Joni Mitchell and Anna's Friendly Tap

When we were still in college, and I think maybe after we were married, Louie and I frequently went to Anna's Friendly Tap. It was of course on Wells Street. Anna was pretty hands on . One night we had a pizza, and at least one pitcher of beer. (Mind you. Two people. Pitchers? How did we survive? Talk about drinking right out of the garden hose. . . We were nuts.) Anyway, she kind of recognized us, or maybe we just thought that cuz she was, as stated, friendly. She brought us the check and it was for like $8.00. We were of that idealistic group, or at least we were still there at that glorious time of our life (I now pause briefly to weep) so we said we thought the check did not seem to be right. It was like maybe only for the beer or maybe just the pizza, but WAY too low. So she takes it back and returns with it and says, "does this seem okay?" and it was for about five dollars. We had to chuckle, probably a little drunkenly, and  said,"Sure. Thanks" and just left a huge tip.

One night we were sitting there all mooney and in love and listening to Barbra Streisand sing "People" which we played over and over. And you know those little glass candle holders that were kind of egg shaped and were usually red and were covered with plastic mesh in a lattice pattern?  Well, the couple next to us were having "words" and the candle flew past my ear so close I felt it brush my hair. He had pitched it at her and missed, maybe on purpose but he nearly took me out. We gaped and they just went on without an apology while the help is cleaning up the glass and still burning candle.

Every time I hear Joni Mitchell sing "The Last Time I Saw Richard" I think of that time and place. Even had the ice skater, the Richard and the dishwasher pass through my life as time went on.  Like I just said to my daughter yesterday, "Some parts of my life were fun." Strangely I was also telling a Richard story at that time. But that would be a different bar, watermelon shots, and Michael Jackson music.  Nostalgia weekend I guess.  I am almost afraid to look at the death notices tomorrow.