From Pitiful to Posh

Mz. Shirley has moved to ON THE ROCKS, located on Main Street in East Rockaway across from the Repair Shop. I got a call from Ruby on Tuesday (Ruby Tuesday?) who told me that Mz. Shirley has relocated and that her first day was Wednesday from 1PM to 7PM. So I called Candy and before I mentioned it to her she told me also. So I said to the Drill Instructor on my mantle, “I’m gonna check this out.” And I did. Baby, what a big surprise!

I stopped to get a burger and made my way with my lunch to ON THE ROCKS. Being East Rockaway I didn’t expect the place to be much, kind of the standard hardwood or linoleum floor with a stool or high chair to sit at the bar. What I walked into was a class lounge with stone floors, large picture windows, a fireplace with mantle, red pool table, and upholstered chairs, cocktail tables and nice long couches. This place was nice.

The bar itself is curvaceous, made of rocks covered with a nice translucent polyurethane cover giving a seaside kind of feeling. It was so nice to walk in and be greeted by Mz. Shirley’s smiling face, Norm was at the bar with Ruby and her friend Robbie. Then the place started to fill up with all the regulars from what was the Corner Tavern, all the refugees liked this place of exile. It really went over big with everybody. So you ask, like who? OK, I’ll name names.

Pimp showed up being his usually polite but annoying self (he was feeling no pain when he arrived, must have had some Kool-Aid elsewhere). Raul and Sunny showed up and got some tunes going, then Breezy strolled in. Breezy and Raul started a pool game when Ms. Lily showed up. I asked Ms. Lily about her new little one and she said the baby is fine but not so little anymore (the picts were adorable).

Then KaCee showed up, I smiled all over myself, wow it was good to see her. She let me know she changed jobs and is working for the Government now and that her girl is doing great. Hector and Elly showed up and they both were glowing. Midtown arrived and fit into the background like a shark to the Pacific Ocean, the suit and sophistication don’t go to waste in this place. I then saw Candy walk in and my heart went ‘boom’.

There were 5 or 6 others I never met before and everybody was yapping away catching up, feeling good for a great day and feeling great for Mz. Shirley. I had to cut out to shoot pool for the Corner Tavern for the last time. I, for sake of pride and my comrades with pool cue’s, will stand up for the Corner Tavern in competition even though the Corner turned us out. Mz. Shirley made us all welcome in a cooler, cleaner, easy lounge.

I shall return.

RJ