finishes his drink, puts his jacket on and gets up to leave, “You’re a lifesaver!”
“OK, Carl,” I say, “glad to help you out. See you next time!”
As I see Carl go out the door I reckon that I wont see him anytime soon if he keeps his word with Rosy. She’ll have him under lock & key. But if he cheats on her again I figure I’ll have the same drama replay itself!
dave94015 