The old man wandered into the
Blue Moon Gentlemen’s Club around 2:AM,
a worn-like-he-was-lost look on his face.
Five ladies were still working, taking turns dancing
for the six grungy patrons sitting in the room
shrouded in smoke and gloom.

The man shuffled to the bar.

“What’ll you have,” barked Billy the barkeep.

“Ginger ale,” the old man answered.

“Ginger Ale!”

“I don’t drink beer and I don’t like liquor.
Any law against Ginger Ale?”

Billy eye-balled the old man.
“What are you doin’ here, old timer?”

“Thinking over what might have been.
Thanking God and Gracey
that it never happened.”

“Heard of God.
Who’s Gracey?”

“Glad you’ve heard of God.
Grace was my wife.
She passed two months ago tonight.
I was feeling sorry for myself
and angry for feeling sorry for myself
that she went first.
I needed some place to come
to show me how dumb I am.
This joint is as far from
what Grace and me had as I can get.
I needed it to see.”

Then, out of the blue, the old man began to hum.

“What’s that tune?” a subdued Billy asked.

A drunk denizen of the bar leaned over
to answer for the old man

“Damn! Billy! Don’t you got no sense?
No good bringing up?
That’s ‘Amazing Grace!’.”
The drunk began to slur the hymn.
“I once was lost,
But now I’m found,
was….somethin’ or other
and now I… ah..”

“See,”
One of the ladies finished the verse
as she waited to have
sex with the pole.

Two other waiting dancers lounged over to her.
The trio sang,
“Twas grace that brought me safe thus far
and grace will lead me home”.

The old man stopped humming.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Where’s my ginger ale?”

Billy slid him the drink.

“How much?”

All the ladies but the one
slithering on the stage
and the rest of the crowd who could still stand
gathered around the old man,
staring at Billy.

“Forget it,” snapped Billy. “It’s on the house.”

The old man finished his drink.
He rose off the stool.
“Thank you,” he said to them.

“Want another round?” offered a regular.

“No, thanks anyway.
After 52 years with a good woman,
just a little reminder is all I needed.”
He started toward he door.
One of the dancers, blond, taller,
kissed him on the top of his bald head.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome, child.” he answered.

He left the door open behind him.
Was gone.

The blond turned around.
She stared at the room.
“I ain’t dancin’ no more tonight.”

“Shit. Neither am I,” shouted the snake
wrapped around the pole on center stage.
“No one’s watching anyway!”

“Yea. Might as well call it a night.”
one of the drunks mumbled
as he stumbled toward the open door.

Billy shrugged.
“Christ! Well, I guess I’m closin’ up.”
He started to wipe the bar,
clean.