Heavy, wet snow was putting the windshield wipers to the supreme test and they were failing. Slowly, the snow was being pushed onto the previous pile until the wipers had to quit. It would be impossible for me to go on, so I tried to get over to the side of the road and out of danger. The wheels were spinning but I was going nowhere. The dashboard clock read 02:15. A bar's sign twinkled through the large snowflakes. Getting to the bar through snow that seemed to be falling at a foot a minute was a formidable task.
The lights inside of the bar had been dimmed to one point before off. A, too dark, hallway twisted and turned several times before the checkroom became visible. "What time d'ya close?" I asked the giant-sized, bald guy.
"Whenever," He said, handing me a ticket for my coat. There was another short hallway with a half-turn that led me to the serving bar, in the middle of a very large ballroom. The light level was so low that I thought I might've been the only customer, although, I could hear talking and laughing. I ordered a draught beer. I hadn't had one in quite a long time and thought I'd enjoy a change. It was a big change from what I was used to, it was served in a waxed, cardboard cup. "What time d'ya close?" I asked the effeminate-looking barman.
"Whenever," he replied, smiling dutifully. I remembered the tune but not the name of the song, Whenever, Whenever. I thought it might've been from the Broadway show, Annie. It really didn't matter.
"Like, what time is whenever?" I couldn't help laughing.
"Well," he said, thinking it over, "I guess ya could say, whenever is when the guy comes in for the next shift." He smiled with his eyes.
"Hey, that's great, I guess I can stay for a while yet, huh?"
"You're welcome to stay till whenever," he said, actually laughing, this time. "Seriously, though, the official closing time is supposed to be 03:00 but, unofficially it's whenever."
"Maybe ya could let me have another beer whenever you have time." I laughed silently, believing I was in wheneverland.
I was somewhat surprised. No, shocked would be a better word. I was shocked, when my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, to observe two young guys at the bar, hugging and kissing. At first I'd thought they were standing, facing one another, and just talking. I'd never seen anything like that and wondered how come the barman was ignoring them. Being able to see reasonably well, now, I glanced at the couples dancing. The light wasn't good enough yet, I guessed, all the couples seemed to be boys.
Then, I realized I hadn't been much brighter than the bulbs, when one of the boys I'd seen kissing, was now sitting on the bar, getting a blow-job from the other boy. When the barman approached them I feared it might've been to put a stop to my entertainment. But, no, he casually moved the bowls of nuts and potato chips out of harms way and went on with his chores.
On my other side, at the bar, I watched as one guy was withdrawing his hand from inside the back of another's pants then he smelled his fingers. I watched the ritual being repeated, continually. Motioning the barman to come over, I asked, "Did you see what that guy's doing?"
"What's he doing?" The barman asked.