No Angry Darts
by Adam "Rev" Hulnick

This is one of the few things I've ever written while under the influence of alcohol. With any luck that fact won't be too blaringly obvious.


Okay, I've had a couple of vodka tonics, so apologies if this is not up to my usual standard...

Tonight me and my buddy Schaff went down to the pub to play some darts. I'm not very good at the game, but I guess I'm into it enough to have my own set of darts. I named them "los bumblebees." Another night I was drinking.

So we get there and this one regular customer is playing a game with a couple of girls. The regular, a guy named Mike, is angry competitive guy. We all call him "Angry Mike." He can't stand me, partly I'm sure because I don't play very well, but largely I'm betting because he thinks I'm an idiot. The fact that he doesn't get that I act like a super-idiot around him because I know it pisses him off makes it just so much sweeter. For me, anyway. I don't think it enhances his evening at all.

So anyway, he's working on this little chick, arm around her, showing her where to throw the darts. Schaff and I put our names on the board to play him next. At first we're just throwing the darts as usual, but after a time an idea hits me: if we start to beat him he'll transform into angry competitive guy and ruin his chances with this little chick.

And not that I can will myself to throw better or anything, but I think the spirit of mischief rose in me and guided los bumblebees to the target. As we started winning, like clockwork he started to get angry. I racked up some points and really steamed him. When we actually won, he wouldn't even shake my hand. The little chick came up to me, still holding out my hand in Angry's direction, and said "he's pretty competitive, huh?" I told her what we called him and she almost fell over laughing.

We played another game and he was now so absorbed in the game that he was ignoring the girl who had gone to talk to some other people. When we won the second game, fun had left the building for Angry. Losing to me must kind of suck because I'm not very good and I don't care that I'm not very good. Losing to me is kind of like a professional racecar driver losing to a guy in a Mazda Miata who had kind of wandered onto the racetrack.

The little chick left some time during the third game. Angry won the third game and wanted to play another, "it's one each, let's play a third." Schaff reminded him that we had actually won two games. Though I have to say that by my reckoning, I was the big winner tonight. Well, me and that little chick who didn't have sex with Angry.

Viva Los Bumblebees!



More good stuff at AtomicLunch.com