A Friday Evening Muse

I lost a bar a few years ago and never found another that felt quite the same. In the grand scheme of things, maybe this doesn't seem important, but then in some ways it really was. I took it for granted back then. It was a nice Italian place.The owners were always there to greet you, and on Fridays the regular crowd was treated to free Pasta Fagioli from a big pot on a table at the end of the bar. For some of us that was dinner on Fridays. Oh some nights we'd order real sandwiches or a plate of pasta, fried zucchini, fried eggplant.. but I digress.
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What really made it special wasn't just the food. It was the feeling that you could walk in and just know that in awhile someone else would be there you knew, or the owners would stop by to chat or let you try a bit of their homemade wine. Sometimes we'd catch up on gossip or talk about the new play in town or local politics. Then a bunch would go sit out on the patio and just watch the sun go down and take in the night breeze. The bar was right next to the Playhouse, so Friday nights brought in a variety of people-- actors and actresses, the stage crew, people in from out of town to watch the show, etc. The "regulars" consisted of a diverse group of all ages and walks of life--the political bigwigs, a very friendly and talkative group of social workers who came after work, a couple of local radio personalities, musicians, a few local eccentrics (one who claimed to have been at Woodstock), and even some people who were almost quite literally "on the street." The place reflected the community.
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When the owners had to sell the bar, the crowd went their separate ways. I remember the "last" sort of normal Friday night there when people started "lobbying" for the next bar. But it was useless. The gang split up. Fractured. Dissipated. Never was the same. Thinking about it, we were never really a "gang" of people. Few of us really saw each other outside of Friday nights at the bar. Occasionally I see a few familiar faces from back then, when I'm out at other bars now. A smile, a wave here or there. . .
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But there's no more free Pasta Fagioli on Friday night.