The middle man.

BY Charles Finster, March 7, 2010

I’m the middle man. I sit at the cherry colored bar looking at the specials ahead of me. To my left and right is interesting conversation. See, me in the middle is the perfect spot. I can turn left and speak, face forward and order a drink, look to my right and get involved with a new conversation.

I think there is a misconception on being in the middle. Who wants to be the “middle man” or hop in a car and “sit bitch.” The middle has a reputation, but I’m open to the idea.

I am the first child in my family, the guy that loves the middle seat when with friends, and the last person to leave a gathering.

I play every position in the game of life.

See me? Can’t you see?

Heard you? Can’t you see?

– That must of been the man at the end of the bar. It proves to be problematic when sitting at the end of the bar. Although there is more privacy, you have the trouble of having your voice heard.

I sit and watch him. He looks around for someone to talk to him, at least for a moment. I decide to humor him. I stand up and sit to his left. Now he is the man in the middle. Me, him, and the wall. A pefect order, and now I’m the guy at the end. The guy to the left, which is fitting. I mean, I am left handed.

“What a night,” he says. Simple talk that makes sense. An open ear can prove to be a simple thing. In some cases in can prove to be disasterous.

“Why is that?” I asked. Bad idea. Me and my big mouth.

I zone him out after about a minute of his rambling. My inner voice became louder. I had a new mantra running through my head. It was on a constant loop which said, ” I shouldn’t of done this. I shouldn’t of done this. I shouldn’t of done this.”

I really shouldn’t of, but curiosity took the best of me. Now I’m sitting here thinking of a way to escape this conversation, but William the Warden has me restrained with his jargon.

Then suddenly…DING! The light bulb is a lit.

I think my bladder is full. No, it is, yes it’s full.

“Gotta use the bathroom bud, I’ll be back.”

Good thing the bathroom is by the exit.