After five years of Saturday nights in the bars of Barretto, I’ve come to realize that you can be alone, even when you are with somebody. It turns out paid company ain’t much different than an empty barstool. Well, I think I’ve always known that on some level, but lately, that truth seems harder to ignore. It’ll be okay; I just need to embrace the reality of solitude and enjoy my “me time.”
I started my day with a longer-than-usual solo walk. From step one, my body seemed to say, “Let’s not do this,” but I ignored myself and pushed on.
I had a sugar-free bowl of pudding for lunch (okay, I sprinkled in some raisins), took a nap, blogged, watched a little TV, then headed into town to experience the Saturday nightlife, such as it is.
I made It Doesn’t Matter my first stop. It had been a while since my last visit, and I felt a little guilty about that. I was pretty shocked when I arrived to see there were NO other customers seated outside. I’d never seen that before, especially on a Saturday. The music was also blaring so loud I had to shout for the waitress to hear my drink order (I decided to make it a San Miguel Zero night). Bob would never have countenanced that kind of volume. When I asked the waitress to turn it down, she did without hesitation. I settled in to enjoy my beer and watch the world pass by, and before long, two other waitresses I know by sight but not by name joined me. We played the twenty questions game–where do you live, do you have a wife, etc. Now, on paper, I’m married, but the reality is I’ve been single for over six years now. The waitresses were surprised I didn’t have a girlfriend and asked why, and I honestly replied that I have a low tolerance for drama. Anyway, the nice thing about the first time chatting with bargirls is that all of my jokes are new, so I proceeded to go through my repertoire, and they laughed in all the right places. I rewarded their diligence and devotion to duty with a lady drink while I enjoyed my second beer of the day.
I was ready for something more substantial to eat, so I burned some calories by walking to John’s place for some dinner.
After my meal, I headed back up the highway and passed a barber shop with no customers inside. It had been two weeks since I discovered that my former salon was now barberless, so I took advantage of the opportunity to get my ears lowered. The barber here did a nice job, so it looks like I have a new home for haircuts.
Now what? I hesitated as I passed by Blue Butterfly, but I didn’t see any other customers, just a passel of thirsty bargirls. I wasn’t in the mood to fend them off; maybe next time. I considered Mugshots (they don’t have GROs), but drinking alone can be boring, so I kept walking. When I got to Cheap Charlies, I figured why not and climbed the steps to the third-floor venue.
Nerissa and Alma were ready, willing, and able to be my drinking buddies, and I played along. I got a nice back rub, too. When it was time to move on, I continued down the highway with no clear destination in mind. Sloppy Joe’s looked enticing as I approached, so I popped in.
I didn’t know any of the customers, and the one waitress I was familiar with seemed preoccupied with someone else. I did get a beer when I sat down, but I had to raise my hand to get offered a second one. When that bottle was empty, I waited for someone to come around, but no one did before my patience was exhausted. So, I got up, went inside to pay my 150 peso tab, and was handed a stack of ten 5 peso coins wrapped in plastic for change. Okay, I understand not giving me a 50 peso note as that might preclude my leaving a tip. I was expecting two twenties and two coins, but to pay me with wrapped coins and a shrug seemed insulting somehow. I left the coins on the tray and walked out.
I guess I was just in one of those moods. Came home, watched some more Lucifer (I’m into season five now), then escaped into sleep.
I’m not exactly sure what’s going on with me. I mean, I’m fine with things as they are but would be open to some new adventures. I really need to get off my lazy ass and plan some long-overdue travel. That idea of having multiple girlfriends for different days of the week isn’t exactly working out. Joy was supposed to join me on Thursday but wanted to meet up when I was going home. Nope, if you don’t want to spend time with me on a bar hop, I don’t care about you spending the night with me. The whole point was companionship; I don’t care so much about sex, especially when there is an expectation of compensation. I guess things went okay with Mary on Friday, although that almost fifty-year age gap doesn’t leave much common ground for interaction. And, of course, my hopes for Angie disappeared like a 500 peso note from the kitchen table.
So, it is what it is, and what it is is good enough. For now, anyway.
This Facebook memory from seven years ago was a kick in the nuts.
On the health front, here’s one of the new vitamins Dr. Jo has me taking:
My FB memories feed also included this gem (I probably posted it here, too, but it is worth remembering):
And that’s all I’ve got to say for now.
I’m surprised you didn’t end this post with a music video: “Alone Again, Naturally.”
Protect that liver at all costs! Because some say Love, it is a liver…
You’re almost done with “Lucifer,” which ran for six seasons. I expect a detailed review at the end! I’d heard good things about the show and could be persuaded to watch it.
That pic of you and the wife was taken in a restaurant, but the menu at the restaurant is bizarre. At the bottom, it says tangsuyuk, which is the sweet-and-sour pork sold at Korean-style Chinese restaurants. Above that, you’ve got makchang and gopchang, or what I like to call “pan-fried assholes,” essentially chopped-up bits of pig intestine (“chitlins,” as they’d say in the South), with makchang being the colon and gopchang being more like generic intestine. Makchang can also refer to the “abomasum,” or “true stomach,” of a cow, and gopchang can simply refer to tripe. (I had to look up “abomasum.”) It’s rare to see a fusion menu like that, with Chinese food being served on an otherwise Korean menu.
Well, I’ve used “Alone again, naturally” before and I try to avoid repetition. The song that photo invoked was “So far away” by Carole King.
Yep, if you are not a healthy liver, you’ll be dead one.
I can’t remember where that restaurant was or the name, although it is a safe bet that it is (was) in Itaewon. It’s interesting all the things you miss when you don’t know the language–thanks for the translations. No idea what we ate, but I doubt it was anything more exotic than my usual Korean favorites.
John, I don’t know if I understand your response to the change left you for your drinks. If I understand correctly, you weren’t happy that they left you 50 pesos in 5 peso coins. So out of spite, you left them all the coins?? Lol
Yeah, it was a stupid reaction. I hate coins but I should have taken them anyway and then thrown them to the first beggar I saw. Oh well.
Those guys are living in a movie in their heads and looking for extras to play the bit parts of their failures.
Or something. Anyway, feck em. They don’t provide the world with the content you do so don’t take it to heart and keep loning it up.
It’s all good, Dan. I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted. Zero hard feelings on my part.