You open that in here and we’ll be coming to blows



You open that in here and we’ll be coming to blows


     This is one of the old old South Gate stories Greg enjoyed hearing. It involved Billy Hogan and I stopping off at one of the many run-down liquor stores along Atlantic boulevard. This one was right next to King-O-Lawn and a block from  a taxidermy shop. There was a grossly obese clerk behind the counter who wheezed as he puffed a cigarette and leaned back into an upright stool on the business side of the counter. The guy looked like a heart attack waiting to happen and was one miserable son of a bitch. The  unventilated joint stunk of sour sweat and stale cigarette smoke. Billy and I had been playing basketball at the Compton College gym and wanted to wet our whistle after sweating out a quart or two. Billy grabbed a cold can of beer and was unconsciously flicking the pull tab as he waited for me to complete my transaction. These were the old can openers before they came up with the pop tops which kept the piece attached to the can. Billy flicked a couple of times and then the rotund, wheezing boss man pointed his chubby finger at Bill and threatened him with "you open that in here and we'll be coming to blows." Now, he could have just informed Billy that by California law you cannot drink from an open container in a liquor store. Remember, the tough guy making threats probably would have been winded by standing upright, let alone walking around the counter to take on the always game William Reid Hogan. Beside the asburdity of the man mountain trying to be bad, we all knew Billy, like Georgie Chuvalo had never been knocked down.



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