Betting on the Muse by Charles Bukowski

Author:Charles Bukowski [Bukowski, Charles]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Tags: antique
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The barkeep walked down to Harry, stood there.

“You al right?” he asked Harry.

“Yes.”

“You had a fight with your woman?”

“Not real y.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.”

“I got to tel you something, mister. We don’t like unhappy people around here. We get along.”

“I’m not unhappy.”

“Then what is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you don’t seem to be a friendly fel ow.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to give that impression.”

“We get along here. We al know each other.”

“How about another drink?”

The barkeep waddled off, came back with the bottle: “You know, we don’t want trouble here. We’re al peaceful people.”

“O.K.,” said Harry, “only this time don’t add so much water.”

“O.K.,” said the barkeep, “by the way, what do you do?”

“What do I do? Right now, I’m drinking.”

The barkeep leaned back a little from the bar.

“HEY FELLOWS!” he yel ed.

Al the white t-shirts looked toward them, plus the big jacket.

“I asked this gentleman what he did and you know what he told me? He said he drank! ”

One of the white t-shirts applauded. The others joined in.

“Al right!” one of them yel ed, “He’s one of us!”

The barkeep leaned toward Harry: “You play pool?”

“No, I was never any good at pool.”

The bartender leaned closer. His bel y was almost crawling across the bar and into Harry’s drink.

“What’re you good at?”

Harry laughed. “Wel , hel , I guess I just don’t excel at anything.”

The bartender leaned closer: “Where you from? Newark? Kansas City?”

“Santa Fe.”

“Wow! Santa Fe!”

The barkeep leaned back and raised his walrus head: “HEY YOU GUYS, THIS GUY IS FROM SANTA FUCK!”

The fel ows didn’t seem to pay so much attention to that.

The barkeep leaned forward again. “How come you came to this bar tonight?”

“No real reason. Give me a refil .”

The barkeep poured it right into the glass, forgetting the water.

Harry drained the glass.

“O.K., I had a fight with my woman.”

“You told me earlier that you didn’t have a fight with your woman.”

“I said, ‘not real y.’”

“What’s that mean?”

“I mean, not real y.”

“So you just came in here because there was nowhere else to go?”

“I’m not knocking your place. I just didn’t feel like going right home tonight.”

Then the barkeep leaned back and stood there. He didn’t look at Harry. He appeared to be looking at some place over Harry’s head and to the

left. He seemed to be in a reverie.

Then he leaned forward, leaned against the wood and looked at Harry.

“You been in the service?”

With that question it seemed as if the entire bar became very quiet.

“You mean the armed forces?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Everybody here’s been in the service. Except for Pee Wee. He was too smal .”

Harry didn’t answer.

The barkeep reared back and looked at the same spot over Harry’s head. Then he leaned forward again.

“How come you didn’t go?”

“I don’t know. I guess I fel somewhere between Korea and Vietnam. I was never the proper age. Besides, what does it matter?”

The barkeep’s stomach left the wood and he stood almost straight.

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