John Towsley, always stood up straight and tall. At six foot-four inches, he was without a doubt the tallest bartender in Old City. The "extra-ordinary bartender to the weird, the lonely and the stupid", as he sometimes referred to himself, closed the blue curtains on the east window and walked back behind the bar. On the way, he ran his fingers through his thinning light-brown hair cut in the same flattop style that he'd worn for over thirty years. "Here comes Gary the Gay Gimp. Back from the sea.", he announced.

  Bobby Misalla, the lounge's piano player looked over his left shoulder at the enclosure that separated the cocktail lounge from the restaurant that shared the south wall. Customers entered both businesses after passing through the front entrance and walking past the coatroom. He could just barely see a man holding onto the brass handrail and slowly making his way down the stairs and turning onto the red-carpeted, green canopy covered, sidewalk leading to the building's nine-foot high solid oak double doors. The canopy covering shadowed the entrance and hid the man's face. But Bobby could see the man limping along on a wooden leg.

   "I wouldn't say that too loudly John." Bobby said. "I understand that he does this trick body throw where his victims end up flat on their backs with his wooden peg leg rammed into their throats."

 John laughed. "I'd like to see him try! Why the hell does he use a wooden leg in this day and age?" 

  "I asked him that once. He said it was his way of punishing Society by making people feel uncomfortable," answered Bobby. "Plus, I think it's part of the seafarer image he tries to project. He likes people to think he lost his leg while at sea. Actually he'd never been on a boat until after he lost the leg. Besides, he's only the ship's cook, barber and deck hand. If his uncle didn't own the Karatum II, he'd still be down at Susie Wang's doing shampoos, cutting hair and bitching about the 'blue-haired old ladies' that Susie used to steer his way." 

  "Then how'd he loose the leg? Some kind of accident?" Asked John. 

  Bobby looked at John and laughed. "Thought you knew that story. Actually, he was making out with a Federal Judge down by the rail yards when the brakes on a boxcar failed. He was apparently kneeling down and in the throes of passion when the wheels ran over his right leg, cutting it off at the knee."

  John unscrewed the cap from a bottle of whiskey and replaced it with a pourer that automatically measured a one-shot pour and said.

  "Yeah, I heard some brakemen who used to work on the railroad with my dad call rail cars that suddenly just take off on their own, the 'silent, rolling death," said John, breaking into a grin. "But in this instance, it sounds more like a clear cut case of silent rolling justice." 

  "Seems to me I've heard rail cars called same thing somewhere myself. Anyway, the eminent and well-known judge, of course, said he was just looking for a place to turn around when he saw the accident. He claimed he just stopped to help Gary." Jimmy answered, then continued.

  "Tom Browne, the paramedic dude, who comes in here sometimes, was telling me about it. He said the judge's zipper was still down when the ambulance arrived at the rail yards. John, I'm going to go down to the other end of the bar. Don't bother moving my drink. I'll finish it first. Just set me up with another Gin and Tonic, a tall one. I'm just not in the mood for 'Gay Gary' right now."

  John rolled his eyes upwards and said, "I'm not either, but right now I don't have a choice. I'll be glad when Ted gets back from vacation. I hate working Days. At least at night, there are more people and I can ignore the ones I don't like.

  Come to think of it, if we both ignore him, maybe he won't stay long. Why the hell doesn't he go down to the Fag bars, like the rest of them? Used to be, they knew their place and hung out with each other. Now they're all over the place with this Gay Rights shit. Wish the damn Congress would pass a law giving me, John, average Straight American, some rights." 

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