FORBIDDEN PLACES
An American Story
Everywhere, all over the world there are places that locals
would recommend you to avoid. This is especially true in the U.S. Therefore, I
wasn’t surprised when our Norfolk host Ron Wray gave us a warning about a
particular building with the inscription “Good Guys Bar”. This was addressed to
the Slovenian writer Andrej Blatnik and myself:
“Fellows, do you see
that building? So, make sure you don’t go there. You’re likely get into big
trouble.”
Well, we had no
intention to visit any of the bars in Norfolk, and as newcomers it wasn’t
likely that we could find this particular bar even if we wanted to. We had
driven from the suburb where our host lived, a quiet residential neighborhood,
heading for the university campus. Thanks to Ron’s invitation, as a director of
International Writers Centre of Old Dominion University, we had that evening a
reading of our work to the literary community there. The reading went smoothly
followed by informal party held in our honor with many charming conversations
and numerous drinks. The party was at the university’s bungalow on campus where
Andrej was staying. I was a guest at Ron’s house. Time flew and all the guests,
Ron included, left. It was the wee small hours of the morning but I wanted one
more drink for the road. People say that ’100 times nothing can kill an
elephant.’ That drink was the 101st nothing I had that night. Soon I realized
that I am in trouble. I had to say goodbye as quickly as I could and try to get
back to my bed at Ron’s.
I got in the car and
set out for Ron’s. It wasn’t very far, only a few streets away, and I’m quite
confident about my orientation skills in exploring new cities. So, I was
absolutely sure that everything was going to be fine.
It did not. I
turned, from memory, up the first street and the second. On the third turn I
realized I was lost. I turned back and retraced my path, street by street.
Without doubt, I was now lost – but not entirely. Along the dark, in labyrinth
of empty streets I was able to find one point of orientation – a blaze of
lights from the single-story building marked “Good Guys Bar”. The very same bar
that Ron had warned us about so carefully.
No matter which way
I turned, the maze of streets led me back to this place, as if attracted by a
magnet. Every time I tried a new route, I found myself returning to the same
neon sign. It was the only place showing life. As far as the eye could see
there were not a single human being, not even another car, nobody who could
give me directions. It was as if the whole quarter had expired in the night, no
lights on at any of the houses around. It was the hour of the ghosts and my
confusion was magical.
The only solid point
in whole space seems to be hidden inside the “Good Guys Bar”. Finally I stopped
in front of it, proving that you can’t avoid your destiny. Either I would sleep
in the car in this ominous district or I had to go into the bar. In second
option I had at least chance to end my life with full consciousness. So, I
turned off the engine, locked the car and stepped out to enter this ugly
building from which bellowing loud voices and noises were coming.
I felt nervous
twitches and tics on my face, and the worst thing was not being able to do
anything about them. The only positive fact I observed now was that my tipsy mood
vanished and left me terribly sober. When I entered suspicious bar a shock
awaited me. The bellowing noise was only from a jukebox and the gambling
machines. Otherwise, the place was half-empty. A few ’good guys’ were busy
gambling and didn’t pay me any attention. The bartender, a big black guy with a
congenial expression on his face, twitched his eyebrows when he heard what I
was looking for. But after I had told him my whole story he nodded his head,
came out from behind the bar, led me out of the building, and showed me the
right way. I jumped in the car and after a few streets I was safe in my bed.
And why I am telling
you this story? Well, I think that some stories are worth telling even when
nothing happens in them...
Available in E-books:
http://itunes.apple.com/sk/ book/svetje-maly-the-world-is-
small/id554103459?mt=11
http://itunes.apple.com/sk/ book/le-monde-est-petit-world-
is/id554104733?mt=11
http://itunes.apple.com/sk/ book/the-world-is-small-svet-
je-maly/id554101744?mt=11
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