It's like this
Cheers ring out and hands rise around you
Regular hands
from old-school faces
that have surfaced only for this send-off
Playoffs, secrets, long winded diatribes and 4:00 AM dance parties flash by
Your Van Halen "Jump" off the pool table
Roque Versus Conners
And H's birthday requests for Zeoli Versus Roque
Thanks to you, I was "Curse free in 2003"
And every birthday after that
Started a jeans fund
A cancer fund
A growth of friends
Or is it family?
Together, we've jotted out questions, pondered the meaning of life
And fallen in love over late night darts
Sang good songs
bad songs
You know we've had our share
We've poured a sea of beer for an unending flow of Massholes
(A term so shiny with love)
We've gone hoarse from chanting, "Excuse me please"
Plates held high
Shorts worn short
All of it has undulated
morphed
changed with the lack of seasons
Customers have cracked the code
Gone from patrons to regulars
From regulars to staff
Flexed the inner circle
And now
The Scheduler
The Glue
Crumples behind me
As you pull me in for a hug
"All right, see you later."
Your regular exit phrase I've come to expect
And Girl Friday (Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and most other days) falls into you
You hug her
And back out fast
They cheer again
hands raised
and our eyes burn as you bound the stairs
towards the car
Towards the airport
"Can I still order food?" A tall woman I've never seen before asks
And like that,
I take a deep breath
swallow the softball in my throat and reply
"Sure. What would you like?"
I don't even want to write a question. This post is all about a statement. But it's a game of questions, so here goes.
Last night marked the end of an era. J is sellng the pub and our hearts are heavy. How have you experienced the end of an era and how did it change you?
xoxo,
Suzanne
About Me
- Suzanne Casamento
- Author of Fingerprints, Choosing Tally, and All the Moments in Between. Tweet me @suzannecasamento
Beautifully written Suzanne. I remember being upset when my parents moved out of the house that I grew up in, but then the next time I went home, to the new home, everything was fine. It wasn't the physical house that made home home, it was my family. The pub wasn't just a bar, it was a home away from home with lots of friends who were like family. I will take lots and lots of memories with me, most good, some sad, but all special.
ReplyDeleteThat's beautiful, Suzanne.
ReplyDeleteYes, a couple times but the one that comes to mind (appropriately enough) was when I left the pub in '01 to move to GA. Having been there from the very beginning, it was hard leaving somthing behind that I felt so connected to knowing that it would never be that way again.
I’m experiencing the end of an era now in my life but perhaps of different character than yours. Feeling a stroke of melancholy at heart, although this ending more fills my heart with renewed hope and my steps are lighter. It’s time for a change now. It also makes me feel a little older …and more humbled by life.
ReplyDeleteWOW! Too bad Jimmie is selling something that has grown into an LA staple....I think all of us deal with end of era, chapters, etc. It is how we react to them, that determines our character..
ReplyDeleteWell written Suzie. So well written that it put me back in that place. When an ache seemed to have taken up residency in my chest. Ugh. It's safe to say I don't deal with the "end of an era" well. I'm horrible at it. I need time to adjust during which I'm a mess.
ReplyDeleteThe pub was definitely a special place. Maybe it still will be. I believe there is something brewing out there for you. The end of this chapter will undoubtedly bridge into another of wonderful phase in your life. It hurts in the now though. No doubt about that.
Ends of eras always mark the beginnings of eras.
ReplyDeleteThat is what makes life so exciting.
Perhaps nerve wracking at the time, but then that is how it goes. Look forward to the unknown. The past WAS the unknown and look how you wrote about that!
Sometimes change is good - sometimes bad - but we will all ride this wave together and come out on the other side... the most important thing is that we all stay the same.
ReplyDelete