In the name of Captain Bitch

In the Name Of Captain Bitch….

First off I will preface this entry with letting everybody know I’m at least two entries down about other events in Southern California.   So just wait.  Since I’ve been back there has been whining about advertising by some bartenders.  No problem!  That’s handled by Poppy J who has to give the word on all things that go on in his establishment.

St. Patrick’s Day and the following Sunday had good attendance and the facebook crowd is expanding according to Poppy J, to about 150 members.  People want to know what is going on in the place we like to socialize in.  Poppy J is thinking about appealing to more folks who live under the Rainbow sign because he sees attitudes are changing (same freaks, more freakiness).  So much for that!

The pool team has always had a problem getting from practice to performance and from petty bullshit to professionalism.  Yaega Lee has always been Captain and we have endured as a team.  To her credit she tries to make sure we have an establishment that presents itself as a good place to drink as much to shoot pool.  

Although even with my purchasing the ultimate handbook on billiards for the team members and working to get an enduring adult team spirit and improve our shooting as a team…well, it just doesn’t happen.

Sometimes we look great as a team, but in the end it’s the same silly shit.  One thing about life I find true is that it’s always time for change whether it’s made by man, God, evil, circumstance or us.  

Yaega Lee, like most of us has endured much, life problems, life changes, death of loved ones and the ongoing fight to live the Long Island life that the past has given us and disasters have beat upon.  Yaega Lee takes pride in being, as she calls herself…’Captain Bitch.’

It was at ‘On The Rock’s’ now called something else (Chasers I think) at the old location on Main Street not far from Bay Park that the Pool Team was shooting.  I told Yaega if I showed up I would be late.  

Yaega asked me to call her when I got out of the meeting.  I did.  Yaega wanted me to shoot in the third set so I showed up.  It was 9:45 pm.

The atmosphere sucked.  But the shooters where a young crowd, just turned 21 and they looked like they were all still partying from St. Patrick’s Day weekend.  The Bartender was a young lady, new to the job, but nice.  As I eyed the crowd the kids were not bad, but there were attitudes and dirty looks.  Why?  Mickey is the Captain of the home Team at ‘On The Rocks’ now something else.  Mickey is handling a team that looks a little shell shocked. 

Why?

I took for granted that 20 something’s could feel like they were shooting against their elders.  Arf was glad to see me as he sat in the middle of the other teams shooters (why?) and greeted me with a smile and a shout pronouncing ‘the closer is here’.  “RJ, we need some tunes to smooth the mood, help us out.”  I said, “no problem Arf.”  I got to the juke box, noticing the stares and Mickey asked, “what kind of music you gonna play on ‘our’ jukebox?”

It was then I realized something else is going on here.  “I have no idea, when I get to the box I’ll let it tell me what it wants to hear.”  The crowd laughed as I started my play list with ‘Trouble Man’ by Marvin Gaye.  Mickey asked me to play some Pantera.  I didn't.

 

After I walked away from the jukebox I asked ERL, “what the fuck is going on in here?”  Just then Yaega said something to I’Rish who was working his last three shots, fighting off the aggravation from Yaega’s comment he scratched on the 8 ball…again (he did this in all three games he shot).  

Yaega got aggravated, I’Rish said he would be back and walked out the door for air. As I looked for ERL to find out what the fuck was going on, a shout… “RJ GET YOUR ASS TO THE FUCKING TABLE”.

I stood still looking straight into Yaega’s nice new fixed face and said, “What?”  Yaega snapped. “I SAID GET YOUR ASS TO THE TABLE AND SHOOT”.  I looked at her and pointed to the pool table which I was standing next to.  I fought off the desire to respond with outrageous profanity and belittling belligerence, this stressed me.  I came to enjoy myself.

I now felt totally uneasy, I shot the game which I lost because I was uneasy, I could not get comfortable because something else was going on and I had no idea what the hell I walked into.

I went to ERL to find out what’s going on.  ERL said “I’ll tell you later on the way back to our place RJ, apparently things got nasty and rough.”  ERL walked away from me to respond to I’Rish who called him over to the shooting sheet which Yaega guards like a rabid pit bull over a piece of raw meat.  I’Rish was shooting doubles in two games.  

I was nowhere on the sheet. Yaega said “I forgot you were here RJ.” Dementia or sarcasm, in either case that response didn't help my mood.

I then wondered, what the hell am I doing here?  I then broke down my stick and was about to leave but ERL said they (he and Arf) needed a ride.  Before I could go to Arf and ask anything, he came to me asking not for a ride, but a question.  

Arf asked me “did you know that sometime in the first set Yaega Lee slapped the shit out of Mickey?”  I said “NO", realizing that there was more to this and ERL was trying to keep a lid on something….and the lid was going to blow.”

ERL was walking back to the bar when I asked him to let me know “everything right now.”  According to ERL, “Mickey and Yaega had a discussion, Yaega didn’t like Mickey’s tone and slapped him hard, it sounded like a gunshot and kind of staggered Mickey (who is apparently kind of stocky).  Mickey called Yaega a ‘cunt’ for which she was about to slap his ass again but I got things calm” said ERL.

“Did Mickey hit Yaega Lee back?” I had to ask ERL because the rest of the night really hinged on this answer.  As it stood there was a possibility that both teams could be kicked out of the Pool League.  ERL looked me in the eye and said “NO, …RJ if he had hit Yaega Lee we wouldn’t be shooting pool right now, Mickey is a good kid and I got things calmed down with the other team, Yaega is another matter.”

As Arf got everybody in the bar talking, the mood which was tense but now tolerable in the little old dive, turned like Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde.  

Yaega Lee, who was unusually bitchy (she loves being Captain Bitch) had gone outside the team for her resolution to a matter which was handled from the outset and could have been dealt with in detail after the match.  As the third set started, enter Mr. Clean (Yaega’s man).

Yaega’s manfriend had showed up and inside ten seconds there was shouting, Mr. Clean was out of his coat, woof cookies (I’ll kick your ass…yeah in what lifetime?) were being tossed, about 8 people went out the door, Mr. Clean first followed by Yaega, yapping away, then by the owner Ray, who was holding on to Mickey along with two of his team members including Dan (shooting for Chasers) who was celebrating his birthday, also Arf and ERL.

I knew it was serendipity I didn’t leave ERL and Arf and go home when I broke down my stick.  The rest of their team and the girls at the bar where debating on going out to help.  I quickly called everyone else who didn’t go out the door to join me around the bar for a drink.  ERL had magically reappeared at the bar, I looked at him as he threw his hands in the air then grabbed the shooting sheet.

I had shots with half my team and three members of the other and clearly declared to all who could hear me, “we really like you guys, we are not like this, now let’s get ourselves together and have some fun.” By that time Ray had come back in and with his arms around Mickey and Dan.  ERL said to me, “RJ we need you to shoot for Yaega Lee.”  “Why, did she have a change of heart ERL?” 

ERL said, “No, Ray threw Yaega and Mr. Clean out of his bar, we got this RJ.”  I went and got my stick.  The mood in the bar lifted like a dense fog and felt like a summer day.  Everybody was talking to everybody, laughing, back slapping, handshakes and hugs were going all around as was shots celebrating Dan’s birthday. 

The night ended with a grudge game between Arf and Mickey where if you missed a shot you had to take a shot.  Arf won.  By the way, our ‘Pool Team won.’  We really took the time to get calm and relax.  I took ERL and Arf back to Game On to let Poppy J know what happened and to have a team shot as usual.  It was 1:00 pm, Game On was closed, that was unusual.  

I took Arf into Queens and ERL home.  I thought about how the Game On Pool Team shot for each other and ignominiously won this match…in the name of Captain Bitch!

I had my me shot when I got home.

RJ