So after Josie’s Party, my favorite part of the evening was walking to Santa Monica from Venice at night in the heavy rain. I donned a yellow rainjacket, rubber soled shoes and a red umbrella. Concealed in my pocket was a still half-full and newly resurrected Circle of Sin. I’m heading to this place that used to be called Schatzi’s on Main street in Santa Monica. I have no idea what the place is called now.
It’s my friend Kindred Khan’s birthday. I’ve got some Bushmill’s in my pocket. I’m going to see a bunch of good friends. WooHoo! At the restaurant, I meet up with my friends Patricia and Stu. *Stu is not his real name. It’s a name he made up himself, an alter ego who gets by with much more mayhem and drunkenness than the normal - Oi! - dude. Stu is a Super-man to the local Venice bar scene, if you will. I know his day-time persona, his Clark Kent equivalent, but Stu’s secret is safe with me!* Stu’s girlfriend sent him out for ice cream this rainy night, but he’s somehow made it here with us, instead of to the store. It’s too bad she’s not here, she’s one of the friends I was hoping to see tonight.
So, Stu and Patricia and I are hanging out in the rained-out swank of the club/bar place. I’m lounging on a vinyl couch in my rain jacket in some dim red light under an industrial pop-out tent. Nice enough. I can see the rain and feel a few renegade drops, but all I hear is ambient dance music.
“Hey, check this out,” Patricia says as she hands me a menu.
I open the red and white ribboned book. It’s a bottle menu. $650.00 for a bottle of Dom and 250.00 for any flavor of Absolut. Excellent.
“Hey, check this out,” I say as I pull out the Circle of Sin and begin to pass it around.
“Excellent,” purrs Stu, who takes a pull.
“Although I’m thinking it needs a new name,” I said, “Since it’s really not shaped like a circle . . ”
Stu recaps the flask and grunts with a Spanish accent, “It is . . . the Cortez of Sin!” He beats his chest and heart with his free hand while he holds the . . . Cortez of Sin(?) . . . high in the air.
Patricia is half-Mexican descent and speaks perfect spanish. She looks confused. “What’s ‘Cortez?’” she asks.
“Oi!” says Stu still in his Conquistador-voice, “You know, the heart!”
Patricia laughs. “That’s corazon!”
“Yeah, well, Cortez was a conquistador . . . ” I offer.
“Even Better! A con-QU-ista-Dor! Who had a heart!” says Stu.
I think the verdict is still out as to the new name of this flask. Cortez was indeed a conquistador. A successful one. He destroyed the Aztec empire in the early 1500’s. So, no Cortez of Sin for me, thank you. Any suggestions on a brand name for this new flask are appreciated. Chances are if you are reading this, that someday you’ll drink from it!
