feeding frenzy

i saw my friend
jimmy the other day
working part time
at starbucks. he's
a stock broker
during the day,
and sells real estate
on the side. what's
up, i asked him,
why are you working
here, what about your
other jobs, oh, and
leave me some room
for cream in that cup
of coffee, thanks.
jimmy shook his head,
and laughed, i've
been dating a lot,
he said, i'm on the
internet, doing the
online dating thing
ever since the wife
and i broke up. and how's
that going, i asked him,
oh, it's fun, big fun
he said, and gave me
a wink, but it's costing
me a mint. i'm broke
all the time, these
women eat and drink
for free, none of them
offer to pay or pick
up a tab, and if they
do, it's so rare, that
i'm embarrased by it.
as soon as they see
that check coming
they run to the bathroom,
or go outside to wait.
i mean what the hell
was all the equal rights
marching and bra burning
about all those years.
there's not a rosy
the riveter in the bunch.
sorry, i'm a little
worked up about this, but
do you know what four
drinks, a salad and a plate
full of calamari costs
these days, he handed
me my drink, it's hot
be careful, he said.
no, i said, what.
it's seventy-five bucks
with tip, and god
forbid they want a
full meal. multiply that
at four times a week.
not to mention the driving
and gas. last week
i circled the beltway
three times. whew.
i had to cut back on
my son's tuition,
pulled him out of
the university and put
him into the community
college. sold my car.
that's my vespa out
there in the parking lot.
i can't even
afford to take my
dog to the vet lately
and he's full of fleas,
scratching a hole
in his belly,
but hey, he said, i'm
having a lot of fun.
some really cute women
out there in the mix.
he made his eyebrows
jump up and down, but
they were twitching
out of sync.
i looked at him, he
was drawn and pale,
there was a hole
in his shirt and it
looked like he hadn't
shaved in a few days.
circles were under his
eyes. he leaned over
and wiped the counter
with a rag. i've got a
date when i get out
of here he said, she
wants to meet at
mortons. she wants
me to cowboy up and
buy her a steak, that's
what she told me.
what time do you have,
he asked. i had to
sell my watch.
tomorrow night
i'm meeting this nurse
from baltimore at
cafe milano's. he rolled
his eyes. stick with your
wife, he whispered,
between you and me,
it's tough out there,
i tell you, it's no
picnic, at least not
for us men. i nodded,
then stuffed a five into
the tip jar near the
register. see ya jimmy,
i said. take it easy.
i couldn't wait to
get home to hug my wife.