Last night was arguably the coldest night I'd experienced in years. With windchill temps hovering around 0 degrees (my body said it felt like it was, oh about 18 degrees, give or take a few), the streets of New York were as empty as a ghost town. That, of course, reflected on the pulse of the bars on 3rd Avenue. It was a pretty laid back atmosphere for most of the evening at our place; throughout the night we experienced an "ebb and flow" with small groups coming in from the cold and hanging out for a few drinks, then moving on to the next destination. A few of the regulars stopped in, but for the most part, it was "one of those nights".
One of the things I like the most about working at a place like Third and Long is that you often find yourself observing some of the same people over and over again and wondering what "their scoop" is. "What's the deal with this person?" "What IS their deal????" and then you try to sort it out by picking up various clues about them, whether it be body language, the company they keep, what they're reading at the bar, etc.
Last night, I found myself (with another Brew Crew member) doing just that. There's this woman that comes in the bar at least a couple of times a week. She usually sits by herself at one of the small tables by the window; enjoys a draft pint and is either reading or watching the TV. Always alone. Always around Happy Hour (never stays later than say, 8pm, and that's pushing it). Very attractive- probably in her early/mid thirties. Yet always alone.
So of course, I'm piqued by her. Why is she always at the bar by herself? Why does she always sit at that same table by the window? What IS HER DEAL???
The more she comes by, the more clues I begin to pick up on her. One thing I noticed early on but didn't put together right away was that whenever she happened to be in the bar, there would always be a crutch leaning up by a window. One of those crutches that someone who's had an accident or a stroke would use (I guess a better term would be "assisted walking cane" or something). It wasn't until last night that I realized that it was hers.
So now the wheels are turning in my head. What's her story? Why does she have a walking cane? Was she in an accident? Is there some physical disability I didn't notice before? What IS the deal? During my running around in the bar, dealing with other patrons and such, I never noticed her moving about; as a matter of fact, one of the things that would always baffle me about her was how she'd always mysteriously disappear- so I never actually got to see her move. Last night, however, it all came into place; She happened to be sitting at the bar this time (her favorite table was occupied by a group of patrons), right next to one of my regulars. Turns out he'd been intrigued by her as well for pretty much the same reasons. They end up striking a conversation of sorts and it turns out that she'd had a stroke, which explains the use of the assisted cane. Very bright woman, who simply liked to hang out in our bar. She comes in, no one bothers her, and she feels comfortable there. Turns out she's got a bit of a quick wit too, exchanging witty one liners with my regular.
So the pieces of this puzzle are starting to fall into place on this person. Yet at the same time, you can't help but to want to know more. And I find myself thinking like this with patrons all the time. What goes on behind the closed doors of this person or that person's life? More often than not, you find that there's usually more than meets the eye. If you are an observer of people, a place like a bar is a fascinating place to do just that I guess.
We also had the return of F.I.T. GIRL, after a long hiatus. She was happy to be back at the bar and jumped back into the swing of things like a duck takes to water. I'm sure some of the male patrons didn't mind seeing her behind the bar either. I also had the pleasure in meeting up with one of my former co-workers from the 90's, back when Third and Long was in its infancy. He and I were (and still are) great friends and had great times back then; We ended up talking and catching up on things late into the night. Got to talking about a lot of things that made me think about life and the decisions we make and how we deal with them. Every once in awhile it's good to stop and "smell the roses" and take stock of where you are in life. And after seeing my good friend last night, I couldn't help but to do that for myself. And it's always nice to know people whom you can feel confident in knowing that the bond will always be strong, regardless of how long it's been since you've seen that person.
An interesting night indeed.
809 posts complete, 4 more posts (okay maybe 5) to go.
NUFF SAID
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