 |
| Yesterday at Scores |
Yesterday saw a mid-day run up to New
Hampshire to check in on Keene Friend who reported the return of some of those
troubling lung symptoms. There was also the possibility of tax free shopping
for my Panamanian contingent so we all know – that happened. After all the
felines were properly herded we left for New Hampshire only 90 minutes after we
planned but there wasn’t an iron clad schedule to maintain. I was happy to make
the drive through winding back roads to give my wife’s uncle a view of small
town New England as.
We arrived at Keene Friend’s house
where my wife immediately began her “in your face” grilling of Keene Friend
about his health condition. I think this may explain my good luck in that department.
I wouldn’t want to face this type of questioning. Fortunately Keene Friend had
all the right answers for her although the return of his persistent cough is
troubling. My wife had him fully diagnosed within minutes and demanded he quit
his job since, in her opinion, that’s what
is causing his issues. Blessedly his company’s HR department was closed
yesterday for the holiday which kept her from contacting them.
 |
| Applebee Lunch |
We settled for a very enjoyable lunch
at Applebee’s which my wife’s uncle found exotic. I’m still not sure why. The
Keene Applebee’s sits in close proximity to that sun source of my wife’s
shopping world, TJ Maxx, and I could tell the siren call of shopping was drowning
out all other concerns. As we finished up lunch she decreed I was being left in
Keene Friend’s care while she and the other Panamanians descended on Keene”
shopping establishments.
She’d forgotten her cell phone (suspiciously)
so I couldn’t summon her at the agreed upon time for dinner. We established a
firm 5:30pm rendezvous time in central Keene. Keene Friend and I grabbed
another friend that is staying with him and made a bee line for Scores. Alas,
our favorite sports bar was shuttered when we arrived, as was the nearby Lab ‘n
Lager. This was quickly turning into a reverse pub crawl out of some Hitchcockian
nightmare before we spotted an inviting “OPEN” sign in the window of the nearby
Cobblestone Ale House. We quickly established a presence there and met the new
owner, a young guy who really seemed to have a good head on his shoulders.
 |
| My Adviser on Timeliness Plans |
We also ran into the sister of one of
my oldest friends. That’s what I love about coming back to Keene – those nostalgia
flows. Since we had to stand for the three rounds of beer and had become an
item of interest of the drunken young man at the end of the bar I decided to
check in on Scores and found it had now opened. We wandered down there for the
rest of the afternoon to await that 5:30pm linkup. I immediately fell in love
with the bar tendress, as I am wont to do. I think it was the yoga pants. It was a great afternoon surrounded by
every conceivable televised sports contest. We watched the Red Sox blow another
game but that and the subsequent arrival of the drunken dude from Cobblestone
did nothing to dim the fun. Late in the afternoon Keene Friend 2 and his fiancé
wandered in to add to the mix. We all immediately began offering advice on
their impending nuptials. Somewhere around five o’clock, under the influence of
numerous rounds of adult beverages, I devised a plan to test my wife’s timeliness,
which is akin to our president’s common sense level in terms of acuity.
 |
| At a Recent Neighborhood Birthday Party |
I told everyone present that I wasn’t
going to the rendezvous until 6:15pm, betting on her failure to meet the agreed
upon time. My friends tried to talk me down, warning me that I was taking on
some unneeded risk. I know their concern was based on my tales of her legendary
feats of bending me to her will. I will admit to an elevated heart rate but I’d
had enough to drink that I willingly took the peril. I received a FaceTime call
from my granddaughter during this discussion and I ran the plan by her. She was
supportive of my efforts to test limits; something she’s becoming an expert on.
At any rate, 6:15pm arrived at Scores
and there had been no incursions by irate Panamanian women so I scurried across
the street to Margarita’s where I waited an additional fifteen minutes until
they showed up. My wife was properly apologetic about the hour long wait I had
endured and I let her suffer until after the meal when we stopped by Keene Friend’s
house. We revealed the success of my plan which counted on her unpunctuality as
a critical element. She took the news in stride after several light blows to my
head and shoulders. A good day.
No comments:
Post a Comment