The Cannabis Diaries

Thursday, June 23, 2005

altitudinous thats right, altitudinous, look it up

There wasn’t enough light to confirm but the bar felt moldy. There were two long haired people in sweatshirts with the sleeves rolled up necking in the hall that led into the bathrooms. There was a party of eight softball teammates with five trophy girlfriends between them. Looking into the mirror behind the bar, Nick saw Ferguson walk in the door. He was sick of this bar and was glad to finally get to work. He finished his drink, a White Russian. He kept staring at the mirror behind the bar while talking to Andy.
“You ready?”
“Yeah, eashy pickins from what I’ve overhhheard” Andy said grinning.
Nick hoped Andy wasn’t as drunk as he sounded. He scanned the bar to size up everyone’s location. He spotted the waitress blowing her nose just before she picked up an order of cheese sticks. Nick got up and went to the jukebox, then the mens room. It was foul, but not any worse than he’d expected He pulled a pad of post-it notes and pen from his jacket pocket. He wrote down the code.

James Gang/Funk #49

*

Kool and the Gang/Jungle Boogie

He stuck the note on the back of the commode, and returned to his stool. Soon after, Funk #49 was finishing. He raised his voice and said to Andy
“Hey, You remember when the Brady Bunch had them chink, and nigger kids staying with them?”
His voice traveled over the jukebox which had just started playing Jungle Boogie.
Andy’s reaction was slowed by alcohol. He grinned and before he could respond they both heard objections from the adjacent table.
“I don’t appreciate the language pal” asserted a tall lanky fellow in a flannel shirt one size too small. The shirt looked as if it were small because it would be too hard to find one that fit his large proportions. Still, he wasn’t particularly muscular; Nick proceeded.
“Sorry I thought you eavesdropping faggots were racists too!”
Andy bit his lip to keep from laughing. A shorter more muscular man with a buzz cut stood up next to his altitudinous friend.
“Hey asshole, if you’ve got a problem just say so.”
Nick grasped Andy’s beer by the neck and broke the bottom of the bottle off in one fluid movement. His expression was all business. He took two steps towards the gentleman with closely cropped locks and held the make-shift weapon aloft.
“So…..”
There was no reaction from Buzz Cut. He pointed the bottle to the taller of the would be combatants.
“How bout you Abe Lincoln?”
Just then, Nick felt the welcome grasp of a bouncer’s hand on the back of his neck. He looked to his left and saw that this particular bouncer was primarily a cook. Still, he looked an apt bouncer.Nick called out loud “Do you even know who I am!?!? I’m the seventh king’s servant! Woo-Coo-Coo!!!” He flapped his arms as he was assisted to the door.
Andy laughed.
Minutes later Andy and Nick had picked themselves up from the sidewalk and were two doors down when Ferguson came around the side of the strip mall.
“I got six wallets, but I couldn’t get into the ‘chick in the green shirt’s purse so I took the whole purse. They’re going to be onto us soon. We better boogie.”
The three of them retrieved their bikes from behind a dumpster.

3 Comments:

At 5:13 AM, Blogger Rae Ann said...

mmmm, White Russians

Love Funk 49, but Jungle Boogie gives me the creeps for some reason.

Abe Lincoln, LOL.

I must not be a lady if I'm here. Oh well.

 
At 9:51 AM, Blogger Kat said...

Altitudinous. I like that.

 
At 5:08 PM, Blogger ghartstein said...

Turn to sto...o...one...bum bum bum bum bum etc...fucking great song man, love Joe Walsh!

Well written Nick. Vivid descriptions! I could picture the characters and the bar...in fact the bar sounds oh so familiar! Great twist at the end...Nice job!

 

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