Chet meets with Earl Grey
It's the day after his visit to Jay. Chet is sitting in the Bar Tropic, having a Margarita. It's still early in the morning, but he has called Earl Grey over to have a chat with him about yesterday's ,
incident.
Bar Tropic is run by a British couple who are sweet enough; as they know how to treat their guests in their bar. The bar is a special place in the way that it's built in to an old, ancient house which still carries memories which are blended with the flashy decorations the couple have created.
They have been allowed to paint and decorate as they like.
The colors are horrible here and there, but it's fancy and their guests seem to like it.
The customers are mostly British and a few Greeks who want to have a different environment in a Northern European milieu than their well known Greek establishments.
Sometimes there are some Scandinavians popping in too, but they don't stay long...
This early morning the only guest is Chet. He is sitting by the bar sipping his Margarita and chatting with the bartender, a sexy Greek girl who usually takes the morning and the late night shift. Jock still has a certain charm. He is what Jay calls a "Sweet William" who talks softly and politely with women. Sweet as he may seem; he's very angry with them, mainly because he cannot keep his "Sweet William" attitude for a long time.
He is a moaner and opens up for anything sad he carries inside.
The girls and women grow tired from listening to the same old stories, which are the same as he is telling Jay; and anyone else...
After half an hour Earl enters the bar and walks up to Chet who's a little tipsy by now and way into his first Heineken.
Earl smacks him on the shoulder and Chet turns around, with a red face, ready to return what he sees as an insult. He sees Earl and sighs. "Ah, it's you Earl! Good to see you although you are a little heavy handed!"
"Nee buther, Chet, just a friendly gesture." Earl loves to mock him a little for his Scottish dialect.
Chet is feeling better now after his Margarita and Heineken. "Maria, can you pour up a beer for the hot dog merchant here!"
"No, no; it's too early for me, Chet. What is it you want to talk about?"
"Ah, I have messed up again; you know my temper." And what kind of stupidity have you performed this time?" Chet looked at him. Chet knew he couldn't get away with an easy explanation with Earl.
Earl didn't care if people liked him or not. He had taken his stand many years ago and was happy with that; never stepped back for anyone.
Chet was still reluctant to tell anything, because he also knew that Jay and Earl were close friends and if he said something stupid he knew that Earl would be gone in a second.
"Come on Chet, I haven't got all day!" Chet drank the rest of his beer and started to tell about yesterday’s event. He was clear enough to realize that he had to put the blame on himself. Earl would spot any excuses or attempts to talk around the subject...
"Ok, here it is; I made a fool of myself yesterday at Jay's house and I don't know how to make it up with him again. I am such a fool, but I don't seem to be able to change it to the better."
Earl looked at him and then he told Maria to bring a Greek Coffee for him.
Chet was not prepared for what was coming now; "You bloody idiot!" Earl said, " you know as well as me that if you follow Jay's recommendations, you can come to terms with yourself, but you are too bloody lazy, stubborn and self centered you little dick! Pull yourself together and do something right for once!"
No soft words delivered from Earl Grey; straight to the point; as he saw it...
Earl sat for a while in silence. He got his coffee and sipped down to the coffee grains. Then he rose up and turned to Chet again. "Pull yourself together and apologize to Jay and please; stop your drinking for a couple of weeks at least to clear up your brain if you still have one!"
Gone he was and Chet felt like the idiot Earl had called him. He rose up and paid Maria who just stood there eyeing him up and down. "Take care, Chet." He nodded and was out of the door; his chin hanging down almost to his chest...
Maria heard him swear all the way up the alley…
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