A Disturbed Halloween Party

A Disturbed Halloween Party

I figured this party would start around 10:00 pm and it had started a few hours earlier.  Slim was there and he was pretty drunk.  People in the ‘Game’ were having quiet conversations, some looking at TV  (Sports and Horror Shows) or eating the fine food Poppy put out for the party. Others were just getting lost in their drinks.  It was noticeable that music wasn’t playing and when Bossman gave his money to a dregular to play music…well it wasn’t exactly Halloween in spirit and most ran for the door to smoke, some left.

Slim did whatever Jimena (bartender) asked him as Poppy barked orders from the customer side of the bar.  Eventually Poppy was behind the bar for a while when Jimena disappeared.  Slim asked me to take him back to his house which has been up for sale at least two months.  Two sales fell through because the bank would not even lend to people with good credit. 

I had bought Slim and me a few beers during our time there and I told Jimena and Poppy I would be back to fulfill my appointed task, taking pictures for Game On.  So I left a half full beer on the bar and took Slim home.  The pitiful nightmare that is Slim’s existence hurt me to my heart.  I helped Slim to the door and got him inside.  His house had no electricity, it was pitch dark.

Slim fumbled for his flashlight when another flashlight illuminated the place.  His buddy Jake from upstate was with him helping with some more furniture moving he had to do.  Slim was down on himself, broke and disgusted with what he is going through.  I gave him some advice on how to survive without electricity and then headed back to Game On.

 

Upon arrival my beer had disappeared and I asked ‘Jimena’ about it and she said, ‘I thought you were finished.’  “I told you in front of Poppy I was coming back.”  Seeing the anger in my face did get her to give me the buy- back that I didn’t get earlier.  I asked Jimena if I could take pictures of her for Poppy’s web site and facebook page, she said, “when my girls get here”.  As the midnight hour approached Jimena’s ‘girls’ started to arrive.

There was really no music until the Saturday Night crowd arrived and the music was much rap, latin, street and urban night club mixes.  After Jimena’s girls arrived I had introduced myself and informed them of Poppy’s desire to have their pictures on his website and facebook page. 

I guess the wide-eyed apprehension and disgust I was encountering was due to it being Saturday Night at a Halloween party and these ‘ladies’ thought I was making it up or was some kind of pervert until Poppy intervened and then I only got three good pictures. 

 I felt, as I was pushed out of my seat and left strolling the bar looking  for a place to stand, that I wasn’t welcome and didn’t fit in.

K.B. (Reeta’s Hubby) came as Freddy Kruger in camouflage.  It took several minutes for him to get a drink and when he asked for the change from his $50, the bartender kind of tossed it at him.  Some other patron barked when he went outside for a smoke that his money disappeared from the bar when he took a leak.  When he inquired about it to the bartender, she had no idea what he was talking about.  This patron went back in to find Poppy and left.

Several other patrons who arrived at about 12:20 am left at about 12:45 am.  I guess they weren’t feeling the love or the Halloween spirit either.  One of the patrons on exiting kicked the butt pale, full of cigarette butts, spit and other slime into the parking lot shouting "happy fucking Halloween".

A regular, in her hospital scrubs coming from work at a major Jewish Hospital commented on how lame this party seemed and how ‘uptight’ Jimena’s folks were around some of the regulars and the dregulars.  I told her I noticed.  She didn't stay long either.  

I bid farewell to all who would acknowledge my existence and left.

I have some Guiness at home and fine pipe tobacco.  I enjoyed myself in my house.

RJ