At the Bar
(June 1982)
Ennis sat alone at the bar. No one else was there. It was early on a Saturday afternoon. He slowly drank his beer, and stared straight ahead at the wall.
“Hey, can’t I get a beer, isn’t there any service around here?”
Ennis jumped at the noise and looked up to find a man sitting right next to him.
“Hey, ya want another one?” the man said.
Ennis shook his head. The bartender came over, and the man got his beer.
“Today’s my son’s high school graduation” the man said. “Right now he’s wearing his cap and gown and getting his diploma.”
Ennis looked at him. “He didn’t want me to go, can ya believe that? the man asked.
Ennis looked at his beer again.
“He doesn’t want to see me anymore” the man continued, “just cause I told him that he’s a …” But the man didn’t say what he told his son.
Ennis put his dollar on the table and started to get up. “Hey, where ya goin’? Don’t go, stay here and drink with me” the man implored.
“Come on, just stay, you got some better place to go?”
Ennis stopped. He stood there, frozen for a moment. Then he sat back down. “Two more beers” the man yelled. The bartender brought the beers right away.
‘I tell ya,” the man went on, “just can’t stand being all alone, can’t stand it no more.”
Ennis finished the first beer and pushed the glass aside. “The worse thing there is” the man continued, “nothing worse at all.”
Ennis turned to him, and stared for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and tightly clenched his hands. He looked at the man again, and then at the wall. Then Ennis started drinking the second beer.