I met my friend Lou at the Roost last night. It was free popcorn night. We ordered two beers and a shot of whiskey each for starters. The place was filled with the regular clientele, mostly older men who looked down on their luck. It occurred to me after my second beer that everybody in the place looked similar. They were all about the same weight. Nobody was overly good looking. Most were out of shape. I figured they felt comfortable around each other and that’s why they were regulars.

The jukebox was playing good music and Lou and I were having a good time. We went outside to smoke one in the parking lot. We were standing in between two cars when out comes a drunk. He stopped dead in his tracks and kind of hunched over like a cat whose trying to catch a bird. But this guy was far from being nimble. He had a pot- belly and was old. He looked like he could pass out just from rapidly waving his arms. I guess he thought we were trying to break into his car. He had an old Chrysler that looked to be in fair condition and in his mind we were standing to close to it. The manner in which he was staring at us gave Lou and I the impression that he was working for the bar, but he wasn’t. He was just some old coot trying to act tuff, because deep down he was afraid we were going to rough him up. We were just smoking and minding our own business. We assured him the best we could that we were harmless.

We went back in the bar and finished off our beers and on the way out Lou walked into what was at one time the telephone booth. I saw him do it. He thought it was the door. I heard him push at something and then he turned around and tried to play it off. I was already laughing. He said something ridicules, something to the effect of, “are you ready to go.” I opened the door and we laughed real hard. It was a good laugh, one of those hold your knees laughs. God it felt good.