I found myself walking into a night club populated mostly by young men and women in their 20s. I did see one lawyer who walked with a limp whom I knew from Dallas. If I wanted to talk with someone, I thought I might be able to strike up a conversation with him later. But then I noticed that he and some friends with him were leaving. I walked around the bar trying to decide whether to stay. It seemed that everyone else in the bar was with someone, and only I had no one with whom to talk. I thought I might stand at the bar and perhaps I would meet someone there.

I walked back into the anteroom in front of the bar and saw that the coat rack was completely filled and that people had begun simply laying their coats on the floor. I was wearing a brown sports jacket which I wanted to take off, but I didn't want to leave it on the floor. However finally I decided to do so. But first I took a small paperback book out of my pocket. It had a glossy blue cover and was titled Legal Practice. I laid it on a counter, turned around and took off my coat. As soon as I did, an older black man reached out his hand for the coat, and I realized he was in charge of the coat room and he was giving tickets for all the coats lying on the floor. I turned back around to get my book to also give it to the black man, and saw that a man had picked it up and was looking at it. I quickly told him the book was mine and I took it from his hand. I then gave both my coat and the book to the black man who gave me two tickets. I walked back into he bar.

I found a bench along one wall and sat down, still trying to decide what to do. I hadn't been in a bar in a long time. In fact I couldn't remember having been in a bar since I had become a lawyer. I wondered if my being a lawyer would make a different in the way people responded to me. The people seemed quite animated, obviously because they were drinking alcohol, and I thought I might also drink some, although I didn't really feel in the mood. I thought by not drinking my mind would be better able to see exactly what was taking place here, although I knew I wouldn't be in the same spirit as everyone else. I thought I might even cross my legs and begin meditating while I observed the place. But that would probably make me too conspicuous. Perhaps I should buy a glass of tomato juice. Then at least people would think I was drinking a bloody mary.

As I tried to decide, a woman (about 30 years old) walked up and sat right next to me on my left. I had to move a big pillow out of the way and I held the pillow on my lap. Also on my right were some big pillows. The woman had dark hair and was very attractive, although just slightly overweight, like myself. I was quite happy she had sat beside me, but I was unsure yet how to take it. I thought I might ask her if I could buy her a drink. I had plenty of money. I could even use one of my credit cards. That might impress her. She seemed in a good mood and I asked her if she was with someone. She said she was and I asked her if she was with a man. She told me no, that she was just with some girlfriends. I put my left hand on the back of the bench behind her. She didn't seem to mind. I had the feeling she and I were going to get along well together.