WonL
The random thoughts of an architect-turned- lawyer from the deep south living in Washington, DC...
Sunday, February 20, 2005
The Back Room
An experiment with tag-team blogging:She spotted some empty tables near the back of the bar. This room, called the sandbar, would be the perfect spot to sit and chat with her new law school friends. She had picked a local bar that she knew well. So well, in fact, the bouncer said "girl where you been hiding yourself?" This yuppie Arlington bar was one in which she always saw someone she knew. Like Norm at Cheers, she felt at home. The back room was fairly empty when she and her friends claimed their table. They threw down their coats and sat there chatting over the heater, telling stories and getting to know each other. While they had all been acquaintances at school, they were now becoming friends. An unoccupied group of tables had been pushed together in the center of the room. Random groups of three or four sat in the tables lining the wall. The middle table was saved...Sacred. They all figured there had been a party earlier that evening. It sat empty for quite a while and then slowly, strangers started to file in. Something did not seem right. This was not your typical yuppie Arlington crowd. They seemed to have taken a wrong turn on their way to West Virginia. This diverse mix of folks came complete with mullets, about 400lbs on each female, high-riding pants, coke bottle glasses and some biker gear. Such an eclectic mix sure did seem out of place. Perhaps this is why they were discretely shoved into the back room. There was yelling and screaming and "hootin' and hollerin'." One by one, her friends walked away. Some to get drinks; some to use the restroom; some probably running for the door. She sat there, alone, just watching. She realized this group must be co-workers. Seeming to be the only logical explanation, she watched them interact, wondering where they were employed. She had been to a happy hour the night before with her old co-workers and wondered if people had looked at them the same way. There was a gentleman sitting alone at the table next to her. He seemed nervous or out of place. He was way to dressed and young and suave to be with that crowd. She spoke to him asking if he was getting as big of a kick out of this as she was. He shyly smiled, telling her he was just observing. He said "so, is this your first time?" "No", she replied, "I come to this bar a lot." He looked confused. "I mean, is this your first time coming to one of these?"..."Wait, one of what?"
Now head over to Idlegrasshopper for a much more colorful and in depth view of the rest of the evening...(and be forewarned, none of this is exaggerated)