In the world of travel we all have those days. It’s a scramble from one departure gate to the next, into the rental car and on the road driving to some small town in the middle of Nowhere Ill. It was on one of those busy nights I found myself at about 9:00pm driving to Champagne, Ill. I had landed just a short time earlier at Chicago O’Hare. If you have ever been to this part of the world you know that once outside the Chicago area, it is cornfields and small towns. At 9:00 pm on a Monday evening there are not many options for food. I searched the local area and found a small town ahead of me called Peotone, Ill. My food app showed an open restaurant so I pulled off of highway 57 and headed for the red dot on my map. When I pulled up in front of this “restaurant” I discovered what might be best described as a “Biker Bar”.
I knew I would look a little out of place dressed in slacks and collared shirt but I was really hungry. Fortunately it was a slow night at the bar and the kitchen was still open. I sat right up at the bar about 4 stools down from the end closest to the door. There was one other patron about 6 stools down to my far right and another couple of gentlemen sitting at a table in the corner.
The bartender walked up and said: “What will it be honey?” I ordered a bar food staple, a patty melt and a side of tater tots. The food arrived and I was enjoying the first few bites when I heard the door open behind me. The bartender looked at the doorway and her eyes opened a little wider and a grin came across her face. The guy at the end of the bar made some audible sound as he turned and looked at the party just entering.
I had to see what the fuss was about. I didn’t get a reaction like this when I walked in. Looking over my shoulder a animated group of people came through the door lead by the guy you see in this picture. He had on his Axel Rose headband, a white tank top (sometimes known by an unflattering term), and lots of body art. A small entourage followed him. In the wide open room, guess where he chose to sit? That’s right, on the stool next to me. He turned and looked at me without the smile he is wearing in this picture. I looked back at him and said: “Hello, want some tots?” He furrowed his brow and tilted his head a bit to reflected the inquisitive thought going through his head. I slid my big pile of tater tots towards him. It clicked in his mind. He got a big smile on his face and said “sure” while reaching for a tot.
That was all it took to break the ice. We laughed and chatted as I finished my sandwich, thank goodness he didn’t want any of that, and we both finished my tots. He was a minor area celebrity as an up and coming MMA fighter and all in all a pretty good guy. I just had to get beyond the first impression and the rough exterior and he had to get beyond seeing me as some fancy dressed traveler. I snapped the picture so I could share the story with my wife. I sent it to her so she would know I was safe making friends on the road. Not sure it was comforting to her.
People are amazing. If you recognize we all have more in common than not. All it takes is closing the gap of the Final3Feet!
Get out and meet someone today!