An acquaintance heard me complain about the lack of eligible women so he suggested we go to out to a local restaurant that also had a bar and stage for live music. He thought there would be plenty of singles to meet at this place but when I contacted him a few days later, he was too tired to go out. (Now how was I supposed to get a social life when things like that happened?) A couple of weeks passed and there was still no word from my acquaintance so I decided to send him a message via Facebook. As it turned out, he was free that Friday night and suggested I pick him up at his apartment around 8 PM. From there, the restaurant was just a few minutes away and after paying the cover charge, we found two empty seats at the bar.
A bartender swooped in right away to take our order and while my friend had a beer, I decided not to get anything. I used the excuse of being the designated driver but in reality, alcohol just wasn't that appealing to me. Over to my left was a young couple who looked like they were fans of the show Jersey Shore. To the right of my acquaintance were two college co-eds eating large portions of Italian food. For a Friday, there wasn't much of a crowd and most of the patrons looked like they were over the age of 60. My acquaintance said, “The type of crowd depends on who's playing.” The night's entertainment was a young country music singer named Annie Brobst. He said if it had been a rock band, the crowd would probably be larger and younger. Just my luck!
A female bar tender checked in on us and then asked if we were looking forward to having a good time. My acquaintance remarked, “Sure. What time do you get off work?” She paused for a moment and then shrugged off the comment. As she walked away, I said to him, “I think that's the first time she has ever heard that.” She turned around and said, “Yes, that's the first time, alright.” I was surprised the bartender heard me given all the noise in the room but she seemed appreciative. When he stepped outside to have a cigarette, she said to me, “Can I get you a soda? My treat.” I replied, “You know what I would love but am too embarrassed to order? A Shirley Temple.” The drink had sentimental value because when I was a kid, my uncle used to throw Labor Day pool parties and it was the only mixed beverage I was allowed to have. The bartender said she would put it in a normal glass so no one would know. As soon as I finished it, she immediately brought over another one.
When my acquaintance returned from his smoke break, the bouncer didn't remember his face and thought he was trying to sneak in. We pointed out his beer and he was let back into the establishment. The country music was nice although I wondered how a singer who was born in Ohio and lived in New England developed a southern accent. A couple of overweight redneck women got up to dance and my acquaintance said, “There you go. Why don't you dance with them.” To further get my goat, he snapped a picture of me and then posted it to social media with the caption, “He's drunk!”
The couple sitting next to me eventually left but the college girls to the right of us continued to drink and flirt with the male bartender. I looked around the room again and said, “You know where the people our age are? At home with their wives and kids.” Despite feeling a bit isolated, I did enjoy the change of pace from my usual Friday night routine of staying home. The female bartender handed me a third Shirley Temple so I made sure to drink it slowly this time. A nice tip was in her future and I hoped that might spark some more conversation with her.
Suddenly, I felt someone's hand grab the back of my chair. It was an older woman trying to get her balance as she plunked herself down in the empty seat next to me. I tried to ignore her but she insisted on chatting with us. She seemed drunk and asked me if my acquaintance was my dad. He felt insulted since only a few years separated us so he said to the woman, “You look good for 60.” She made a sour face and told him to fuck off. Now how did I get myself into this mess?
The woman continued to chat with me even though I showed disinterest. She said I was cute and tapped my leg a couple of times. I told her not to get so grabby. After a few more minutes of this, my acquaintance and I decided to make a hasty retreat. He paid his tab and quickly finished what remained of his last beer. The female bartender was off to the side mixing a drink for a customer so I walked over to her and got her attention. After leaving money on the bar and thanking her for the drinks, I headed outside before that drunk woman tried pawing me again.
My acquaintance attempted to start a conversation with a girl who was taking a smoke break. He said, “Loud in there tonight, isn't it?” She coldly responded, “Not really.” It was clear we weren't going to meet anyone here and during the ride back to his apartment, we analyzed our night out. In the back of my mind, I had suspected some weirdo or loudmouth would gravitate toward me but I didn't want to say anything for fear of sounding pessimistic. Once again my suspicions were confirmed. When I told my mother about the experience, she said older men used to hit on her all the time at bars adding, “But your cousin did find her future husband at a bar so it's hit or miss.” She suggested we give going out another try. With experiences like that, it would be a long while before we returned.
