Damn Leonard! What the hell was he doing here. No one called him over. The veteran boozer invited himself to our table, speaking in some Twin Peakian language. He made no sense, rambling on about war, police states, and government corruption. His breath stank of a concoction of Pall Mall’s and liquor. Spit flew from his mouth as he shouted. It was repulsive. Jenny asked him to leave, so he stood at attention, as he once did when a young soldier, and saluted us. “About-face!” he yelled, pivoted 360 degrees, and marched off towards the bar.
I wondered why Dane insisted on coming to this dump. The damn dive seemed more like a circus, with a bizarre cast of characters on par with Leonard running loose—lost, confused, stoned, drunk, tattooed from head to toe. The gritty decour of nude women with pierced nipples and devil horns must have been what kept the Leonards coming. It was free jukebox night, and the local punk and metal music slammed against our eardrums, song after song. We came for the $2 PBR specials. Who was paying? The hell if I know. We were all broke. I had $11 to my name, enough for me. If I paced myself and not guzzle like I had been lately, I might be just fine. But I wasn’t paying for my friends, not this time.
Willie Nelson had just completed his first season of Wilderness, a Lost type reality show based in Austin. It was the show everyone was talking about. The television blasted the introduction’s theme, a montage of the city’s downtown district, played to an original piece by the outlaw himself. Austin was growing at an insane speed, and Willie was creating what many believed would be his masterpiece, a manifesto disguised in reality television. I had trouble paying attention. The baby at the booth distracted me. I didn’t know they let babies in, but Austinites take extreme pride in its weirdness. He munched on what resembled a chicken leg. Something seemed odd with this picture, as his mom held him up to the table, encouraging him to eat more. The days of Gerber were being replaced with Church’s Chicken.
What was Willie trying to say about Austin? I pondered this as I glanced back to the television at sketches of new high rises to come. Dane was high again. Or drunk? These days we couldn’t tell—in this bar, it was impossible. He resented Jenny after she refused to rent her spare room to him. The location was near the University of Texas, hidden amidst the fraternity jungles. Later she asked if I’d move in. I never cared for the partying and hazing. Dane yelled for another round. Are you paying? I thought.
The conversations are mundane attempts at being somebody. I forget them once we carry on. Jenny smiles at me. It’s then I realize how stunning she is. I glimpse at her blazing lips as she speaks. With the sixth beer, I’m incited to flirt, and consider whether I should accept her room offer. This madhouse inflicts such thoughts. Where’s Leonard when I need him?
