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weekend crowd, the place was dark ried away to get Mike a drink.
and smoky with garish neon lights Doc and John enjoyed watch-
and strobes flashing out the rhythm
of the pulsing music. Girls ing their two nervous companions
performed on two stages at oppo- as much as watching the perform-
site ends of the bar while others ers. Tracey, Mike's waitress, sat
delivered drinks and stroked the beside him and carried on a
conversation. She leaned closer
patron's egos. and closer, touching him discreetly
They found a table near the at first then ever more boldly. Fi-
nally, she sat on Mike's lap and he
runway joining the two stages was looking particularly relaxed and
where they could watch the satisfied.
dancers moving on and off the
stages. They ordered drinks and At nearly 2:00AM, the
John, who was sitting closest to the bartenders announced last call for
runway, asked Stan to trade places drinks. John said it was time they
with him. Stan couldn't keep his went back and three of them
eyes off the girls and couldn't stop started getting up. Tracey got off
talking. John thought it a blessing Mike's lap and stepped over to
that he couldn't hear Stan over the John to collect her money. She
music thundering from the dozen had a mischievous twinkle in her
speakers. For the next two hours, eye.
Doc and John fed dollar bills to
Stan so he could stuff them into the "Mike's gonna need a little ex-
dancer's diminishing costumes as tra time before he can get up. He's
they passed by. Stan's hands experiencing an Easter resurrection
began shaking as the night wore on miracle."
and near closing time he broke into
a flushed sweat. eclipse 59
John caught the eye of one of
the girls serving drinks. When she
came over, he motioned to Mike
and told her, "Bring my friend here
a scotch. I'll give you an extra
twenty dollars if you can make him
smile and fifty if you can make him
laugh."
"You're on," she said and hur-
