Trouble In Mind

Zachariah Mattheus
Aug 23, 2017 · 1 min read

I had the early shift. I opened the bar around 11am. There were only a few regulars over the first couple hours. About 2pm a guy came in, sat down and ordered a double whiskey. About 20 or 30 minutes later he ordered another. I saw this guy out of the corner of my eye for about three or four hours, drinking his whiskey, slowly. At one point I went out for a cigarette, when I came back the guy was gone, a few dollars and a piece of paper sitting next to his empty glass. I grabbed the money, cursing, and put it and the paper in my pocket. The late shift bartender called in sick that day but it was slow so I stayed on to make some extra cash. I got home about 5:30 am, pulled all the crap out of my pockets, and threw it on the dresser. That’s when I saw that piece of paper that guy who drank all day had left. I picked it up and read what turned out to be his suicide note.

Make Mine A Double

Bars come and go, but people continue to drink. From the mouths of bartenders, bouncers, friends & lovers “Make Mine A Double” is an anecdotal collection of stories, both contemporary and historic from the bars of NYC. Written and Researched by Billy Amanna & Zachariah Mattheus.

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Dissatisfied. Empathetic. Curious.

Bars come and go, but people continue to drink. From the mouths of bartenders, bouncers, friends & lovers “Make Mine A Double” is an anecdotal collection of stories, both contemporary and historic from the bars of NYC. Written and Researched by Billy Amanna & Zachariah Mattheus.

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