ColoRAD

Mom and Dad’s Big Night Out

It’s Friday night and we decided to whoop it up and head out to a place we had heard was fun … Parker’s American Grill, where they have interesting beers and a 1/2-price bar menu until 7pm on Friday nights!

We arrived a bit after 6:30 and were shown into a darkish little bar area and seated at a table we feared might be a little close to the piano. Indeed, a few moments later, we could barely hear ourselves think, let alone speak, as the hefty African-American gal at the piano began to pound out some 80s hits in earnest.

We ordered our beers and a couple of appetizers and only found it slightly weird and annoying that our over-eager waitress pushed a special appetizer on us - fried smelts - ummm, yumm, wish we had room for that tasty-sounding snack!

As our heads pounded and ears rang from the piano din, we took a moment to look around the bar area.  Over here was a table of cougars - we decided they were all medical transcriptionists out for a Friday night happy hour - hoping to nab one of the smarmy-looking gentlemen at the bar. Now these fellas were happening - tagged by us as mildly successful stock brokers in the Oak Brook Terrace market. Rogaine and (most likely) Viagra were their friends.

Over there was a date couple in their 40s or 50s; as they walked in, she slipped off her coat and when her date turned away to hang the coat up, she wriggled the top of her sweater down suggestively onto her bare shoulders, hoping to fire up “Denny” when he turned back to her at the bar stool.  Here’s hoping Denny did not get a glimpse of the four hot medical transcriptionists!

In the far corner, we spotted a really hip table of ladies - one was in her 70s or 80s, one middle-aged, and one a bit younger.  No idea what their relationship could possibly be (3 generations out for a family buzz at Parker’s?), but dad was pleased to see that at least the older gal did NOT have a walker; that would have really ruined the vibe for him, he admitted.

We reluctantly held the line at one beer each and the two appetizers, and decided to rachet up the fun factor by leaving Parker’s post haste and heading directly for the dollar store in the Best Buy shopping center in order to get some picture hooks.  As if that were not exciting enough, we splurged on two $1 boxes of movie candy (Good & Plentys for dad and Nestle’s Crunchers for mom). Oh, sweet Jesus, the excitement!

Now we are home and dad is conked out in one chair while I sit in another with a glass of water and wrigs and a crossword puzzle. It’s 8:30 pm and we have partied ourselves silly.

Hope your Friday nights are this much fun!