Fond Farewell
On my last night in Tampa, the adults enjoy teriyaki steak
on the grill with baked potatoes and yes, even some vegetables. The kids had
hot dogs and mac and cheese with fruits and vegetables and both cleaned their
plates! They hit up the play room after dinner, but eventually were ushered
upstairs for a bath and bedtime routine.
I kept myself occupied until my host came back downstairs
after 9pm and asked if I wanted to get out of the house. “Sure” I said, “Right
now?” Yep. Within a few minutes I had tip-toed upstairs to grab my purse and
shoes and we were off to a nearby sports bar called Glory Days that was open
until 11pm. I laughed at the name because there was a bar by this name in La
Crosse where the two of us used to frequent karaoke.
I noticed a few indoor tables with guests as we were ushered
to the outdoor patio where a woman and her Chihuahua were having a quiet outing
and a rowdy table of about six (and their dog) were gathered around a table filled
with lots of empty drinks. We found a spot somewhere in between as my host
lamented that they used to have an outdoor bar that was now closed.
The first round took it’s time making its way to our table,
but after that we developed a sort of flowage of drinks to us. I enjoyed a
giant margarita on the rocks on special for only $6 and my host picked one of
the taps. We enjoyed the opportunity to go out on the town even if it was a
quiet Sunday night. We closed down the restaurant and headed home for a few
more patio drinks.
Although we’ve known each other since about 2005, he joked
that before my arrival he wasn’t sure he knew the person coming to visit. He
had been fairly accustomed to my walls in the few years we worked together back
in the day and was surprised to find me somewhat the same, but with much more
positive energy than I had before.
He was open to the spiritual talk, so I dove in. At times he
got giddy with a realization that something I was saying made sense to him and
at other times he would say “I’m not sure I believe that.” I mentioned this is
why I usually don’t talk woo-woo unless someone opens the door in the
conversation that they are interested in hearing about my experiences. I talked about how
I’ve been on this path awhile and you are where you are in the process.
I’m sure we both shed some tears as we talked about the
olden days and caught up on more recent times. I would say we experienced some
sort of time warp, because before we knew it, it was nearly 3am. I hauled on up
to crash and would sleep well. I always love a deep conversation with a good
friend.
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