Frank's Supper Club

[trof]

I was doing some bartending at a friend's party last night and it felt good. Natural.
Standing there behind the bar, wiping up with a bar towel, polishing glasses, chatting with friends. Making that cool spiral stack out of the cocktail napkins.
I tended bar at a blue-collar beer bar for two years while I was in college. Mid 60s.

The blue neon sign outside said "Fra_k's Supper Club". The "N" had blown out, or something, and Frank never bothered to get it fixed.

It was as close to a "speakeasy" as I'll ever get. The front door was always locked. Had one of those little diamond shaped windows at about head height with a ragged curtain over it. If you wanted in, you rang the bell, or pounded on the door. Frank, or me, or one of the regulars, would peek out. If you weren't a cop, or an unescorted female (looking for hubby) we opened the door. Frank did not check IDs, although I don't think he ever sold beer to anyone under 16 or so.

The "Supper" part of the joint's operation was a fairly short menu. Hamburger, or Cheeseburger?
Usually consumed at the end of an evening of fairly heavy drinking. They were prime. Ground sirloin.
And well prepared. I usually doubled as cook.

There was a pay phone on the wall next to the front door. For outgoing calls only. Frank had disconnected the bell. Wives couldn't call in to harass errant husbands. Well, they could...if they had managed to get the unlisted number...but how would we ever know if they did? Frank looked on his place as a haven for the harried male. Kind of the Tuscaloosa version of the Yale Club in New York. The only women allowed in were those escorted, usually by a husband on a Saturday Night Out treat.

Frank was an ex-Marine. Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal. He didn't talk much about what went on there, just that he was there. He was a young moonshiner and bootlegger during the last of prohibition. Ran a tug up and down the Black Warrior and Alabama rivers. Pushing barges of whatever. The still was on the boat and the exhaust ran into the boat's engine stack for a nifty visual AND olfactory camouflage job. He made stops, up and down the river, for his regular customers.

I wouldn't mind another evening behind the bar at Frank's.

[oneighty]

1. Whoooo Hoooooo

It is story time!

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[trof]

2. Hiya, bub. You go next.

[trof]

3. Another Frank tale

One night Frank, a few barflies, and I were talking about Russia, the cold war, etc. This was in the mid 60s.

One ol' boy sez: "Hell I'm ready for 'em. Them damn commies. Wait'll they try and come over here. I ain't got no numbers on my mailbox. They ain't a-findin' MY ass."

FRank leaned across the bar and said "Well, Charlie, I reckon THAT'll fuck Khrushchev!"
I damn near wet my pants.

[oneighty]

4. The Warrior!

The students are attacking our research project at the SUNY at Buffalo. We had been fire bombed, pipe bombed and otherwise harassed because we are 'training' underwater armies for use in Vietnam.

During a lull in the action we are assembled in one of the chamber rooms. Dr. X is explaining to us how he would bravely fight off the aggressors.

His mentor, Dr. Y says, "Dr. X, why don't you pick up a piece of chalk go to the green black board, explain your research project to them and bore them to death."

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[trof]

6. ha

Maybe we can get the mods to open a 180-trof board.

[oneighty]

7. It are Trof

It already are. Mutual admiration society. You have two stories in my book. Fishnfla one and my grandson one. The other 214 are mine, all mine.

Soon I send you a copy.

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[trof]

8. it IS kinda cozy in here.

Just a pair of old farts reminiscing.
Sorry I can't offer you a drink.
If I live long enough, I guess I'll be off the hootch too.
I got myself so worked up in the Martini thread I think I'll have one tonight.
Which stories of mine did you use?

[oneighty]

9. Grandpa by any other name.

and 'Name Calling', Trofsan.

Yotsuchichi.

Hai!

[trof]

10. Grandpa is the first one I got paid for.

[oneighty]

11. Oh Oooo

Is it copyrighted?

[trof]

12. Was for about 6 weeks.

Now it's mine all mine.
Ran in the Christian Science Monitor.
No sweat. They're good people.

[oneighty]

14. Too late now it is 'In the Book'

I use your name and permission though. Course I could always cut the page out.

Ed

[trof]

19. no way

Do loungers think this is the weirdest thread EVER?
It is for me.
spooky

[trof]

5. FSC-Phase II

There was an upstairs to the place. It was actually an old house that Frank had gutted to make his club.

Frank decided to expand his business and court the university crowd. They didn't mix too well with the workers from the tire plant, so he figured he'd open the upstairs for them. I would be in charge.
Movin' on up.

He brought in some old tables and chairs, a beer cooler, and a jukebox. Put Chianti bottles with candles in them on the tables. Hung up a big U. of Alabama pennant on one wall, a bullfight poster on another, and a Bear Bryant Coke and Golden Flake Potato Chips ad poster("GREAT PAIR SAYS THE BEAR") behind the bar .
And he installed a ceiling light by the makeshift bar with the controlling switch behind the main bar downstairs. Put a red lightbulb in it.

Now...at the time, the legal drinking age was 21. And under normal circumstances, students didn't hit 21 until they were seniors. We were going to have a fair amount of underage drinkers.
"I ain't lettin' no uniformed cops in unless they break down the damn door, and they better by-god have a warrant. But there might be some plainclothes types snoopin' around. If that happens, I'll hit the switch downstairs. You see that red light go on, go grab all the beer bottles off the tables and put out Cokes." Thus began my life of crime.

We built up a pretty good clientele. And they tipped better than the tire plant guys. The red light only came on once. I did as Frank had instructed. In a few minutes two guys appeared at the top of the stairs. They were dressed identically in white, shortsleeved, nylon, wash-and-wear shirts (somewhat popular among some at the time), and dark slacks. They might as well have worn their badges. They reeked of "cop".

"What can I get for you?"
"Nuthin'. Jes lookin' around."
They did that. Saw all the Coke bottles, and finally left. A few minutes later the red light went out and the beer flowed again. Free round for the inconvenience.
I wonder if the statute of limitations has run out yet?

[oneighty]

16. I remodeled

a former night club into a Baptist Church. Up in the Attic I find pair of woman's panties and a pair of red high heel shoes together. Sure got me to thinking. Truth to tell it be worring me ever since, going neigh unto thirty years now.

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[oneighty]

20. Post Script

They want me to put a front porch on. I say "Okay." I build nice front porch make any Catholic preacher very proud. Jerry Fallwell come bless the Church. Wish I been there to see his face. Dumb shit.

And one day the Baptist guy doing the preaching and singing and other God type stuff, he trip and fall. Whooo Hooo if God hear what he say? "Oh my, I am thinking, God gonna get you."

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[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

25. I want to visit you two and listen to stories for a month straight (nt)

[oneighty]

28. Hey Trof!

We catch one! Yippppeeeee

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[trof]

30. WTF are YOU doing in here?

Shit. They found us.
OK. Gulf coast for a week.

[oneighty]

13. Hey Trof

We owning this here thread. We gonna be record holders. Perhaps we the only ones really posting today? Or nobody like us?

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[trof]

15. Ya know, I...WONDERED?

I'd sure be glad for SOMEBODY, anybody at all, to chime in and tell us they like the stories.
Or just tell us to bugger off and get out of the way.
Kinda weird.

[oneighty]

17. Young man Skinner be teasing us I bet.

Pretty soon all of DU be pointing at us laughing their collective behinders off.

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[trof]

18. I think I've drunk myself "INVISIBLE".

A book I read that I won't go look up now.
Stages of drunk.
There was "Rich and Famous", "Bulletproof", "Omnipotent", and
"INVISIBLE", among others.

I think I have drunk myself invisible.
cool
AND, the LAST Martini.

[oneighty]

22. Maybe so Trof,

but how is it you take me with you?

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[trof]

24. I think they're f*cking with us.

And I think I can be the f*ckor just as easily as I can be the f*ckee.
You saw it here first.
I WILL BREAK THEM!

[trof]

21. I think there's an echo in here.

Hello-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
.
.
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.
.
.
.
.
hello-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

[oneighty]

23. Yhoooo Hooooo Ms. JitterbugPerfume

Where you is?

Hahahahahahaha.

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[oneighty]

26. Boy Trof

I gave a Sex Orgy oncet, nobody come then either.

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[trof]

27. Maybe it was how you worded the invitations?

Did you "RSVP"?

[oneighty]

29. It say

BMYOG.

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[trof]

31. Translation please?

[oneighty]

33. Bring me your own girl

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[oneighty]

34. Pretty soon I have 6000

posts if Skinner let me.

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[trof]

32. Hee. A kick to f*ck with you.

2 can play.

[trof]

35. The devil made me kick this.

Happy Sunday Morning all.
:evilgrin: