Tag Archives: Cigar Shop

I’m Coming Home

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Well it was back to work after having off yesterday. And yesterday when it was 100° I was home in my underwear. It’s a nice enough image. Today when it was 100° I was in a suit and tie. That was what the temperature was when I had lunch at 3:30.

That’s the time to have lunch when you’re starting later than usual and also closing the store. It wasn’t so bad to have lunch at a late hour. Once again I sat by the park on a bench, reading the New Yorker from May and enjoying a free cigar.

A $25.00 cigar at that.

It was Marcus for a little while then he was off to get ready for his upcoming nuptials. Calvin and Raymond and eventually Sean came in. Raymond and Sean are both on thin ice, Sean because he was spending too much in the backroom and not working.

He’s a 19 year old father of a three year old and doesn’t care if he gets fired since he can always get a part time job at Hermes and his only expense is school books. No child support from him. He actually asked that if he gets a phone call from someone to say he’s not there.

Yes, he’s avoiding the mother of the baby boy, and not offering any child support.

Raymond offered to stick around while I closed the store, specifically reconciling the register. AT 9:01 he was out the door. So much for sticking around if I had any questions. In any event I was able to close the register and I’ll find out tomorrow whether or not I did it right.

I listened to MGMT after leaving the shop and got from there to the bus terminal in 16.1 minutes. Luckily I caught the bus and got a nice seat just seconds before the bus left the gate.

Last night things were quite heavy here in Hoboken, specifically in the apartment. The whole Bill wearing a guayabera thing blew up and got quite heated. Lot’s of yelling and getting in each others faces.

I yelled that I was willing to cancel the party and Bill said go right ahead. In the middle of this my cousin Joe called. He might be making it to the party on Sunday. I tell you, that if it weren’t for Joe’s call I probably would have canceled the whole shebang.

It was good to hear from Joe. I don’t believe I ever spoke to him on the phone before. He’s older than I am, closer to Frank and Annemarie’s age group than mine. Theresa and myself are the youngest in this group of cousins.

There is a younger cousin, Terrance but I haven’t seen him in 35 years. And that branch of the family tree doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with the rest of us, possibly from having bad feelings regarding their late father, my uncle which is the point of contact between us and them.

Doesn’t matter to me though. They’re somewhere out on Long Island along with other cousins that are unreachable or otherwise engaged.

I’m just glad the cousins I like are coming. And also glad that you might be coming. You know who you are. And Bill and I are just fine, thank you very much.

I’m Diggin’ You (Like An Old Soul Record)

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Another tired day, but I am happy to report I have tomorrow off. Quite a nice thing to write and even better to say. I’ve been home for about an hour. It was a long day. I had to open the store and left the apartment at 8:20 to catch the 8:30 bus.

When I got to the bus stop there was no bus coming and I checked the schedule. Today being a federal holiday meant the buses were running on a different schedule. I started making my way to the Path train and while in between bus stops my bus appeared.

I had to run into the street and wave my arms hoping the bus driver would stop. And stop he did. I got on the bus thanking him profusely. A Scandinavian woman asked if I had 5 singles since she needed change for the bus. I had 4 singles and that was good enough for her.

Once in the city it was a walk up the avenue, the only people out were tourists, most people had off for the holiday. I’m obviously not most people.

There was drama of course at the shop. Marcus and Calvin were upset about a few things, mainly because part timer Sean was on tape hanging out with the customers in the back room over the weekend for a few hours, when he should have been working.

Raymond is on thin ice still and the fact that he met up with Harold who was let go last month. Harold was persona non grata then and is still. He seems to be just fucking with Marcus and Calvin and used Raymond to do so.

I did not get a talking to like Sean did or like Raymond will tomorrow. I guess I’m doing alright, though it was mentioned that we shouldn’t be using our mobile devices while on the shop floor, because if you go to Hermes or Louis Vuitton, you won’t seen the sales staff doing that.

And we’re in that league according to Marcus.

The day started out slow like the other days the past few days. Marcus handed out cigars for the staff in honor of his upcoming wedding this weekend. They had his and his bride’s name printed on the cellophane.

I put it in my cigar box in the humidor and did whatever it is I did at the shop. Finally I was able to have lunch and I went out in the 97 degree weather and found a bench under a tree by the park and had a pretty good, expensive cigar that I had for free.

One of the perks you see. I read You Never Give Me Your Money by Peter Doggett, almost done with it. Just in time too since it’s due back at the Bibliothèque on Wednesday. They all come off badly the Fabs. Sniping, drug and alcohol abuse and endless lawsuits.

I’m in the last chapter. Maureen Starkey, Linda McCartney, and Derek Taylor are all dead and George was just attacked by a deranged intruder in his Henley on Thames mansion. It’s enough to make you give up the Beatles myth.

That’s about it for today. Off tomorrow and I’m happy to be home right now with Bill.

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