Following my post the other day on the Washington Post article that opens with Myrtle telling Buzzy to give her a big ole hug, someone asked me if it was true that I’d banned Myrtle from coming into the Store. Since this marked the third or fourth time that someone has asked me this, obviously it’s out there on the rumor mill so I thought I should address it. Short answer is no I did not ban her; but I can see where the longer answer could lead one to construe that I did. Here’s what went down.
Last summer, 2012, Myrtle’s son from California (state) was in town and one early Saturday afternoon he and Myrtle rolled into the Store. Myrtle camped out on her stool and her son then left. Myrtle proceeded to knock ’em back to the point that she got very drunk.
Throughout the afternoon Myrtle carried on a mostly one way commentary about how much she loved Buzzy but wasn’t too sure about me. The more she drank, the less sure she became about me until she simply confided that she didn’t particularly care for me at all. I ignored her as best I could since I was busy, but kept looking out the Store door window, hoping her son would soon be back to take her out of here. No luck however.
The drunker she became, the more profane Myrtle’s comments became to the point that she was starting to torque off customers with f bomb this and f bomb that. For instance, to a nice young lady with a couple of tats, Myrtle asked her “Why the f**k would you want such an ugly tatoo?” I could tell that the lady didn’t care for the comment as she hurriedly paid for her items and left the Store.
I then called Myrtle’s son Charlie who told me that he had warned his brother about not leaving her down Buzzy’s because he knew that she would get drunk. I told Charlie I didn’t care who came and retrieved her but that she needed to go. (I suspect that that is where the rumor started that I kicked her out and banned her from Buzzy’s.)
Finally, after another round or two of Myrtle’s views of me, and continued insults to customers, I paid someone to take her up to the Legion. Thankfully, she went and that’s the end of the story. Myrtle has since been in the Store and was very pleasant each time she’s been in.
So the bottom line is – Myrtle is not banned from Buzzy’s. In fact she is welcomed in Buzzy’s anytime she wants to drop in as long as the driver who brings her, stays here with her to take her back out of here when/if she gets too drunk.