She smoked like a chimney all of her life.
Now she has emphysema.
So she quit.
Except when she is drinking…
and that is now the only time she ever smokes.
So the meeting got over…
and a group of us went to this corner bar…
to “de-compress” what just happened
in the course of our 4-hour meeting with our new bosses.
Ya see, we were a small, but very profitable business
that just got swallowed up by a company with more capital…
but also less talent, less organization, less efficiency,
and far less care.
And they see us, or I should say, what we were,
as nothing more than a brand to sell.
What we see in ourselves is an engine.
So finely tuned that we hummed.
But now, in some areas,
we are due for another tune up.
And these guys are our new mechanics…
but all they do is talk about blasting off in a spaceship,
without looking inside the engine first,
or, without adding much fuel to the tank.
So, you see…
Four of us are sitting in a booth;
she is sitting directly across from me puffing on a cigarette.
The waitress comes over.
She orders shots for everyone;
I order a pitcher of beer.
And we will get to talking…bitching a little…
and laughing…
The wide screen tv above her head
has the Spartan’s hockey team playing on ESPN2…
the guy next to me and I cheer
whenever our favorite team scores a goal…
after all, we can’t really believe
that they even made it to “the Final Four”!!!!
Then she says to me…
“I have a lot of wisdom…
a lot of wisdom that you don’t have…
you would be good to listen to it some time.”
“Oh’” I say…shaking my head slightly up and down…
“really?”
Time flies…
we drink the one pitcher…
then, another…
then, more shots are ordered…
then, another pitcher.
I finally look at the time.
“Oh, I got to go soon…
we were meeting for dinner…
and, it is about time I left.”
“NO! Not in your condition…” she says.
“You can’t drive anywhere…
it would be the worse thing for you to do…
the laws are severe now.
Call her, and have her meet you here
and pick you up…or, order food here instead.
I will order another round of shots.”
“ummmm, okay.”
I call…
and she is on her way.
So, I sit back…
I fill my glass with beer…
I never saw the shots come!
At the very least, I didn’t pay any attention.
Then, I see her hand come over to my side of the table.
She picks up a shot and quickly drinks it.
“Oh, was that mine!?” I said.
“I completely didn’t see it right in front of me!”
She said, “I know…
just like you didn’t see that you could had me too.”
Huh?
Was that the kind of wisdom she was talking about???
Something I really missed?
No. Hell no.