I was already awake when the sun rose in the east shortly before 6am Friday morning. I arose slowly and headed toward the kitchen to start the coffee. As I made my first journey of the day, the obsession that would consume the next 13 hours of my life began to take shape. It started as a strange craving, or perhaps a thought that refused to reveal itself. I showered, sucked down the much needed coffee and resigned myself to face the day and go to work. Something was bothering me, but I couldn’t put a name on it!
Work turned out to be typical chaotic Friday, and I love Fridays because the time passes so fast. Today was different, the normal busy atmosphere was there, customers came and went, and work got done as usual, but, the clock was moving in slow motion. Something was different…an unknown antagonist was nagging at me all day. Five o’clock finally came, and it was time to close and leave for the day. It seemed like days had passed since I came to work. Then it hit me, finally I knew what had troubled me all day long. It was Friday; it was steak night at the infamous Fillin’ Station, time to go enjoy a great meal with friends. What great thought….but no, things might be different, would there really be steak tonight? Would the place even still be open for business? Could it be that they may have fallen victim to the recent publicity that was so cruelly thrown at them? All I could do was hope that they had opened and that at least a few of my friends had chosen to go there and show their support.
I rushed home (doing the speed limit or less), I showered (wow, two in one day), and began the trip to my favorite Friday night respite. As I drove along with a friend, we discussed the whole issue and lamented the possibility that a local tradition may have been destroyed. We could only hope!
We made the right turn from Meridian Road and slowly made our way over the last 200 yards to the venerable old watering hole. We held our breath as we navigated the slight curve and watched the Station come into view. We stopped cold in the median 50 yards from the parking lot and gazed with unbridled joy! Not only was the place open, but there were cars literally parked on top of one another, the place was packed…and it was early! Good fortune smiled upon us as there was one single parking spot left (it required double parking, but that seemed to be the SOP of the evening).
I was shocked when we entered, “Where were the people? The parking lot was overflowing but the place gave every appearance of being abandoned! What the heck was going on?” Then as I ventured deeper into the bar I noticed the lovely bartender, and she must have noticed my look of dismay. She smiled as she offered us a drink, and graciously pointed out the back window. I turned and looked outside and immediately understood. A brand new, gorgeous, and greatly expanded patio deck was shining in the sunset, and upon it were 150 to 200 of my friends. It was the largest crowd I have ever seen there, and while I can’t be sure, I would say that Mark and Rita may have had the best night in their history there! They had worked feverishly this week and finished creating an outdoor paradise for the people who have been their patrons for years. And those patrons answered! Each and every one of them surrendered the place they have called home for years so that Mark and Rita would not get into any trouble! They surrendered it to the very people who have called them stupid and illiterate simply because they choose to smoke in a place where nobody cared! They moved outside and had a wonderful steak dinner, interacted with friends, enjoyed the karaoke, and reveled at the sunset and the beauty of Beaufort. Things were as they should be…..almost!
After a couple of hours I felt the need to inspect the plumbing (a tradition at most bars) and made my way to the little boy’s room. There were four or five people inside partaking of the glorious smoke free environment, and there was room for easily fifty more. I couldn’t help but notice the absence of bodies the ambiance that normally abounded there. I went on about my business, washed my hands (is that three times today?) and began to work my way back to paradise. I stopped at the bar to order another drink (it’s OK, I had a designated driver and it was only my second). As I waited alongside another regular, we were approached by one of the new people who had come to see this “new” non-smoking establishment. He told us that he had heard this place had a magical quality that he had always wanted to experience but that he had not found it. “Was I misinformed?” he asked. Before I could speak (now there’s a thought!) the other regular seized the opportunity. He looked at the man and said; “What you heard is true, there is magic here…that magic is the camaraderie between the owners, the staff, and all of us who come here. The law says that we are no longer welcome inside, so we have taken the magic outside. You are welcome to join us, we don’t discriminate against anyone, but before you come along, you should be aware that out there we can and do smoke." The man and his friends followed and they appeared to enjoy themselves all evening long. They seemed to fit in well and everyone seemed to like them. They discovered the magic that they had heard about, the magic that is unjustly being trifled with by governmental bodies that have no right to interfere with free enterprise!
To those of you who have not had the pleasure, please join us…we welcome you! If you do not smoke or cannot tolerate it, you are still welcome and you can have the building that we used to populate. We have a new paradise, and you’re welcome out there too, but there it is on our terms!