On The Road—This Time With AA

I was nine when I sat on my first barstool and learned to see through and into the darkness surrounding me in these bars and clubs. My reward was to see my father, who was always inside one of these establishments. Every lounge, every club, was a slight variation from the last. The sputtering neon beer signs, the beer nuts touched by everyone, the humorous napkins, and the beautiful bottles behind the counter.