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We had stopped for a drink at a bar in downtown Chicago.  It was a trendy place and nearly empty.  A newer trend must have been around the corner somewhere.  We ordered a couple of beers.

“I think I could get use to ordering from her.”

“The trouble is, beyond a smile to get a tip, I don’t think she’d give either of us the time of day.”

“How come you always notice that, and I don’t?”

“Because you like a challenge.”

We decided to order our second one elsewhere.  It was midnight.  Downtown Chicago was mostly deserted that Monday evening, but it didn’t matter none.  A city is as good as a deserted place when it comes to talking freely.

“I like visiting, but I couldn’t live here.”

“I think I could.  At least for a year, through all the seasons.  I would like to see winter here.  Lonely, I would think, Chicago in the winter.”

Beneath the tracks of the El, a green, neon sign stuck out from the side of a building.  “Miller’s Pub,” it said.

“Let’s try that.  It looks like a winner.”

Stepping inside, noise warmly echoed off the wood paneling of the place.  The bar stretched long and full.  Two seats were open at the far corner, and we passed the booths along the sides to claim them.

“Kitchen open?”

“You bet, let me grab some menus.”

Up to now, supper had been a bag of peanuts at the game.  Miller’s claimed to be known for their ribs.  I wasn’t in the mood to argue.

Next to us was a couple decked out in their Cubs gear.  They were from San Francisco currently, but Chicago originally.  The wife was attractive and likeable enough.  I’d call her husband an ass, but to be fair her husband was drunk.  He was a drunken ass then.  He’d ask for your opinion, and then he would give it to you.  A generous, drunken ass then.

Next to them was another husband and wife.  He was drunk too.  I was sensing a pattern.  It could have been love that had done it, but my guess, after seeing him fall three feet off his stool, was that it was most likely alcohol.

As our food came, so did a taker for the last seat at the bar.  He exchanged a nod with the bartender, and on that basis alone the bartender brought over a pint, a tumbler, and a shot glass.

“How goes it tonight Daryl?”

“Not too bad, my man.  Lively crowd, huh?” he asked with a smoker’s laugh and a tip of the head to the husband who had recently reclaimed his stool.

“Yea, been like this all evening.”

We’d been talking with the San Fran Cubs fans about Chicago.

“My friend thinks he could live here.”

“Oh my God, we would love to live here again.  We love this town,” the wife said.

“Thing about it is that it is so clean with so many people,” said her husband.

“I particularly liked the time I visited San Francisco,” I told her.

“Christ, San Francisco is just dirty.  You can’t believe what you see on the streets of San Francisco.  We see them wash the filth off every morning,” he answered.  “But tell me what you like about Chicago.”

“Everybody living here together and hardly any less lonely for it, at least as near as I can tell.”

“And the fact that it is so clean.  I mean, am I right or am I right?”

Taking a sip of his beer, Daryl joined the conversation.

“Shit.”

“What was that?”

“I said, ‘Shit.’  I’ve been to San Francisco, friend, and San Francisco ain’t that dirty.  I was born and raised here in Chicago, and I can tell you son, Chicago ain’t that clean.”

Silence replaced the husband’s incessant talking, and as Daryl took another sip, I thought I saw him smile.

“Well honey, we are going to have to get up early to catch that flight back.”

“Yea, we better get going.  Nice chatting with you guys,” he said extending his hand to the two of us.  We shook it, and I gave him a little barbecue sauce with mine so he could enjoy it later.

On their way out the door, the bartender asked if we wanted another.

“Yea, and one for him too.”  I wasn’t going to leave Daryl out.

“Oh no, man.  I have these three and I am done.  It’s my thing, you know?”

“No, I insist…for starting a new conversation.”

“All right.  I didn’t mean to upset your friends.”

I smiled.  “They weren’t our friends.”

“The wife didn’t seem too bad, but that husband of hers was an asshole.”

“Our sentiments exactly.”

“I work around all types of people.  Always being polite and respectful.  Sometimes, though, it’s nice just to be honest.  Know what I’m telling you?”

“What do you do?”

“I manage an Applebee’s.  Just closed up.  Years ago I found this place thanks to a coworker when I used to work downtown.  Stop in here from time to time.  They treat me well.  They treat their customers well.  I like that.

You boys know this place too, huh?”

“Came in tonight because it had a light on.”

He let out a chuckle, that rolled its way over to us.  “At the game tonight?”  We nodded.  “Picked the right game to see, all them home runs going out.  Bet that place was electric.”

“It was his first time in Wrigley.”

“No shit?  Picked the right time to be a fan, my man.  Yes sir.  Some people have been waiting a long time for that.”

“He’s a Cardinals fan.”

“The hell you say.  I haven’t seen no Cardinals fan wearing a Cubs jacket before.”

“When in Rome…,” I said, and with that he smiled.  “Do you like what you do?”

“Honestly, I love what I do.  But I want it done right, you know?

Miss Kay is my boss.  First place I started for her at, they didn’t have a damn thing.  Half my help wouldn’t show up for work.  The other half, the other half didn’t show up at all.  They hadn’t had a real manger there in some time.  We were trying to build things from the ground up, you know?

It’s a strange thing, food service.  There’s two types of people in it.  There are those looking for a paycheck, and those that look at it as a career.  There was nobody in that second group where I started for Miss Kay at.

I called them all in, one by one, and said look, I ain’t here to judge you.  You got to do what you got to do.  I understand that.  But I need a level of service out of you.  Now, if you can’t provide that, I get it, and it ain’t nothing personal.  It’s just business, but the two of us are traveling in different directions.

On the other hand, if you are interested in that, then you’ve got a partner in me.  We can walk that path together, you and me.”

“How did that work for you?”

“Oh, you know.  There were people right up front with me, and we all agreed to go different directions.  Then there were other people who were interested for a few minutes.  Then the next thing came up, and they weren’t interested no more.  It was a struggle.

When my review came I headed into Miss Kay’s office, and I figured I was going to be out a job.

‘Daryl, I’ve been watching you.’

I said, ‘Yes, Miss Kay, and I’m here to tell you…’

‘If I asked you a favor, would you do it for me?’

I said, ‘I’d do anything for you Miss Kay.  Hell, you know that.’

‘Could I move you to a different location, 45 minutes away?’

‘If you’re going to stay with me, I’m going to stay with you, Miss Kay.’

Now that other store, they’d had a manager that gave a rat’s ass, and they had employees that did the same.  We’ve been rocking and rolling ever since.  I still can’t explain that though, why Miss Kay had faith in me.”

“Isn’t that baseball?”

A grin came over him.  “Yes it is, my man, that’s baseball.”

http://millerspub.com/