Over time, this minimart became the place where I could almost always count on being able to buy beer. I always tried to play it safe though. If I went in, and the usual girl wasn't working the counter, I would cut my losses and either buy something else or nothing at all. I worried that if someone decided to card me, and found out I was underage, it could easily get back to her. That would ruin everything.

One day I made my usual stop there on the way to practice and was happy to see she was there. We made eye contact and smiled. I always felt good when I saw her. She always seemed so cool and down to earth. I put my usual 12 pack of Henry’s on the counter waiting for her to ring up my order. Right then, some other customer needed her assistance. Oh shit. Some older dude took over the cash register. Please don’t card me.

"Can I see your ID?" he said as I felt a minor panic inside. Luckily she saw what was happening.
"Oh don't worry about him," she said. "He comes here all the time."
Whew. That was a close call. But wait, he still might want to see it for himself.
"Ok," he said as he looked at me. "If you’re cool with Angela, you're cool with me."

This has been an excerpt from the book:
In Search Of The Perfect Buzz: An 80s Metal Memoir
Please see the following links to read more.










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