The Younger Years, 2 of 3

I loved bartending. I did it for two years. I graduated from beauty school and decided to remain a bartender instead of doing nails.

Bartending was cool. I began dating the man who owned the bar. But not until he sold the bar to a wacko woman, whom I did like after getting to know.

She did some crazy things. One day I paid the Bud man out of the register and she made me get money from the office and put it back in the register, exactly how I had taken it out. Meaning the exact number of 20's, 10's, 5's....You get the point. She said it was bad luck to pay out of the register.

She would not turn on the a/c to save money. Customers complained and she told me I was the one who wanted the air on because I was fat! From brain to mouth and out, without thinking or caring about other's feelings. That was the way Susie was.
I got used to it. I was the best bartender she had. And she loved me. Even bought me jewelry. Wanted to hang with me when I came in after my shifts.

Oh, and the bartender who I thought was such a bitch when I started? She became my best friend for years to come. I still love her and we are like sisters. She moved away, had a family. Robin!

Robin and I did a lot of bar hopping in those days. Sometimes we brought along the man I was dating. One day the bar was closed and she and I stayed inside all day and danced, drank and just had a ball. Nobody but us.

We had a whole group of friends who hung out at the bar. One night while I was working, Robin, trying to get some guy off her back, put a tampax in her mouth and asked him for a light. The whole bar erupted in laughter, except the guy, who left. It was funny because she did it like Groucho Marx. And, it was not open! It was funny because men are so weird about women's personal products! Most are embarrassed to buy them. What do they think? The checker is going to think the products are for them? Strange.

Anyhow, I dated the old owner of the bar for a year. One night a man and woman came in and took a table. I asked a question and the man gave me his business card. The couple were just friends and nursed two beers for a long time.

A couple nights later the man came back. This time alone. He asked me out. I thought he was so funny and wanted to go out with him. So, I told the boyfriend that I wanted to date this man I had met. Done. We broke up.