Table 19

or should I say Back of the Bus

Names have been Changed.

       Went to a wedding this last week.  It   was a mercy invite by a high school friend that I really don't see anymore.  As a matter of fact the last time I saw him was at another wedding about 3 years ago.  I get a call from him no less than a week before his wedding.  I said I would love to come, and he said he would send me an invite. (Which I  never received)  But another high school friend (Sin) is going and he happens to be a groomsmen.  Since my wife is unable to make it, Sin tells me that I can carpool with his wife and daughter.  So come Saturday we're off and running at 3 pm.  I sit with Sins' wife Nin, Sins' daughter Samantha and friend Officer Law.  Not being all that serious and wanting some attention I find time to take random snaps with my digital camera of officer law.  He is not amused, but finds the humor in it.  The church service ends at 4 but the reception doesn't begin until 6.  If that isn't bad enough, word comes back from Sin that it's going to be a 10 course Authentic Chinese reception.  I've been to one of these receptions  for a family member about 5 years ago and it's not pretty.  Since Sin needs to go to City Hall for more pictures, the decision to go to Dave and Busters and get loaded (not really known to Sins wife) is made.  Officer Law flips the tab for one glass of white wine for Nin, a Strawberry Shake for Samantha, and two big Ass long island ice teas for the both of us.  Not to mention Chicken Nachos, Hot Wings, and Cheese Sticks.  I warn them, that this will be a long night, and because we aren't really exposed to this kind of food, it may not be all that great.  But hey, I'm thagierk, being negative is my thing.  Thank god they listen and we don't go to the reception starving. 

    We drive around the parking lot and park at the Restaurant and walk to the front entrance.  Nin is doing fine, Law and Myself are getting a little festive. (if  you know what I mean) Then the White Wine hits the buck o two girl, (Nin) minutes after she parks the car.  She starts laughing and her face becomes red and her checks blush.  She tells Officer Law and I that Sin won't be happy with her.  We tell her to tell him if was our doing and to blame us.  We see the limo pull up and the wedding party gets out and Sin walks over to where the four of us are standing.  He does notice right of the bat that his wife is festive, but doesn't show that he cares.  We walk in the establishment and give them our names and low and behold we are at table 19.

    Table 19 is located in the very back of this place right next to the back/entrance door.  It's the nosebleed seats.  We sit with the wedding photographer and the wedding coordinator and her friend.  We must be the only white people there, everyone else is either Filipino or Chinese.  Except for Officer Law who doesn't really notice Nin, Sin and I feel the separation.  It wasn't a bad feeling, just an awkward one.  They accept us, but we feel out of place.  I come up with a nickname for our table, quite simply "Back of the Bus"  When I was growing up, the people who sat in the back of the bus were the people no one really cared for.  The nerds, the geeks, the smelly, the not so clean, you know who you are.  And now we are the back of the bus for sure.  Everyone that walks in gives us the double take.  Let me stress, everyone was nice. 

    Shortly after we sit down, open bar comes our way by way of waitress.  Officer Law and myself partake in some beers.  Nin has some more wine, and Sin gets to have half a beer.  He is driving us home.  The more we drink the more festive we all become.  It's not long before I turn table 19 into the back of the bus stereotype.  We start talking all kinds of stuff.  Understand no one could hear us.  When shark fins soup is served, I quickly pass.  It looks like hot and sour soup, but fool me once....  Sin takes a sip and BAM he's out, Nin same thing, Samantha ditto.  Office Law takes some big ass sips and tells us that it's not bad at all.  I quickly call him a Liar.  He denies, I snap a picture (you judge)  Then other courses show up at the table.  I take a bite out of some sort of cold chicken breast and discovered that I am a lucky winner of a bone.  I pry it from my mouth, and put it on my plate for all of table 19 to see and talk about.  Officer Law claims that it was not a bone but a piece of bone cartilage and we pass it around for further evaluation.  After some discussion, we come to a conclusion that yes it is a bone.  Then I start talking real loud about how they are trying to kill me.  Officer Law takes a sip of his beer, leans over and whispers in my ear, "Why don't you Shut the Fuck Up"  Which I can't take seriously because he's smiling and trying not to laugh when he says it.  So I change gears and grab some long yellow strands of jellyfish, place it in the napkin and pretend to sneeze.  I pull back the napkin and show the table my outcome.  I get the look from the photographer and wedding coordinator and her friend.  But Sin, Law, Nin and especially Samantha find the act funny, but try to hide it.  Nin and I get in an verbal disagreement about a dvd I loaned her and Sin a few weeks earlier.  She thought "The Real Cancun" made by the producers of The Real World on MTV was nothing more than a T and A film.  I tell her she was wrong and if she could look pass several of the t and a scenes we could have a decent conversation about the film.  She calls it porn and I cry foul and take another sip of my beer.  Sin looks over and gives me the evil eye and the discussion is dropped like a bad habit.  A fish is served with the head still attached and my white breed ass makes a b line to the bathroom.  When I return, Officer Law is trying to hook up with the wedding coordinators friend and is quickly shot down with the old "I have a  husband" line.  Again not really thinking I cry foul.  And this time Officer Law gives me the serious shut the fuck up eye.  I tell him, I was wasn't talking about him, but about some dude who was trying to talk to me when I was taking a leak.  Which, as a guy, you just don't do.  We both play it off like it was a misunderstanding.  About this time the bride and the groom are making their way around the room and are now at our table.  We indulge in some superficial chit chat, and being that we never met his bride the conversation ends as fast as it came.  We wished them well and tell them that marriage is a wonderful thing.  They move on to the next table and I quickly look for the waitress for my next beer. Sin and Nin go outside for a smoke. And then return a few minutes later.   I look over at Officer Law and he looks festive squared.  Samantha has become friends with the wedding coordinators friend, who by the way refused to be in any pictures I took and gave me the old hand blocking the camera turning her face pose.  But what I found funny about that situation was this.  When Samantha was talking to this very nice women, Nin would be looking at her daughter with this look.  It's a look hard to define.  But a look any parent would know.  Since I am not a parent, let me try to describe this stare.  It's a proud gazing look.  A look that a parent has when their child is making them feel proud.  But it's also a two fold look.  It's a second stare that the child is supposed to pick up on.  It's the "don't you say anything that will embarrass me" as your parent stare.  This look I do know, for I have received it many times from my parents when growing up.  And as you can tell, for good reason.

    After being at the reception for about 5 hours Samantha was getting tired and Sin and Nin decide to call it quits and I agree.  We say our goodbyes and start walking out.  Officer Law stays, and as we walk out we say goodbye to him and to table 19.  I scream out "Back of the Bus Rules!!" and exit the building.

A quick snap of Officer Law      Sin

The Church Pic   Rececption

Samantha and ThaGierk  Sin & Nin

The Rest of Table 19

The old blocking the face picture.  Photographer that we sat with.

Shark Fin Soup, Yum