The Tender Bar

Moehringer remembers being astonished when the New York Times called and offered him one of their positions for new graduates. On his way into New York, he ran into Sidney on the train and told her that it couldn’t be a coincidence that they kept on coming together; the “universe” must want them to be together.

Meeting up with his friends in New Haven, Moehringer was assaulted by a group of young men and, as a result, went into his Times interview the following day with a black eye and bloodied shirt. As he explained his reverence for the Times to his interviewer, Moehringer realized why the paper held such appeal for him. He felt that journalism was the perfect combination of status and individuality that could make his mother proud while offering him an interesting, morally satisfying career. His interviewer noticed his storytelling ability and said she would try her best to get him a position. He returned, triumphant, to Publican's bar where his Uncle Charlie toasted him.

Sidney had sent him a photo of herself and a letter in which she told him again how much she loved and missed him but still needed “time.” Moehringer writes that if he had waited for her, they would have ended up together and shared a stable middle-class life. However, he would never be able to fully trust her again. Buoyed by his new job and the positive energy at Publicans, he decided to post her letter back to her, with no comment, thereby leaving her for good.

Moehringer confesses that, despite the menial tasks of his new job as a copy boy, he was thrilled and felt strangely at home in the harried and competitive Times office. He continued to frequent Publicans each night, and he cherished the distraction it provided from the stresses of everyday life. He continued to widen his circle of interesting acquaintances at the bar and basked in the attention of his Uncle Charlie.

Moehringer titles Chapter 31 “Aladdin,” as he compares Publicans to Aladdin’s lamp since it made his wishes come true. Whether he needed cheering company or Thanksgiving dinner, he felt that Publicans always delivered. He introduces Bob the Cop, a policeman in the local Harbor precinct who coped with his job’s traumas by telling stories in Publicans. Moehringer was spellbound by his morbid tales and interested in his mysterious past.