An Afternoon at Marty's

The first time I took the Rabbi over to our place in Orange, he saw something on the way that made him perk up quite a bit.

It was Marty's.

Marty's is your typical Orange County neighborhood bar and it is within walking (stumbling?) distance from my house.

The funny thing is...we never went there. The Rabbi and his wife had moved to Encino and there weren't too many opportunities for us to get together.

The Rabbi was in the process of getting ready for another move. This time, back to Israel for the better part of a year.

With me being off of work and the Rabbi having some free time too, we decided to finally check Marty's out.

And Marty's was everything that I thought it would be.

Dark. People smoking even though it's against the law. Pickled eggs for only a dollar. The obligatory dart board and pool table.

Marty's isn't a place you go to to have a good time. It is a place that you go to so you can forget whatever is going on in your life that brought you to Marty's in the first place.

The bartender flashes us a missing tooth grin and asks what we'll be having.

I don't drink much these days. I have a regular drink night that I attend and my limit there is usually three beers.

Today, I'd like to have a double Cutty on the rocks.

Just like my dad used to drink.

The Rabbi gets the same thing.

We chat for a bit about everything else that is going on.

His impending move back to Israel.

Our crappy fantasy baseball team (the Rabbi thinks we're done while I think we still have a chance).

Which one of our friends is currently being a jackass.

And then we get to talking about the memorial service.

He wanted to let me known that he thought it was great. It was great that Number 2 and I were ourselves and allowed others to share our grief as well as share in the humor.

It's really nice to hear that from him. It means a lot to me.

It's only a few more minutes and Mike G comes through the door.

Mike is a friend of a friend that has become a great friend for me. He's here for a variety of reasons. He wanted to see the Rabbi one more time. He hadn't seen me since the funeral. And he was there for another reason too.

Mike G's father is dying.

Mike G gives us an update on his dad's situation. it doesn't sound good at all. I wonder for a while which situation would I like to be in - losing a parent suddenly or watching a parent slip into oblivion.

I realize that it is a stupid question to ponder. Both scenarios suck beyond your belief.

The three of us sit at the bar and bust each other's balls about whatever comes to mind. We'll have another drink but that will be it. The days of binge drinking with these guys is long gone. But it feels so good to be with these guys and it takes me a long time to realize why.

It's because it is a normal thing to do.

VW