Fare Well, Primo
2005-03-01 4:48 a.m.
Phew... First happy drunken post in quite some time... Enjoy!-----------------------------
So I haven�t done �tonight� in quite some time. It�s one of those things I haven�t gotten here much�
The opportunity to get someone completely obliterated.
Now, I do it to myself quite often, because I�m a fuckin drunk, but the opportunity to get somebody I trust and care for to that point is a rare experience. Everybody�s too cool for that shit here. And well... if you know me, you know I care for just about everyone I�ve spent more than 20 minutes with one on one, but that makes the love no less�
This cat I met through the design boards about a half a year ago happens to have the same last name as me. I�m no Smith, Johnson or Juarez by any stretch. I have a long, rare, Mexican last name. So to meet some miscellaneous person of the same bloodline is a rarity.
A couple months after we met, he�d come out here (unrelated), and we�ve been chillin for a few months. I�ve introduced him as my cousin since. We haven�t been able to trace the relation, but we figure it�s about 5 or 6 generations back.
So after about 3 months out here, he went back to Texas for a short trip that stretched to 3 months. The day he got back, we grabbed a drink ad he told me he�s getting married to his old best friend and moving back [tomorrow � well, today, now].
Tonight (this morning being the end of that night) was his last night in town. We went to Arlene�s Grocery which has karaoke on Monday night. Not any karaoke though� It�s a live rock band behind you on a stage. Not my everyday flavor, but it was dope, no � less. The guys playin backup rocked every joint to a T (as far as I could tell), and about 3/5 of the people who had the mic did pretty damned well.
So, I kept serving �primo� (cuz in Spanish), drink after drink. There was no moment he didn�t have a drink waiting for him. He got on stage with his sister a couple times, and his boys were there� One who�s been here 3 years and the other 6 months.
Once they closed shop for he night, I recommended a spot nearby. There was no stopping� Poor kid had a sip of a beer there and was DONE. I mean done like I haven�t seen in a WHIIILLLE. 3 visits to the bathroom in about 5 minutes. I walked him outside and sat with him for a bit�
Now I�ve been in this position hundreds of times. Especially in this one.. where it�s my fault this person is DONE. So I grabbed him some water, some gum, some napkins and conjured him to shove his finger down his throat. Pride don�t mean shit when the world is spinning in every damned direction.
I must admit. This was the most comfortable I�d been in a long time. I figure there might be an issue when the most comfortable you can be is taking care of an overtly drunken distant cousin, but that�s the facts and I�ll take happiness where I can get it.
I flipped his sister $25 so they could get back to the Bronx ok in a cab and made sure his window was open all the way before I flopped him in. This is why think I�ll enjoy running a bar. It�s not so much that I�m a drunk, but moreso that I enjoy the company of drunks so much. Especially when they�re �family�.
Fuck it� whatever... Best night I�ve had in a long time. Don�t get me wrong, I LOVE these cats out here, but there�s nothing like some immature, over-the-top drunkenness to make you feel at home again. The only other cat who�s been willing to cross all such barriers with me in the past few years is having liver problems now. I mean, nobody�s surprised, the motha fucker�s 40. But he was my patna in drunken crime. And now, I�m just a drunk with a lot of invitations in my last month and a half here (I�ll be �home� in 2 weeks).
So� well, I�ve been so mentally twisted lately, that honesty has been a bit of a chore.. (as in � it�s hard to be honest with one�s self when there�s so many clouds lingering) - some happy drunken personal notes for when I�m sober�
NS� I�m not apologizing for my drunkenness (that would be blasphemy)� I�m glad you got my birthday wishes. I�m sure [hope] we�ll get a chance to chill again soon. I think of you every time I see �Once Upon a Time in Mexico� (which is on cable now, so you�ve been in my thoughts quite a bit ). S� the most intriguing conversation I�ve had in some time, and I could read your writing every day of my life sans disinterest� Looking forward to LOTS more very soon (I�m getting tired of typing all my BS). AK, I hope you got back form Ohio OK. I know first hand being stranded in Ohio is pretty fucking bad. You�re sorely missed and I REALLY hope we can spend some time before I leave NY. GG. Welcome to my world� I finally started reading MY copy (slowly). I miss you and I think we should have a drink soon. AA. Have a safe trip home, primo� Think of me when you wake up butt nekid on the bathroom floor in a puddle of� well.. you know. T. I love you and I wish I could�ve been �the one� you were looking for. Unfortunately I�m just some arrogant drunken bum from Chicago with a lot of shit goin on and too much shit to say about it. G, you BETTER not get that bitch pregnant before we go to LA. If you do, it�s a motha fuckin mouth shot. And I�m gettin the kid high when s/he�s 14. And E� you�re incredibly beautiful and absolutely amazing, but highly volatile. Would never work, but it coulda been fun for a week or two, as had been thus far.
Ahhhh� a bit of clarity amongst the clouds. That�s for a very select few who mean very much to me for the moment. Not that the unmentioned don�t� but I�ll gladly lift 4 lbs off the 3 tons on my shoulder for the moment.
Sweet dreams�