Saturday, May 23, 2009

Barfly


I took the kids over to the Farmers' Market tonight to meet a whole bunch of friends and celebrate E's birthday. We sat around tables that we pulled together, drank wheat beer with orange slices and ate food from one of the best Mexican spots around. We laughed a lot and tried to manage the kids who were all running around and into and out of the market stalls. Oh, well...

I brought Sophie along tonight as well and she did pretty well in her stroller despite the noise and mayhem. She only had one small seizure that I missed when I got up to get Oliver some food. By the end of the second hour, though, she was growing increasingly agitated and I knew it was time to leave. It's hard to sit for that long in that crowded of a space. The bar next to us was growing rowdier by the second as the people crowded round a television showing the Lakers game. I had to push through the crowd to ask the bartender to validate my parking ticket, and when I did, a guy sitting on the barstool said,

Why don't you sit down and have a drink with me?

Because I was sort of pushed up against him, I felt his almost square body and was on eye level with a few gold chains hanging around his neck. He had beady little eyes in a red face and wore a straw cowboy hat.

His invitation struck me as hilarious, though, and I nodded over to my "crew": a handicapped child in a wheelchair, a small boy with chocolate smeared around his mouth and a big boy with sweaty hair and dirty jeans.

Trust me, I said, with a smile, You don't want to have a drink with me.

7 comments:

  1. I love the way your mind works.

    The "old gray mare" has more noticeably going for her than you thought! I mean, it's a compliment, to be asked to join a man for a drink, yes? No? Not, coming from that man? I think your beautiful light shines through, even in the midst of difficulties.
    So glad that you had a good evening out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, this is great! I'd love to have a drink with you myself!! Hope your weekend was lovely none the less!

    ...Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great story--left me smiling. I bet it left him red-faced.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the chuckle! On the rare occasion I see someone (well, a man) so much as glance in my direction I often think to myself "careful buddy, you probably don't want to get to know ME!". But I've never had the chance to say it out loud. I'm still laughing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the chuckle! On the rare occasion I see someone (well, a man) so much as glance in my direction I often think to myself "careful buddy, you probably don't want to get to know ME!". But I've never had the chance to say it out loud. I'm still laughing!

    ReplyDelete