My favourite bar is a local blues club named Bearley's. A real blues bar, live music 5nights a week. Asshole quotient is low, bar staff is excellent. Drinks are well priced. People come here to listen to good music and drink.
No this isn't a restuarant review, I'm getting to the point, just setting the mood. Okay? Okay.
I always seem to have a great time there, even though I don't go as much as I once did. Family, getting old, don't like crowds, $$$ goes elsewhere.
But the night I'm going to talk about started across the street from Bearley's, at the Granite Brewery. Now called the Henry House, once called Ginger's. Famous place for beer lovers. It is Halifax's oldest brewpub. Before brewpub became lexiconical, mid '70s it opened. They have a beer called Peculiar. Best beer ever. At least it was before they changed owners. Now it just tastes skunky. I don't go there anymore.
Anyway, this night started with dinner at the Granite. Just dinner, see? But, really, we all know one pint tastes like 10 and before I know it I'm one eyed drunk and it's closing time. Midnight.
Midnight? It's early! Now where do we go? I need drink, dammit! And music. Hell yes, some good music! Blues! I got the no drink blues!
You get the picture.
So, across the street to Bearley's . Guy at the door says Hello. We know each other by sight. Waves the cover charge.
I go to the bar, sit down, put my messenger bag thingy across the back of my chair. Order a bewer and rye. There's a cigarrette pack beside me, not mine, but I reach in and light up anyway (this is back when you could smoke in bars here).
Here's where I know things are turning south, warning bells ringing like a Quasimodo on speed. See, I don't smoke.
But tonight I smoke. Sure I smoke. Smoke like Bogart. Smoke rings, blowing smoke out my nose. Jesus, I'm a natural! Why didn't I start this earlier?
So things are copacetic for a spell, good music, the smoking seems to have sobered me a bit. And the person I'm takingthe cigs from doesn't seem to care. So I buy them a beer. I'm big like that. I can't remember if they were male or female, but really it doesn't matter. At this point they are just a big talking cigarrette machine.
Piss time. Up and into the can. Didn't get any on me. Good, good. Back to my seat. The cigarretes are gone, but that's fine. Smoking is bad for you. Then I notice my messenger bag thingy is gone too. Well, I call it a messenger bag, my friends call it a purse. So, my purse is missing. I always carry books, notebooks, sketchpad, cd player, cds with me. Because I'm a ageing hipster pomo mofo doofus, that's why.
I'm ticked. Things don't get stolen in Bearley's. Seriously. All walks of life come into that bar, but it's respected. I'm getting more ticked by the second. But instead of mentioning it to the bartender, the cute one that always wears pigtails like some Catholic schoolgirl fantasy, I wander the bar looking for it. Stumble the bar looking for it. No luck. I'm getting frantic. And in my drunken (DRUNKEN!!!!!) state, I pick up an item that's sitting on a chair. In my mind, I'm working out that I'm going to hold this item for ransom until somebody gives my shit back!
It's a motorcycle helmet.
Not one of those full head ones, one of those turtle shell jobs with the chin strap.
Did I mention bikers also love Bearley's?
Off I go, wandering the floor, holding the helmet in front of me like a gladiator. I make it 3 full laps around the bar before I hear a woman say "Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I turn and she's calling over a guy in leather chaps. It's a good look, he can pull it off. So I try to explain, the best I can, my intentions and feelings and emotions. I can't speak that well, slurs and thick tongue and all. But they won't have any part of it. All they say is "Yeah, but we don't have your fucking bag, asshole."
I will concede that I was displaying asshole behaviour at this point. But I'm normally a quiet gentle drunk. I really am.
Finally, they just take the helmet out of my hands and walk away. I go back to my seat. And my purse.
Funny thing, apparently, when I came back from my bathroom trip, I sat in a different chair. Heh.
I order another round, smoke another cigarrette, nurse until closing time. Wander outside and look at the row of beautiful Harley's, Triumphs. And a group of bikers staring at me.
"That's the guy."
Great. Do I turn and hightail? No. I stagger up to them and proudly show them my purse. Big smile, tell them the story.
"Just go home", they say.
"Good idea," I say. Turn and leave. Wrong way. Turn around and pass by the bikers. "I'm this way."
I was with friends at one point, but between the Granite and Bearley's we
got separated. I go to the closest friends house. No one home. So I sit on the porch.
That's all I remember. Had a walking black out. Because apparently, the friends got home, woke me up and we all went in and had a beer. I told them my story and noticed one of my friends knees was bleeding. He had fallen taking a shortcut. I cleaned the cut and bandeged it. That's what they tell me.
But yes, I did deserve to having the living shit kicked out of me that night, I just got lucky.