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“…Yeah, I just came home from work, and she was gone…sigh,” it’s almost the end of my shift, and some guy is trying to tell me some sap story about how his wife left him for their younger, hotter, richer neighbor. Not the first time I’ve seen it, when I first started my job at the Avenue Tavern, I would pity these men and try to give them advice, but over time, I’ve learned that they don’t want advice, they just want to forget everything. I’m pouring the guy another shot when this young fellow walks in. I’m worried I might have to card him he looks so young, but then he says, “Leeet’s gooo! Just turned 21 baby! This is my 7th bar tonight! Let’s party!” I still ask to see his I.D. but he’s telling the truth. He takes a seat at the bar, next to the other guy. “Why you look so sad? C’mon dude, lets party! I’ll buy the rest of your drinks…” At this, the guy perks up a little.
“Ok. What’s your name? Khan? Ok Khan lets party! Hey you!” the younger guy is pointing at me. “You got a karaoke machine?”
“Um…yeah, over there, its $15 to use.”
He throws a twenty on the counter, stands up, and stumbles over to the machine, picking a song. He motions to the Khan guy to join him, then he starts wailing some cheesy country love song. Khan starts singing with him, also terribly, then suddenly tears start to stream down his face. The young guy doesn’t seem to notice, if he does, he’s too out of it to care. Khan just stands there crying, until the young fellow stops “singing” and asks, “Bro, you okay? Want to talk?”
They take a seat at yet another table I’m gonna have to clean. I manage to overhear snippets of the conversation. “Well, my wife left me…” he’s telling the same story he told me. Suddenly, the young guy jumps up as if coming to an epiphany.
“What did you say your name was?”
“John…”
“Last name?”
“um… McKendrick.”
The look on the young guy’s face flushes with realization. “As in, Hallie McKendrick?”
“Yeah…”
“Dude… I’m gonna be your son-in-law…!”
"But... I don't have any kids..."
ns 15.158.61.19da2
