Alicia was having the worst day. Coming from a terrible work meeting, she hastily retreated from her unhappy client’s office, breaking her shoe heel and hurting her ankle. Then after hobbling and walking for blocks in an unfamiliar part of town, she couldn’t find her car.
Frustrated, upset and very overwhelmed, she stopped abruptly when she encountered a rainbow of “NO PARKING” signs mounted on a streetlamp. Strangely, the signs said there was no parking allowed on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
“Only Wednesday and Thursdays?” she smiled, laughing at the peculiar timing of the notices. She could see no parking on the weekend, but a weekend that extended most of the week did not make sense, she thought.
Just as she was contemplating the unusual rules and again looked around for her parked car, she heard music and loud noises coming from the adjacent building. She looked at the sign on the window which read “Hump Day Bar.”
Curious, Alicia opened the door and stopped cold, propping the door open. She couldn’t believe what she saw. It was a completely overwhelming cornucopia for the senses. There were lively flashing lights everywhere of all different hues. There was a stage where people were singing Karaoke. On another stage at the opposite side of the building, there was a band playing and people dancing.
Unconsciously, she walked a few steps in and the door closed behind her, without making a sound.
She was mesmerized. Everywhere she turned, there was a feast for her eyes. One area was covered with tarps and canvasses, where people were drawing and painting everything in wonderful spectrums of color.
She drifted further in toward a loud and erratic array of odd beeping noises coming from the back corner. There she found an arcade of old video games she remembered from her youth, next to a room with trampolines and big blow-up slides.
Then she came upon a brightly-colored bar with a huge marquee-lite sign over the top. It said they served ice cream, Boston crème pie, crème puffs, sour cream and onion potato chips, whipped cream cakes, crème cheese and bagels, marshmallow cream fudge, strawberries and creme fraiche, and a variety of drinks made with Irish cream, Crème de menthe, Cream de cacao and cream soda.
“Apparently they think people like cream,” she laughed aloud, when suddenly a tall man in a ringmaster costume with a tall black hat appeared in front of her out of nowhere, startling her.
“Welcome to the Hump Day Bar,” he announced smiling and throwing his arms open. “It is a wonderland for adults where worries and troubles of the week melt away for forty-eight hours of unadulterated fun.”
Snapped out of her blinding trance, Alicia wrinkled her brow with a look of confusion. “I-I am not sure what to make of this,” she stuttered, trying to form coherent sentences.
“Of course you are,” laughed the man with a bounding chuckle. “Everyone is a little stunned when they get here. It is a lot to take in all at once. Most people find it easier just to jump in and start one thing. It’s all wonderful.”
She turned around and back again to ask him another question and he eerily disappeared as quickly as he appeared before.
Still puzzled, Alicia slowly walked around, opening door after door to find no end to the amusements all around. As she stood observing the people in each room, she noticed they were all completely happy and carefree. There were no scowls, no fighting, and no shouting; just smiles and laughter.
They must be on a strange trip, she concluded.
She walked up to the bartender, dressed like a prima ballerina, with a sparkling white leotard and tutu and a beautiful feather cap on the side of her head.
“Tell me, is this place for real? Alicia wondered. “These people all stoned, right?”.
The ballerina just smiled and gave Alicia a handbill.
It said…”Hump Day Bar. A wonderland for adults to shed their worries and troubles and just play, recharging for the coming week. No drugs allowed, just happiness. Open Wednesdays and Thursdays only.”
Could such a place exist? Alicia pondered. A pure eutopia of fun and laughter. No problems, no consequences, just enjoyment?
“No wonder you can only park here in the middle of the week,” she laughed and ordered an ice cream cone and a crème puff and began planning what she would do next.
(c) Copyright 2019, Suzanne Rudd Hamilton
SUZANNE RUDD HAMILTON 