Life is often the most entertaining when you just let it happen. No schedule, no plans. Just an open mind and a willingness to listen. Everyone has a story.
The Chart Room Bar in Key West is a small dive tucked away in what is now the Pier House Resort at the end of Duval Street. It has nautical charts on the ceiling and pre-digital snapshots on the wall of the famous, infamous, and unknown in various stages of dress, undress, and general merriment. It’s where Jimmy Buffett played his first Key West gig in 1971, and I imagine the barroom didn’t look much different then than it does today. Chrissy and I wanted to raise a toast to our hero in that spot and “let’s stop in for one” turned into an evening of connections that would have made Jimmy proud.
We had stopped in a few nights earlier and chatted with the bartender, Debbie, who was working her first ever shift in the Chart Room that night. When we returned this time Debbie was working her second shift. She greeted us warmly and got us a couple of beers. Since all six stools at the small bar were occupied, we made our way to the back of the room, bypassing the free hot dogs swimming in a crock pot but grabbing some popcorn and peanuts to snack on. We joined three people already sitting at the large round table and the magic began.
They were a local couple and his mother, who was visiting from California. With the half-marathon a common topic around town this weekend, we quickly learned that Mom, had walked five full marathons to raise money for charities. Inspired by her mother-in-law, the younger woman had run two marathons of her own (so far) in Honolulu and at Disney. Mom was visiting on a small cruise ship of about 130 passengers that operates up and down the west coast of Florida out of St. Petersburg – something we west coast natives didn’t know existed.
I’d been thinking a lot about the feral chickens on this trip to Key West. It’s hard not to, especially if you’re an early riser and hear the cacophony of crowing every morning at sunrise. It turns out the younger woman at our table works for the Key West Wildlife Center, where they rescue all kinds of birds, including one to two thousand chickens a year. The chickens are protected so it is illegal to kill them, but people will trap them and turn them in to the Wildlife Center so they can enter the Chicken Relocation Program. They wait until they have a couple hundred chickens then the very couple we were sitting with load them up in a U-Haul and drive them to be released on a farm in Immokalee. I couldn’t believe that after all my curiosity about the chickens, here I was having a drink with the chicken expert of Key West. I also couldn’t help thinking about how excited the alligators in Immokalee must be when they see that U-Haul roll in, but I kept that thought to myself.
Mom had to get back to her cruise ship, so they left us with stories of marathons and chickens as we refilled our popcorn and peanut supply, got some fresh beers from Debbie, and moved on to the next conversation with three ladies from New Jersey. One of the ladies’ boyfriend passed away and they were on a mission to visit his favorite places in Key West with his ashes, and he loved the Chart Room. It was a sad story but a beautiful way to celebrate a life. Everyone has a story.
Soon we noticed that stools opened up at the bar so we relocated, not unlike the chickens but not as far and without alligators. Reunited with Debbie at the bar we got to know her a bit more. We discovered we are the same age and she decided many years ago that when her kids were out on their own she was going to move to Key West. And now she and her husband made it happen. There’s something about an empty nest that makes some of us want to fly away and build a new nest somewhere else. We talked about the challenges and joys of parenthood and how wonderful life is through it all. Everyone has a story.
By now we’d been at the Chart Room much longer than we intended and the crock pot hot dogs had somehow transformed from an unappetizing swill of tube steak to the image of a delicious delicacy. They made for a fine Key West meal, the price was right, and the entertainment continued.
We struck up a conversation with the couple next to us. She introduced herself by saying she sells batteries and lube for a living. We knew right away she had the right sense of humor for us. They were in town for a wedding. The man’s daughter and ex-wife were also there and we heard about the great relationships they have all the way around, including the wife and ex-wife. Not all relationships last forever and it’s so good for everyone, especially kids, if folks can stay amicable or even friends. Everyone has a story.
Sometime among the beers, hot dogs, and conversations a group of men walked in, made snarky comments about the service, and barked orders for Red Stripes at Debbie without even saying hello. I was angry because they were rude to my new friend, but I also remembered that not everyone’s story is happy. If someone is angry or rude, there is usually a reason beyond just their personality. Those guys didn’t stay long and we didn’t talk, but I hope they find a way to be happy. Everyone has a story.
Our “one beer” at the Chart Room was now approaching four hours and it was time to move on to supplement our hot dogs with something a bit more nutritious. As we finished our last beers, our last new friend of the night was a fellow Parrothead from Raleigh who retired from the world of finance and now screen prints witty T-shirts a couple of days a week. He is living a relaxed yet productive lifestyle and we had a great conversation with a lot of laughs. Everyone has a story.
The Chart Room was still going strong when we wandered out into the Key West night, carrying memories of new friends we will most likely never see again. As our world seems so divided and so many retreat behind the small screens in their pockets, I wish everyone could spend a night swapping stories and making friends in the Chart Room.
Where Are We Going Now? 