[just_muse_me] 25.6.2 - Drunk Boys Will Be Drunk Boys
(Holy crap! He wrote a prompt!)
"Drunkenness is temporary suicide." ~Bertrand Russell
It was a pretty good night at Sammy’s, Larry’s bar. Good night meaning a decent sized crowd having a good time. That mattered to him, both as owner and in general. Scotty was behind the bar serving up drinks, and the speakers were quietly playing some Clapton. Larry himself had just gotten up from the piano to join Scotty behind the bar. Unfortunately, it was rare to have both Zoe and Scotty working at the same time, because someone always had to stay home with the kid. There were times, though, that Larry let the two go in together and he stayed home to baby-sit.
The environment didn’t change until later in the evening. There were two locals at the bar, some of the guys that just came in to sit around and bullshit while they drank. They weren’t necessarily there for the environment or the music. An argument broke out between the two men, and after a short bit got louder. And louder.
Scotty leaned across the bar to them. “C’mon guys, calm down. Whole bar can hear you.” The men didn’t hear him, or if they did they didn’t pay him any attention. They kept arguing and one shoved the other. “Whoa, whoa! Not in here,” Scotty snapped, grabbing the nearby glasses and pulling them to safety. “If you’re gonna fight, take it outside.”
In an instant the men were on their feet, ready to scuffle. In the next instant, Scotty had launched himself over the bar to break them up. Larry had been keeping a close eye nearby, and when Scotty moved he did too. They both grabbed either man, and another bar employee, Logan, jumped in the middle. His hands were splayed to each man’s chest.
“No,” Larry said sharply. He was glaring and pissed. “You’re not doing this in my bar. Either relax or get the hell out and don’t come back.”
“This sonuvabitch-” one started.
“I don’t care! “
“Fine, fine..we’re good.” The man Scotty was gripping to spoke up and held his hands in the air. “We good Dan?”
The other man glared, but eased back and nodded. “Yeah. We’re fine.”
No one let them go for a moment as they assessed the scene still. “You sure?” Scotty asked.
“Yeah, sure.” They both nodded.
“Alright, once more and you’re outta here,” Scotty replied. “And I’ll call the cops.
“We got it,” Dan said, taking a step back.
Both men were released, and Logan turned to go back to what he’d been doing. Scotty started walking back around the bar, still keeping an eye on the men. Larry didn’t move away, he was just waiting for them to sit and be calm.
Greg, the other man, took a seat down the bar. Larry sighed and walked off. Dan threw some bills on the counter and started to leave, but on his way out he purposely ran into Greg. His shoulder slammed into the other man with enough force to send him and his barstool flying. Everyone turned to look.
“That’s it! Out!” Larry moved over to show Dan the way out. “Don’t think about coming-”
“Larry…” Scotty’s voice came from several feet away. Larry turned and saw Scotty kneeling down at Greg’s side. Scotty glanced up at Larry, there was blood on his hands.
“He’s not moving.” Scotty looked back down at the man. He was sprawled on the floor, one arm at an awkward, broken angle. “I-I don’t think he’s conscious.”
Logan was already yanking his cell phone out of his pocket and calling 911. Larry ran over and dropped down, reaching to check the man’s pulse. It was slow and weak. “Shit,” Larry muttered. He glanced up to Dan, but the man had already fled. He jumped up and ran out the door in hopes of catching him, but as he looked up and down the sidewalk he didn’t see anyone.
He turned to go back inside. The other customers had stopped everything and were now watching the scene. Logan was now beside Scotty as they discussed what to do until the ambulance got there.
“They said not to move him,” Logan said.
Scotty shook his head and glanced around. “What the hell did he hit?” Logan shrugged to him. Larry moved over to the two and crouched down, before glancing around the bar.
“Keep everyone here, okay? The cops are going to need witnesses. I want to press charges on that bastard for making a scene like this here.”
Before much longer, sirens came screaming down the road. Larry went to open the door and he saw the ambulance coming to stop, a patrol car not far behind. “He’s over here,” Larry said, nodding to the floor.
The medics went over and pulled Greg onto a stretcher carefully, checking for a pulse and such. They got him up and carried him outside to put him in the back of their ambulance. As the doors were slammed shut, an officer walked over.
“You the owner?”
“Yeah,” Larry nodded. His heart was racing and his breath was coming in gulps. This kind of thing wasn’t supposed to happen at his bar.
“Let’s go inside and talk. This started with a fight?”
Larry nodded again. “Yeah…yeah..” It took him a moment to snap out of it, but then he led the officer back inside the bar. It was more than an hour of questions and giving statements before the customers could leave, then the three men that worked there had their turn. They were there all night.
When the officers were content with what they had, Larry convinced Scotty to go home to his family, then he went to the hospital with Logan to check for any updates. The two men found their way to the front desk in the emergency room, and Larry explained what had happened and who they were.
The nurse grabbed a clipboard and flipped through it, then paused for altogether too long. She glanced up with a stall. “I’m sorry…the patient didn’t make it.”
Color drained from Larry’s face and he felt wobbly on his feet. “…what?”
“I’m sorry. “
“Did…did he have family?” Logan asked softly.
She glanced at the clipboard again and nodded. She looked up. “No one local, but they have been notified and are on their way in to identify the body. Otherwise, the officers said nothing is being released publicly.”
Larry nodded absently. “Right…thanks…” He turned slowly and started for the doors. Logan was at his side, glancing to him nervously.
“This was just a terrible, freak accident,” he told Larry.
Larry nodded again and they got outside in the fresh air. He pulled his coat around himself tighter. “In my bar.”
1119
"Drunkenness is temporary suicide." ~Bertrand Russell
It was a pretty good night at Sammy’s, Larry’s bar. Good night meaning a decent sized crowd having a good time. That mattered to him, both as owner and in general. Scotty was behind the bar serving up drinks, and the speakers were quietly playing some Clapton. Larry himself had just gotten up from the piano to join Scotty behind the bar. Unfortunately, it was rare to have both Zoe and Scotty working at the same time, because someone always had to stay home with the kid. There were times, though, that Larry let the two go in together and he stayed home to baby-sit.
The environment didn’t change until later in the evening. There were two locals at the bar, some of the guys that just came in to sit around and bullshit while they drank. They weren’t necessarily there for the environment or the music. An argument broke out between the two men, and after a short bit got louder. And louder.
Scotty leaned across the bar to them. “C’mon guys, calm down. Whole bar can hear you.” The men didn’t hear him, or if they did they didn’t pay him any attention. They kept arguing and one shoved the other. “Whoa, whoa! Not in here,” Scotty snapped, grabbing the nearby glasses and pulling them to safety. “If you’re gonna fight, take it outside.”
In an instant the men were on their feet, ready to scuffle. In the next instant, Scotty had launched himself over the bar to break them up. Larry had been keeping a close eye nearby, and when Scotty moved he did too. They both grabbed either man, and another bar employee, Logan, jumped in the middle. His hands were splayed to each man’s chest.
“No,” Larry said sharply. He was glaring and pissed. “You’re not doing this in my bar. Either relax or get the hell out and don’t come back.”
“This sonuvabitch-” one started.
“I don’t care! “
“Fine, fine..we’re good.” The man Scotty was gripping to spoke up and held his hands in the air. “We good Dan?”
The other man glared, but eased back and nodded. “Yeah. We’re fine.”
No one let them go for a moment as they assessed the scene still. “You sure?” Scotty asked.
“Yeah, sure.” They both nodded.
“Alright, once more and you’re outta here,” Scotty replied. “And I’ll call the cops.
“We got it,” Dan said, taking a step back.
Both men were released, and Logan turned to go back to what he’d been doing. Scotty started walking back around the bar, still keeping an eye on the men. Larry didn’t move away, he was just waiting for them to sit and be calm.
Greg, the other man, took a seat down the bar. Larry sighed and walked off. Dan threw some bills on the counter and started to leave, but on his way out he purposely ran into Greg. His shoulder slammed into the other man with enough force to send him and his barstool flying. Everyone turned to look.
“That’s it! Out!” Larry moved over to show Dan the way out. “Don’t think about coming-”
“Larry…” Scotty’s voice came from several feet away. Larry turned and saw Scotty kneeling down at Greg’s side. Scotty glanced up at Larry, there was blood on his hands.
“He’s not moving.” Scotty looked back down at the man. He was sprawled on the floor, one arm at an awkward, broken angle. “I-I don’t think he’s conscious.”
Logan was already yanking his cell phone out of his pocket and calling 911. Larry ran over and dropped down, reaching to check the man’s pulse. It was slow and weak. “Shit,” Larry muttered. He glanced up to Dan, but the man had already fled. He jumped up and ran out the door in hopes of catching him, but as he looked up and down the sidewalk he didn’t see anyone.
He turned to go back inside. The other customers had stopped everything and were now watching the scene. Logan was now beside Scotty as they discussed what to do until the ambulance got there.
“They said not to move him,” Logan said.
Scotty shook his head and glanced around. “What the hell did he hit?” Logan shrugged to him. Larry moved over to the two and crouched down, before glancing around the bar.
“Keep everyone here, okay? The cops are going to need witnesses. I want to press charges on that bastard for making a scene like this here.”
Before much longer, sirens came screaming down the road. Larry went to open the door and he saw the ambulance coming to stop, a patrol car not far behind. “He’s over here,” Larry said, nodding to the floor.
The medics went over and pulled Greg onto a stretcher carefully, checking for a pulse and such. They got him up and carried him outside to put him in the back of their ambulance. As the doors were slammed shut, an officer walked over.
“You the owner?”
“Yeah,” Larry nodded. His heart was racing and his breath was coming in gulps. This kind of thing wasn’t supposed to happen at his bar.
“Let’s go inside and talk. This started with a fight?”
Larry nodded again. “Yeah…yeah..” It took him a moment to snap out of it, but then he led the officer back inside the bar. It was more than an hour of questions and giving statements before the customers could leave, then the three men that worked there had their turn. They were there all night.
When the officers were content with what they had, Larry convinced Scotty to go home to his family, then he went to the hospital with Logan to check for any updates. The two men found their way to the front desk in the emergency room, and Larry explained what had happened and who they were.
The nurse grabbed a clipboard and flipped through it, then paused for altogether too long. She glanced up with a stall. “I’m sorry…the patient didn’t make it.”
Color drained from Larry’s face and he felt wobbly on his feet. “…what?”
“I’m sorry. “
“Did…did he have family?” Logan asked softly.
She glanced at the clipboard again and nodded. She looked up. “No one local, but they have been notified and are on their way in to identify the body. Otherwise, the officers said nothing is being released publicly.”
Larry nodded absently. “Right…thanks…” He turned slowly and started for the doors. Logan was at his side, glancing to him nervously.
“This was just a terrible, freak accident,” he told Larry.
Larry nodded again and they got outside in the fresh air. He pulled his coat around himself tighter. “In my bar.”
1119