“It’s the last Thursday of every month,” he said, telling us why we probably would not be able to have dinner at the upscale vegan place in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “And, one Saturday a month, as well.” My friend asked, “Can we sit at the bar?” There were several seats available. “We’ll buy bingo cards.” And from there we were transported into another dimension. Four adult men with flamboyant names and well-tucked cocks proceeded to entice us into laughter with disco music and hip shakes and even a lap dance for a “birthday girl” who was actually a girl. And after each dance and grind we’d daub out our b-12s and o-56s. No joy. It’s an odd sensation watching a 50-something drag queen lipsync and bump and twirl around. “She’s really great,” my friend said. He was a former neighbor of mine, back in Texas. Not sure how or why, but I just looked him up when I got to Santa Fe. He’d moved there 25 years ago before either of my kids were born, with his lovely wife, Janie. And that’s how I eventually found Drew. Janie had died three years back in a freak hospital accident, and her memorial was still online. I’d tried to find him on LinkedIn, knowing we had been connected at one point, but he was retired. So it was only by googling Janie and Drew Apple did I find the touchstone I needed to find him. My daughter and girlfriend were also with us, but the bumping music and rapid bingo barking prevented us from having much of a conversation. It was okay. I was really hoping to give my old friend a happy night out. No bingos, but a 100% success on the entertainment part. The snow picked up outside and my daughter ran to bring the car around from the far parking lot. “What a night,” I said. “How we found our way into that little moment of heaven…” Read more Short-Short Stories from John.
