Do as I say, not as I do!

A good decade or so now I was working at a Revolution bar.   The venue itself was circular, with a kitchen in the centre.  This made it tricky when closing time came as you need to move people in two directions at once!  We decided to block off both ends of the smaller of the rooms with chairs and tables and move people back from there.  This worked fine and anyone who wanted to use the bathroom just had to walk around this area.  This was until one night when I came across a man trying to climb over the tables!

"Fella" I said "just walk round bud you can get to the toilets that way"

With that he went for me!  No idea why but became an instant tussle resulting in me holding him in as tight a full nelson as I can manage as he's quite a big strong lad and half dragging, half pushing him to the door.  

It was one of the longer take outs as the real world presets a lot more problems than you may imagine, there are chairs and tables everywhere, all with glasses and bottles usually balanced precariously, there's a lot of noise and confusion and people everywhere obviously and you have to try and take this person outside without hurting him, yourself, or anyone else!  Not always an easy task and I think there's something to be said for allowing us more freedom as these people, perhaps normal office workers during the day, can turn into violent, evil maniacs when drunk and only a seconds lapse of reason can result in disastrous consequences, and jail time.

I eventually got the man to the front door and managed to push him outside past our area manager John who was covering for the regular head doorman. 

"Ha, you struggled getting me out didn't you!" The man championed.

"We'll you're out aren't you" said John

I let out a wry smile and slap! the man reached forward and literally slapped the side of my face.  Well I nearly lost it.  I lunged forward straight into John whose arms squeezed me gently and was told in no uncertain terms to get back inside! 

Grumbling away to myself but knowing my job I went back in and began a walk around.  

Not two minutes later there came a radio call through "Fire escapes open!" 

This usually meant someone had opened it to let a friend of theirs in we'd refused so I quickly made my way there just in time to see the man I'd dragged out shouting at John!   Clearly one of his mates had indeed opened the door to let him and but John was having none of it.  Then from nowhere slap!  The guy slapped John in the face.  I'll describe the punch that followed as orbital as I have a vivid slow motion memory of seeing John's big arm rise up and right cross the man square on the jaw knocking him clean out.  

I went over to John and said jokingly

"Why didn't I get to do that?"

"Do as I say Dan, not as I do" came the gruff response.