OK, I’LL PICK A CARD.

It was raining heavily, as I dropped TLW (The Little Woman) off at the front of the restaurant. Dodging the raindrops, I race to the restaurant and opened the heavy wooden doors. There, in the lobby facing me after a few years, a drink in his hand and a smile on his face stood Bud! He hadn’t changed much in all that time, a few pounds more, and now all grey, but Bud was there!

Next to him was his lovely wife Judy, ever faithful, always at his side.

The four of us were seated, and he began to tell me about how things were going in his life. A new granddaughter, and a new future daughter-in-law, with a wedding coming in July’10! Both his children seemed to be doing well, and he seemed happy.

Bud is a talker, likes to talk about hockey, baseball, his kids and his job. Recently, because of age and the fact that he made too much money, he was let go. Letting Bud, a natural salesman go in the insurance business, makes me wonder how bad the insurance business will get?

But Bud had a card up his sleeve, or should I say three decks in his pocket! That’s right, Bud had gotten into, besides his church, card tricks and magic. His first trick he blew, when I noticed an extra card in his trick. TLW yelled at me and said I should let him do the trick anyway. Killjoy, no, not me, her!

It seems: he had three tricks, with three different decks! One trick for each deck was his plan. I hope he doesn’t learn any more tricks: his pockets will be bulging!

Wearing his Mets jacket and a black shirt that had a Polo club design on it, we all paid little attention to the food, more attention to the drinks, and all our attention to Bud.

Bud, as you know from yesterday’s blogue, would walk right in my house, without knocking. He felt like family, and felt he belonged. He related how he only has one real neighbor that he talks to, but he doesn’t just walk right in, they are not that close!

I think both TLW and me both missed Bud. He should have never moved, he brought a good sense to the neighborhood. Just a good guy, that Bud is. I put him right up there with MMB (My Man Bill)!

Please remember MMB, and my brother-in-law, John, and all those that need our prayers.