Usually it’s my mom who’s ready to belly up for a Bar Guide, but my dad came with me for this one.

We took a road trip to Gray on a recent Saturday afternoon and found our way to White’s Cue Connection. The bar is located in the Gray Shopping Plaza upstairs from some empty storefronts.

Its Facebook page calls it “a Gray place to gather,” and it lived up to that slogan. We arrived midway through happy hour. A few locals gathered at the bar, but the place was otherwise empty. Dad and I grabbed a couple of Red Stripes for $3.25 each and took advantage of some free pool.

Cue sticks lined a wall at the end of the bar set back in the corner. Dad picked out the two best, and started to rack the balls. There was a ball missing, and I figured out it was the purple stripe. I found a 12-ball from a nearby table and borrowed it for our game.

“Go,” Dad said.

“Do you really want me to break?” I asked.

I’ve learned that breaking takes skill. My success at pool is usually by sheer luck, not skill.

Music from a jukebox was playing Tom Petty’s “American Girl” while a couple of people tried to set up audio equipment near the dance floor for live music later Saturday night. One woman at the bar was trying to convince another guy to dance on the pole at the center of the dance floor.

In addition to the three pool tables, there are three lit dartboards and a table with red Solo cups lined up at each end ready for a round of Beruit (also known as beer pong).

On each side of the pool tables, a few small lounge chairs were arranged around side tables. There are also stools placed around the bar for patrons to sit and watch television. A full array of liquor is displayed on a center island behind the bar, and a rainbow of Jell-O shots for $1 apiece is displayed behind the window of a refrigerator.

A couple of people took a smoking break on a deck outside overlooking the plaza’s parking area. Despite windows along that wall, the bar was still pretty dark and, well, gray.

Dad took a lead on the pool table quickly. Then I started catching up. In the end, he won. I challenged him to a rematch, but not being locals, we kind of felt out of place at this particular bar. We finished our beers and headed home.

Emma Bouthillette is a freelance writer who lives in Biddeford.