22 MAY 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® The Bouncer by Rick Jordan Retired Mineral Processing Engineer I’ve never thought of myself as a tough guy. While growing up, I had my share of fights in the neighborhood, but was never feared by other kids my age. I took up boxing while in high school and was a fair fighter. I didn’t have a stellar record, but I won more fights than I lost. Anyway, although most of the girls I dated would probably not concur, I considered myself more a lover than a fighter. I got a call from my brother-in-law one Saturday morning. He was a board member at a local athletic club (a classy name for a bar that sponsors a softball team) and there was a bad fight the night before which left the club in shambles and the bartenders bruised. He asked if I would be interested in being the bouncer that evening. I told him my fighting days were behind me and I had absolutely no desire to be a bouncer. My brother-in-law drove a hard bargain - informing me the bouncer’s beer would be free all night. I arrived at the club at around 7:45 that evening. Most of the stools at the bar were taken, but the crowd seemed wellbehaved. I sauntered up to the bar and informed the bartender I was the bouncer and would be drinking Lucky Lager. He rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Yeah, right.” I was surprised by his disrespect, but I let the remark slide. We bouncers tend to be thick skinned. He gave me the beer. Well, I quaffed free beer for several hours, feeling a little tougher with each brew. Finally, at just around midnight, a fight broke out. I sprang (more like stumbled) into action and started shoving my way through the crowd that had gathered around the scuffle saying, “Coming through. I’m the bouncer.” The guy in front of me turned around and said, “No, I’m the bouncer.” The guy to my left proclaimed, “I’m the bouncer.” Apparently, the fight the night before had a profound impact on the club’s board of directors because each one, unbeknownst to the others, had called in a friend or two to be bouncers. It seemed the only two male people in the bar who weren’t bouncers were the two poor souls who decided to fight. Of course, we disposed of the fighters quite quickly, then gathered at the bar telling each other about how tough we were. I woke up the next day with a serious hangover, but also with a sense of pride - for I was a bouncer. Rick Rick Jordan may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com
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