I’m starting to get lit. Sweetie Pie says rock on, she’ll be sure we get back safe. I need a sipping drink and tell Gatey so. He thinks for a second and then pours a glassful of Appletons, looks through the bottles and pulls out a green bottle. Pours a splash in the glass and hands it to me saying,”Sip this.” He sets it on the bar and then points at me, “Sip.” I take a sip and believe I have found one of the great elixirs of life. “What is that?” I ask in amazement. “Appleton and Stones,” says Gatey. Yes it is, yes it is indeed. “It’s like a Jamaican Martini,” I say and Gatey likes that. The warning to sip is well founded. The Stones smoothes out the rum like a good vermouth does for gin. You could slam it if you weren’t thinking. I sip a bunch of them for the rest of the night.
As things get hazy another group of Canadians shows up and the group has a ring leader of a lady who just cracks me up. I’m rolling so we get in a back and forth. She gets Gatey to plug in her phone and we start listening to some really cool modern reggae I haven’t heard before. I’m digging it. It’s like Trip-hop Reggae. “Who is this?” I ask and she is super excited to tell someone. “Michael Frontia!” she says and goes on and on about him. I got a new music hook-up! We go round and round while listening to at least half a dozen different songs by him. I tell her if she likes this she should listen to Tricky. She’s never heard of him. Payback!!
I give Gatey my last 500 and say, “Give me the long, slow sipper.” He smiles and pours me a tall Appleton and Stones. We’re past eleven now and Sweetie Pie has the pumpkin look going. “We’re going to make midnight, Sweetie!” I say sloppily, “We’re keeping you out!” A little while later Sweetie Pie informs me that there are needs to be taken care of that won’t be taking place here. “I was here earlier this week,” she says and I realize we won’t be making midnight at Pee Wees. When we make our goodbyes Gatey wants to give me change from the last 500 I gave him. We will be back to Pee Wees.
Sweetie Pie guides me Home Sweet Home. Business is attended to and we do manage to see midnight on the verandah. We fade to black with an intense sense of satisfaction.
