The Blue dolphin Pub in south of London is frequented by all kinds of strange people. At the expense of just a couple of glasses of whiskey, one can hear all kinds of strange stories from them. Stories about being the boyfriend of one of the most famous pop star and stories about alien sightings are the most common ones. But some of them are simply brilliant. I sometimes genuinely wonder if some of the more brilliant ones are real – yes they are that good. The best I can remember was a story recounted by one Mr. Robert Fitzgerald.
It was often quite easy to catch a potential storyteller. If someone takes a very long time to finish their glass, it means that they don’t have money for more. And with years of experience, I know from the face if that person has something he wants to tell someone. I often get that person drinks like a Good Samaritan and get his story in return. Of course, there was no profit motive in that. It was purely for my amusement and entertainment. The success rate of this was very low and I sometimes had to wait for a very long time (sometimes months) before I get a good story. But the second I met Mr. Robert Fitzgerald, I knew that I had hit gold.
When I offered him whiskey, he looked at me in a mildly offended way. But before I could apologize and move away from him, he said rather regretfully that he was actually very grateful for the offer. ‘On normal occasions, I would have never accepted a drink from a stranger, but today I shall accept your offer. I thank you for it.’
I indicated my requirement to the barman and at once the whiskey came to us and Mr. Robert Fitzgerald started talking.