It's Been How Long???
Three River Otters who have been friends for a long time decided they needed to catch up and have some cocktails together. Life had gotten crazy and busy and kids and all that good stuff for everyone and the three hadn’t had a chance to get together and shoot the breeze in a long time, maybe months. The three decided they would meet up at their old haunt, The Flint, and have a good time just like in their old days.
When Raj got to the Flint he was shocked to find out that the bar had closed and in its place was a fancy build-a-bar put in by an outside developer that was covered in Edison bulbs and shiplap decor. How could this be? Flint was the coolest place back in the day when the three friends were out on the town. No matter what, you’d always end up back at the Flint for a nightcap with your buddies unless you got lucky of course.
Raj didn’t want to break the news to his friends who were already on the way so he just stood outside and waited for them. Nikon was the next to arrive and as he walked up and saw Raj a big smile spread across his face.
“Raj-man! It’s been too long!” Nikon said as he came in and gave Raj a hug. Quickly followed by, “What the hell? What happened to the Flint? What’s all this now?”
“I know man…” Raj filled Nikon in, “Let’s just wait for Theobald and then we can decide what to do.”
Theobald rounded the corner and saw his friends. Theobald instantly felt an invisible weight he was carrying lift off his shoulders. It’s always good to see old friends, it reminds you of what’s best in life.
“Hey who ordered the two jabronis standing over there!” Theobald called out as he went over and exchanged hugs and greetings before, “What in the good lord’s britches is this place? Where’s the Flint?”
Raj and Nikon filled him in.
“Well, that’s just unjust,” lamented Theobald, “Well, I don’t know any other places to go in town anymore should we just check this place out, we’re here?”
The three agreed and they walked inside. Despite all the tacky and generic furnishings, the place was still a bar. They ordered their cocktails, all of which had muddled fruit in them. Not something that any of the friends minded but, you know, something booze-forward never hurt nobody either.
But none of that was really of too much concern. After all, the three friends just wanted to spend some time together again. It had been so long. The three sat at the bar, which hadn’t even been moved from where it was in the Flint, so it kind of felt the same.
“So what’s happening dude, how’ve you been?” Raj asked the group.
“Ah you know same old, just getting through life,” Nikon started, “But it’s good you know, kids are good wife is good, work is actually going okay so you know can’t really be too mad.”
“Yeah man, same here too,” Raj replied, “Pretty good, kids good, wife’s good, overall nothing too exciting but nothing too bad. Pretty steady and regular, I guess.”
“I hear that,” Theobald chimed in, “I’ve been getting a little traction enough to open my own pottery studio it’s opening in… a couple weeks actually.”
“Hey, that’s great! Congrats man!” Raj and Nikon congratulated Theobald.
“That calls for a celebratory fernet, huh?” Nikon added.
“Man the last time we had a celebratory fernet was when you had your first kid!” Theobald realized, “I think that was the last time we were at the Flint too.”
“Then we’re way overdue!” Agreed Raj.
The other guys agreed and called the bartender over who informed them that they don’t carry fernet at this bar. That it had gone out of style about five years ago. Which put everyone in a downer of a mood since they didn’t assume they were that old.
“Well, how long have you guys been in this spot?” Theobald asked.
“About seven years,” the bartender replied, “You want to do some espresso martinis? We do them really different here”
The three guys were absolutely not drinking anything with the word espresso in it after 7 pm. What were they, going to stay up another 5 hours? Then it hit them.
“So if we last did a celebratory fernet shot at the Flint…”
“And fernet went out of style like 5 years ago…”
“We haven’t hung out in 7 years…” Raj summed up, “That can’t be true…”
It was. The three friends let that sink in before…
“Well, good thing we’re all caught up, looks like they have pool here let’s go play, winner gets 7 years or hopefully less of bragging rights.”
The three played pool and swapped a few more stories and reminisced about old times, memories which were always going to feel younger than their actual age would show.
