We discussed this ahead of time. As a matter of fact we were fighting amongst ourselves at the time but agreed this situation transcended our conflict which we could resume at any time.

“He was always good to me,” I said. “Was he always good to you?”

“Hell yes, he was good to me.”

We agreed the trip could not possibly be about our argument but instead we were this guy’s good deeds coming back at him and his good deeds were significant.

For example when the soldier got married, he gave him an entire houseful of furniture that he handmade. That’s some kind of gift from a single man in his 20’s. We headed over, 2 hours early thinking all we had to do was be near and he’d absorb.

2 hours early sounds bad but we were asked to come 4 hours early and the time flew by. I chatted with the man’s wife as she cooked dinner and it was easy. She was easy to talk too. She was interesting and had unexpected things to say and though she spoke in soft tones she did not seem to mind my Mars Mercury jangling edge and God knows I appreciate that.

The party was easy for me on another level because I was in my home town. “Is blah, blah, blah still here?” I could ask.  “How about blah and blah?”

The soldier mixed drinks with his pal and the 18 year old daughter was around as well.

I mentioned her last week, she loves her parents but what I didn’t tell you is that she is beautiful. Matter of fact she was the most beautiful young woman I’ve seen in 10 years or more and this includes all of Hollywood. She was so pretty when I met her at lunch I told her, “If I looked as good as you, I have no idea what I’d do,” I said. “I just don’t know…”

She laughed and I laughed too though I was serious. I was simply stupefied at how good she looked but anyway, she was there and later her friend would arrive, a blond the soldier called, “Bouncy”.

Bouncy because she bounced and I mean she bounced like a pogo stick. She just bounced around, everything on her bounced especially her hair and besides that she was just stupendously happy.

“HIIIIIIIII!” she said when she met us. “HIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!” she said in a voice bubbling over with happiness.

Later, on the way back to the hotel the soldier asked, “Remember being young like that, P? You’re young and everything in the world is just the greatest thing ever…”

I could remember that and in whatever case these girls were going to have dinner with the group and then go out later. I could just seem them out there having a great time.  God help the public!

To be continued