Conversation at Friday Night Karaoke

Recently at the Friday night karaoke, I was sitting around the table with a bunch of old buddies, when a woman named Carrie walked by the table. One lady said, "She used to work with me at Willie's Pharmacy."

So I said, "Really, I didn't remember that. I don't go to Willie's."

Another lady sitting across the table spoke up, "Who's getting silly?"

"I didn't say anybody was silly. I said I don't go to Willie's."

A third lady piped in, "Billy who?"

"Willie's. I said I don't go to Willie's."

The first lady spoke again, "Why don't you like Billy? Are you talking about Billy Sanders? What'd he do to you?"

Before I could answer, the lady across the table spoke again. "Who's Millie Sanders? I thought we were talking about Billy."

So I tried again almost shouting over the music in the background. "Willie's! I said I don't go to Willie's. I don't even know anybody named Billy or Millie."

The first lady again, "Oh, yeah, I know Millie. She worked with my daughter at Coleman's."

The lady across the table chimed in, "Oh, yeah, he is an old man. He had to have back surgery, you know. Couldn't get around very well for almost a year."

Getting frustrated now, I asked, "Who's an old man? Who are you talking about?"

"She's talking about Coleman Simpson," the third lady replied.

"I don't know Coleman Simpson, either. But let me guess, he worked somewhere with someone at this table," I said.

The first lady spoke again, "No, old Coleman hasn't worked anywhere in a long time. He used to work at that shoe store on Market Street, you know, the one where Willie's Pharmacy is now. You know, that lady, Carrie, used to work with me at Willie's."

The lady across the table spoke up, "Who is Billy?"

I finally just gave up and said, "Oh, you know, Billy, Millie and Willie all worked down at the shoe store with Coleman Simpson. Let's talk about something else." Thank goodness, this place serves liquor, I thought.