r makeup bags ready and an eye on the door in case fresh meat arrives. Once a victim is chosen, eye contact is avoided until they have gone to the ladies room to check on their makeup. This action is frequently repeated until perfection is achieved. Pathetically, most of these girls actually pretend they are smokers just to look cool and be accepted by the older guys. I call it “social smoking.” Much practice goes into making each drag appear smooth and flowing, but to the contrary, their lungs feel hurt and betrayed. At the end of a good night, they are left with countless phone numbers, full stomachs, and hours of free pool practice, their victims having been trapped by their own lusts.The last group is a combination of all three types: the regulars. Half of them spend all their time shooting pool and gambling, while the other half stay in the dining area drinking coffee, playing cards, and socializing. They seem to put more hours in at 9 Ball Joe than I do even though I’m an employee. The pool-shark regulars arrive in the evening, and their ages vary from 18-50. Most of them own personal cue sticks, and they are often seen comparing them with each other to see who wasted the most money on a long piece of wood with a soft blue tip. Tables 8-11 on the east end of 9 Ball Joe are favored by the regulars. They’ve made this corner of the building their own, and any uninvited foreigner on one of these tables is considered a trespasser and is treated as such for the remainder of their stay. The fee for billiards at 9 Ball Joe is based on how many players are stationed on a table per hour. The regulars often overlook this system for the duration of their visit given that I am routinely finding mismatches when I glance their way. They habitually switch pool tables after every game, screwing up the bill. When I confront them, however, they argue vehemently that my discernment was faulty and that I am inc...
