December 31, 2009
New Year’s Eve, Past and Present
My husband and I don’t go out on New Years Eve. Not since we had kids, I mean. He says it’s “a night for amateurs.” Also, all the crazies crawl out of the woodwork on NYE.
When my father was still in the bar business, he had a New Year’s Eve party every year. He bought a few cases of champagne and made sloppy joes and appetizers for his customers. He gave his regular bartenders the night off, and Doug and I would work the party so that everyone could have a good time.
Every year, people that did not regularly patronize our establishment crashed the party for the free food and champagne. One couple in particular comes to mind. I can’t remember their names, but we called them “The Toothless Wonders” because both husband and wife were missing several front teeth. Doug would joke that they must have gotten into a drunken brawl one night and knocked each other’s teeth out.
The NYE party was not the first time I had to wait on these people. In college I was a waitress at South Point, my aunt Kelly’s 24-hour diner, and this couple would come in for a cup of coffee and stay all night because we offered free refills. They never ordered anything else. They never left a tip. The Toothless Wonders were the epitome of freeloading.
On New Year’s Eve in 2003, the TWs came in right before the party was scheduled to begin. I think the man’s name might have been Dennis, and her name still evades me, but for the sake of this blog entry, we’ll call her Wanda. They secured two bar stools closest to the food table, and Dennis slammed a wad of singles on the bar. Wanda ordered two tappers of Miller and lit a Basic, full flavor cigarette.
“What’s on the menu tonight,” she asked. “Sandwiches or somethin’?”
“Barbecues,” I told her. “And there will be taco trays and cheese and sausage, too.”
“We didn’t eat all day for this,” Dennis told me.
I remember laughing to myself. I’m imagined they starved themselves all day just to make sure they’d get their fill that night. The couple was never dressed very nice. They seemed to wear the same clothes all the time. Dirty jeans, worn out shirts and sweaters, and worker’s boots, despite the fact that neither worked. They lived off SSI and food stamps, and I think Dennis was receiving disability, too.
They were usually very polite, that is until they had a couple beers and began shouting and rudely bumping into other customers on the way to the bathrooms. I didn’t dislike these people, I just found them to be kind of creepy.
On this particular night they were strangely quiet. Mostly because they were constantly refilling their plates and slamming Millers like shots of whiskey. Speaking of whiskey, Dennis decided after the midnight countdown he would like two shots of Kessler. I poured the shots and rang $5.50 into the register.
“Five-fifty!” He yelled. “I’ve been robbed!”‘
I worked throughout the night, tending bar, refilling the food trays and making sure everyone was having a good time. As I was emptying ashtrays into the garbage can, I turned around to see Dennis and Wanda making out by the jukebox. I nearly puked. Customers began to notice it, too. Everyone was uncomfortable with the PDA. I didn’t want to be the one to break up their intimate moment, so I made Doug go over to them. I don’t remember what he said, but The Toothless Wonders stopped sucking face and sat back down.
The rest of the night was uneventful, save for the local lush falling asleep at the bar. This, I could handle.
“Joe! No sleeping on my bar. I don’t drink in your bed!” I hollered.
“Well, ya could if ya wanted to,” Joe slurred.
New Year’s Eve is definitely a crazy night I’m sort of glad I’m too tired to party all night. It’s amazing what becoming a parent does to your social life.
This New Year’s Eve is a quiet one. Dawson and I watched a few episodes of Spongebob. Owen fell asleep in my arms. Doug is listening to old Bob & Tom shows on the radio. Maybe I’ll switch over to ABC for the ball drop in New York City. If I’m awake at midnight, I mean.
Happy New Year! May 2010 bring you much luck, love and happiness!
Posted by Dana @ 10:17 PM • A Walk Down Memory Lane,Baby Jaws,Feeling Random,Holiday Hell,Hometown Happenings,The Doodlebug,The Hubs
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January 1st, 2010 at 12:34 PM, Lauri Says:
Happy New Year Dana! God Bless you and your wonderful family.
I just checked in on you to see how you’re doing as I do from time to time, and was mesmerized by your tale of New Year’s Eve past. I too call New Year’s Eve “amateur nite” and stay home. I learned that expression from, you guessed it, working in the bar business. I owned a bar for 10 years and every year we would through a huge party. So much of your experience you relay here, could have been us. LOL.
Here’s to a much saner New Year for all of us.
.-= Lauri ´s last blog ..January 1, 2010- Well maybe January 2 =-.
January 2nd, 2010 at 2:25 AM, Dana Says:
Happy New Year, to you and your family, as well! Hope 2010 is good to you!