“All right, I’ll see you next Wednesday,” Charlie said.
We were winding up our weekly meeting where we talk about music and memories. We also catch up on the local gossip while Charlie drinks a lot of beer.
“Hey, let’s meet someplace different next week,” I said to Charlie. “I never get breakfast when we meet on Wednesday because this bar doesn’t serve breakfast.”
“I don’t know about that,” he replied. “I like my early morning beer. Most of these places don’t open until noon.”
“We’ll go to Harry’s,” I said. “The restaurant opens for breakfast and so does the bar. I’ll eat while you drink enough for both of us.”
Wednesday we sat at a table and a local guy named Pedro was sitting at the bar.
“Hey,” he called. “Come let me buy you a drink. Charlie, we haven’t had a drink together in a long time.”
“Thanks,” Charlie said, “but this is mine and Dennis’s day to just sit together and talk.”
“O.K.” Pedro said. “I been out all night and I got to go home soon anyway.”
He turned around on his barstool and continued drinking. As Charlie and I sat there talking it was hard not to notice Pedro. Every time he finished a shot of tequila he pulled something out of his shirt pocket and looked at it, then he put it away and ordered another shot.
“Hey, Pedro,” I called. “I see you pull something from your pocket and look at it after every shot. What’s up with that?”
“It’s my guesser,” he said. “It’s a picture of my wife.”
“What is a guesser?”
“I sit here and drink shots until she starts looking good. Then I guess one more shot makes me too drunk to ride my bicycle.”
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