TIP

12Position Yourself

Whenever the clock struck 2:00 a.m., if he was awake, it always gave Brian a little chuckle. His dad, when trying to impose curfews and get him and his siblings to make better decisions in their own lives, would always say, “If you’re out past 2:00 a.m., you’re only looking for trouble.” His dad was an undercover cop, so there was a lot of experience coming from that statement. As a bartender, Brian agreed, there was also a lot of truth.

Yet, the Saturday night of week two at Crossroads, something good happened after 2:00 a.m.

“Can I get a glass of water?” the man asked.

“Sure,” Brian said without looking up.

When he poured the water, he looked up to hand it to the customer. He recognized the man. He wasn’t sure where from, though.

“I know you, right?” Brian asked.

“Coach!” Jack screamed from the other end of the bar.

And then it dawned on Brian who this gray-haired man was. Coach Hal Babson was a Hall of Fame college football coach.

“Coach, great to see you. Thanks for coming in,” Jack said.

“Anytime, Jack. We had some big alumni dinner downtown that let out about a half hour ago. Otherwise, I would have been in sooner. All those ‘glory days’ stories can go on sometimes a bit too long, but it’s always great catching up with my former players.”

“You met Brian?” Jack asked.

“Yes, just now.”

“Coach, it’s okay if I call you Coach, right? Big fan.” Brian shook his hand.

“Yes, call me Coach. Everyone else does. Even my wife.”

“Really?” Brian said.

“No, not really. ...