Sahadi's on a Friday night-Three stories of divorce

Sahadi’s on a Friday night-Three Stories of Divorce Three stories of divorce.

Story number one:

Friday night hubby and I made our way to Sahadi’s to have some drinks and listen to live music. When we arrived, the place was already full, so we made our way to the bar and each of us ordered a beer.
I sent a few messages via text to see if any friends would want to join and had a sip of cold Blue Moon. Mmmm
We said our hellos to the regulars we knew and smiled as we saw our friend the musician come in. She took her place by her instruments and started to get ready.
The place at this point was packed, but at the same time quiet. As soon as I thought this, a whirlwind of a woman came to sit next to us at the bar.
Her first language was Spanish, she was older and was very drunk and LOUD. As she sat up on the stool beside me she began talking to the man beside her. One could not help to overhear, remember she was very loud.
The man she spoke to is a Sahadi’s regular and although I knew him and his name, that night I learned that he is half Latin and Asian and was communicating very well in Spanish.
It was a little unfair for him, because this lady was not only loud, but very quick witted. She was throwing out jokes and comebacks like an automatic weapon. She was very funny and obviously on the prowl for a man.
After a while he excused himself for a bit and the woman had turned her chair towards us. I was already on Blue Moon number two.
The next ten minutes were pure laughter with this lady. She was asking questions and wanted to know if we were on a date or if we had been dating for long. We gave the same answer we always do, "We’ve been living together since 1994, but got married 5 years ago". The next obvious question asked was about kids. "We don’t have any", I replied. Her response was quite the opposite from others.
*The entire conversation with this lady took place in Spanish*
She said, "Pura made, guey, no los tengan. No vivan la vida de sus hijos, vivenla por si mismos".
In other words, live your own life; don’t live your lives through your children.
We then learned that this woman was 52 years old and had been married for 33 years before she went through a divorce three years ago. "Y me la estoy pasando a pura madre".
She explained that she was a virgin when she married and her husband was the only man she had ever known. After her divorce, she said she mourned the relationship for one year out of respect for the many years she had invested.
This makes some sense, and it’s something I’ve heard before. The relationship dies, and you should give yourself time to mourn the relationship.
She told us she was celebrating a win from her divorce, something that had lasted three years and she had finally won that day. She had no one to celebrate with, so she celebrated at Sahadi’s by herself.
She shared that she has a place in town and a piece of land in Monterrey that she inherited and that she had bought herself a 4-wheeler ATV. She has been riding for years and has also participated in a few races. Moreover, she shared that she belongs to a club/gang of 10 women who are in their 50s who get together and ride their ATVs on her land in Mexico. "Puras cinquentonas manejando quatrimotos,guey!"
She was very funny and seemed to be having the time of her life. "A pura madre"
Soledad (Chole) a 52 year old woman who doesn’t need a man to take care of her, doesn’t need a man to buy her a beer, yet she wanted someone to be with that night.
By this time the man had made his way back to the bar and I think I was on Blue Moon number three.
My friend and her band were already playing and the jazzy music filled the air. The lights had dimmed and the place was loud.
Chole grabbed her prey and took him somewhere to dance. He hesitated, but gave in at the end.
Close to the end of the song the couple was quite hidden in the store behind the dessert counter and I caught a glimpse of a kiss. Chole was making progress.
The song ended and she walked back while he trailed behind. She whispered, "No sabe bailar el guey, pero el pendejo me va comprar una flor" Needless to say, within a few minutes, he bought her a rose.
She knows exactly what to do…
A few more moments pass and they start to gather their things. I asked if she was leaving, and her response, " ya vez como lo ligue?" All I could do was laugh. "You see how I got him"?
We say goodbye and how awesome it was to meet one another. I have a feeling it won’t be the last time we run into her.

Story number two:

We are waiting for my brother-in-law and his wife to come meet us and as soon as our new friend left, my brother-in-law walks in.
Tuly is 33 years old and has been in the military for about 14 years. He married his high school sweetheart right before we left for basic training. Throughout the years they’ve moved around, but stayed in Texas. He just came back from Afghanistan after almost year, this being his fourth or fifth time in that area. He came back a changed man in more ways than one. He was older this time around so he saw war in a very different light. He came back with nothing but a few scars; the universe was protecting him. Just the night before, he came to our house and wanted to talk to us about something.
His wife was leaving and had told him in an email three weeks before he came home. He was calm when he told us, he claims he is not upset and was trying his best to understand the situation.
Yet, that night, she walks in beside him.
In my line of work I am objective. I tend to look at all sides without emotion and decide.
So, I gather the facts, do the research and make an educated guess.
I know she has been depressed for a long time before he left. I know she doesn’t like the RGV, she doesn’t like the place she works, and her immediate family stresses her out.
Her husband keeps getting called back to serve and so many of the things she would like are not possible.
On the other hand, he has been gone for almost a year and she had all this time to think about the relationship alone. Maybe someone whispers in her ear to remind her of the bad times, instead of pointing out the good times.
It was oaky she was there, but a comment was made by her that made the next 10 seconds fall into an awkward silence. You know, the type of comment that really didn’t have to be said at all, but she said it anyway.
He was supposed to have 14 days of leave when he came back, but the military kept jerking him around giving him two days here and three days there. The poor guy had to keep driving back and forth to San Antonio to report for work and at the same time try to deal with what was waiting at home. He wants to make it work, but it seems she made up her mind.
They were the happiest when living in San Antonio. She loved her house, and her job.
I wonder where they are going next.

Story number three:

I’m on Blue Moon number five, close to the end of the night and feeling nice and tipsy. The music is still going and my friend the singer/songwriter/artist/professor is bantering with the table in front of her.
She laughs, they laugh, she talks about her CD as she is playing a song. One of the men asks about her last name and she replies, "I lost my Johnson, I lost my Johnson". Other people who weren’t really paying attention started to laugh at the play on words. My brother-in-law asks what she meant and
I explain (probably digging the knife a little more without wanting to) that she was married and had her name hyphenated. She recently divorced and dropped the last part, hence she lost her Johnson.
Another short awkward moment as I just reminded him of what is happening to him.
I digress, my beautiful friend who has been singing and getting into the jazzy groove all night, has a new beau in the audience. A tall dark handsome man, who from my view enjoyed watching every minute of her. You could see him smile and groove and at times you could see he was proud watching her play and get into the music, as if he’s saying, " oh yeah, I’m with her".
She dealt with her divorce a different way, but on the way she met Vishal and is making changes in her life that will only bring her more positive things. For now, she is smitten and "a slave to all things Hindu".
The night ended with an Elton John/Guns n Roses song combo.
Special K was in the house at Sahadi’s Bistro.
By this time, Soledad was not living up to her name and probably half way through a cigarette,
Tuly is sorting things out and mentally back on is way to his Air Force base while his wife thinks about leaving, and Kim? Kim is on a Redbull high breaking down equipment for the night.