Saturday Night @ the Fights

I never much cared for the Harrisburg club scene, and now I really don't. A friend wanted me go with them to a club in downtown Harrisburg to watch a live band - fair enough. First off, I drove to Harrisburg to find the place to no avail. So I came back to the West Shore and decided to give it another try. My friend was already at a parking garage and now I had to find it - which I did without much of a problem.

Then my friend locks their keys in their car - this is going to be a loooong night. The place is packed like sardines - people elbow to elbow everywhere. About 1AM I decide I'm going out for air and to enjoy the open space of the sidewalk. This is where things get tricky.

My friend spots a friend of theirs from high school, whose sister was in my graduating class. Now is where things need to be put into context. I actually liked & respected his sister, but I always felt like she put up with me because we hung out with some of the same people. Her brother (the guy in the bar last night), always looked down on me - and after 20 years and God knows how many drinks later - that feeling punched me dead in the face.

So my friend goes to talk to this guy, and I head for the door a few minutes later. As I'm passing both of them I was getting ready to tell my friend where I was going when this guy starts talking to me. Great, just great. He tells his buddies that we're "Good Friends" and then he puts his hands on me - not good. My reply was "Get you f***ing hands off of me!" I didn't know it, but there was a bouncer about ready to step in when I walked out.

The lessons learned on his part:

1. Don't call me a friend if we aren't.
2. Don't put your hands on me unless we are friends.
3. Never put your hands on me when I'm drunk.

So I went to my car and waited for my friend until 2:15AM. I found out that they had almost gotten into it with someone entirely different while I was in my car. We came back to the West Shore, got spare car keys, got their car, and they went home after following me home.

For the people that like the Harrisburg club scene - God love ya, but I'm staying out of it from now on.