Eddie was a dumb ass. In fact Eddie had been a dumb ass for so long that no one at Hunters even noticed that he was a dumb ass anymore. He was such a familiar annoyance that he was no longer really noticed like the sticking door to the mens bathroom or the annoying buzz of the neon in the window.

   Wendell, like wise was a regular but where Eddie was loud and obnoxious, a bit of a bully Wendell just sat quietly at the table by the door alone. Monday through Saturday he pulled up on his Harley and sat in his leathers in that same chair and had one drink that he nursed for about an hour. Nobody talked to Wendell and Wendell never said anything beyond ordering his drink and not even that now that everyone knew he drank Jack straight up. He was rugged as a cowboy, lean and scarred with arms like a boxer. Nothing about Wendell encouraged conversation and all things considered he was just fine with that.

The new kid, now, everybody was watching the new kid. He was clean cut, all American but not very big. He'd come in, most likely to get out of the heat. He was friendly enough when spoken too but a little shy. Goose behind the bar chatted with him some, before it got busy, about the game on the tube, thought him likable enough but that was about it.

Goose was the first to see things going south. Eddie was pretty well fucked up at this point and was scanning the crowd for someone to stir shit with. Goose could practically see  him get a hard on when he laid eyes on the new kid. Everyone else just ignored Eddie at this point but the new kid was ripe for the picking. Eddies blurry red eyes narrowed as he sat down his beer and headed down the bar. "Keep walking Eddie." Goose growled. Eddie veered away from the kid and acted like he was just going to the bathroom, that's all.

Goose went about his business but kept an eye in the mirror knowing Eddy wasn't going to give up that easy. It was while he was down at the far end  giving old Walt a beer that Eddie came back through. He was just turning around as Eddie walked up and"bumped" into the kid, knocking his hand with the beer in it and sending it spraying.

   "What the fuck!" he bellowed, red faced. You throwin your beer on me you little faggit?"

  "Eddie cut that shit right now!" Goose called but he would have to either jump the bar or walk to the far end and back around to the brawl and his bar jumping days were long gone.

   "No way am I letting this little cocksucker throw his drink on me."

   "I didn't mean to..." 

    "Shut up faggit!" Eddie grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him farther down the bar away from the end that Goose would emerge from when he got around the bar.

     "This aint no faggit bar where you can come in here  with your faggit ass and throw your drink in my face like a little bitch."

     "I aint no fa...."

   "Shut up you  you little candy-ass. I'm going to fuck up that little faggit face of yours for showing it in this bar. This is a straight bar you little cock muncher you got that? Straight?!" The whole time he was pulling the new kid away from the bar and toward the front door. As he was now nearing Wendell and he realized that he was finally going to get his chance to impress the silent tough just like he had often daydreamed while sitting at the bar, he pushed the kid into the wall near Wendells table and called over his shoulder, "We don't like faggots around here. Us guys like me and Wendell  don't want you faggits coming in here slobering over our dicks. Dicks are for chicks faggit. We're real men me and Wendell. We're straight men just like god made us to be and we don't like butt pluggin faggits up in here." He was huffing from the exertion now and spittle flecked his lips. He was practically hard from the prospect of impressing Wendell. "Come on over here Wendell and give this kid one straight from the shoulder. Ha Ha get it? Straight from the shoulder. Pretty fucking funny huh Wendell? Knock this faggit right in his cock garage. Eddie was jumpy with adrenaline as Wendell's chair scraped back and he stood up and headed over towards the altercation. "Show this boy what happens when he crosses a straight man." He was flying high now. Eddie and Wendell side by side in a bar fight. Butch and Sundance ride again. Wehee.

The last thing Eddie heard before he sailed through the plate glass of the door was Wendell's voice in his ear, "I'm not straight you dumbfuck." By the time the ambulance came Wendell had walked  four blocks to open up Night Hawks, the leather bar that had been around the corner and down the next alley for over twenty years. "Not exactly 'straight' from the shoulder Eddie but good enough I reckon."