The Story That Got Away

Lately, I've been struggling with "writer's fatigue". It's been a real effort to come up with new stories. Over the past few years, I've written over 500 pieces. So, I'm starting to wonder if my "creativity juices" are drying up. With this being said, I'm always trying to find a catalyst for a new tale.

Last night, I find myself at the hotel bar. I consider myself a relatively sociable guy. So, I can usually strike a conversation with almost anyone. Among the guys, the quintessential icebreaker is sports. Preparing to launch, I casually position myself between two guys sitting at the bar. Looking up at the television, which happens to be broadcasting the Jets/Patriots game, I ask, "So, who do you guys like in this one?" And just like that, a conversation was born......

It turns out that one of the guys happens to be a corrections officer. Jackpot! I was really looking forward to "interviewing" him. The potential stories that I could get from this guy were endless!

He was a large black man with a bald head who looked a little like the actor, Michael Clarke Duncan. He was sipping on a glass of Crown Royal. As we exchanged comments about the football game, I signaled for the bartender to get my friend a fresh glass of Canadian Whisky. I figured the looser he got, the more he would share about his jailhouse experiences. Yeah, I know it's a cheap tactic, but like I said, I'm having a hard time coming up with new stories.

Well, just as the conversation starts to transition from football to the big house, the guy on the next bar stool butts in with a political comment. Knowing that my window of opportunity is closing, I intercept the guys comment by saying. "You know what, it really doesn't matter. All politicians suck."

Officer Duncan raises his glass of Crown Royal and says, "I'll drink to that." I instinctively tilt my Dogfish 60-Minute IPA to him and join him in a drink.

Figuring it was now safe to go back to my plan, I start to ask the corrections guy a question. But no sooner the first word comes out of my mouth, the political guy chimes in with, "What's up with this Redskins' name bullshit?"

Really? We're going to talk about the Redskins name controversy now? At this crucial moment?

Normally, I would love to engage in this conversation. But I have another agenda here and this guy is doing everything he can to f*ck it up. He orders another beer and then turns his body towards us. This was a tell-tale sign that he wasn't going away anytime soon. The corrections guy happened to be a Redskins fan, so this added the unwelcomed fuel that I dreaded. From there, things shifted from the Redskins to Ray Rice to Owe'Malley "the asshole". My opportunity was lost. All I could do was accept it and drink my beer.

I'm hoping that the corrections guys are in town for another day. If they are, I promise you, I will be better prepared to fend off any potential story-blockers....

kw