business.”
“I don’t know about that. Sure looks like a
lot of fun.”
He was fishing for an invitation. I decided
to give it to him straight. “It’s all right. But to tell you the
truth, it gets old after a while.”
“I don’t think I could ever get tired of a
good party.”
He was definitely young. “Why don’t you go
get your nachos?”
“Oh yeah, I forgot. I’m on it.” He
practically ran to the food.
Amused, I changed the subject as he heaped
chips, cheese sauce, hamburger, and jalapenos on his plate. “You
like hockey?” I asked as he took a seat next to me, so we could
watch the game.
“It’s all right.” He shrugged, more
interested in his nachos. “These are so good. Can I have more?”
“Sure, you can have as many as you like.” I
motioned to Joaquin, who was standing by for nacho duty.
“Cool. I’m so hungry. My mom says I eat her
out of house and home.”
“I believe it.”
“So what do you like to do?” I asked.
“Oh, jokes are my thing. Love the jokes,” he
said, taking a drink of his beer as we sat in the seat facing the
game.
“Yeah, I think you come by that honestly.” My
granddad was the same.
“Got any good ones?”
“Sure. Knock, knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Interrupting cow.”
“Interrupting cow w—“
“Mooo!” Charlie said, chuckling as he got out
the punch line.
I laughed from the sheer corniness of the
joke. “Nice one. So you like the knock, knock jokes?” I asked.
“I do. You can’t go wrong with a
classic.”
“That’s a classic? Try this one on for size.
An Englishman, American, and Irishman, all walk into a bar and
order a beer. The bartender gives them each a beer; however, there
are flies in each mug.
“Well, the Englishman pushes the beer aside
and says, ‘That's disgusting.’
“The American pulls the fly out and starts
drinking the beer.
“The Irishman pulls the fly out, sets it on
the counter and shouts, ‘SPIT IT OUT YOU BASTARD!’” I finished in a
bad Irish accent.
Charlie let out a peel of laughter, sounding
like a deranged hyena. “Oh, that’s a good one.”
“Yeah, it’s a classic,” I laughed, pleasantly
surprised he found my joke funny.
“That’s a keeper. I’m locking it in the
vault,” Charlie giggled, pointing to his temple.
“You do that,” I chuckled.
With humor in the air, we turned our
attention to the game and watched it for a little while as the
Gators took a 3-0 lead in the second period.
“I could get used to this,” Charlie
confessed, after his third trip to the nacho bar.
“I do like my box. I spend a lot of time
here.”
“Do you come to all the home games?”
“Pretty much. I usually use the time to
network and invite different people to enjoy the VIP
treatment.”
“Well, I will come back anytime you want me
to.”
I was pleased. “Consider yourself invited
back.”
“Cool. So what’s going on with you and my
mom?” he asked abruptly, as he took a sip from his bottle of
beer.
That was a loaded question. “Um...it’s
complicated,” I answered, hoping he wouldn’t want more
information.
“That’s a dumb answer. Of course, it’s
complicated. You just found out you have a kid and I just found out
I have a dad. But you have to treat my mom right because otherwise
there is no way we can move forward.”
I guess we were already in our first man to
man talk.
“I can appreciate you defending your mom. But
a lot happened before you were born. Your mom broke up with me and
then never let me know you were in the picture, which isn’t cool at
all. Believe me, if I had known, I would have been there.”
Charlie shot me a quizzical glance. “Have you
ever asked her why she never let you know about me? Maybe she had a
good reason. My mom is a very wise, wonderful woman. Growing up,
she always told me what a good guy you were and that she loved you
very much, b—“
“She still loves me?” I interrupted wildly,
my voice suddenly high.
“You didn’t
“I don’t know about that. Sure looks like a
lot of fun.”
He was fishing for an invitation. I decided
to give it to him straight. “It’s all right. But to tell you the
truth, it gets old after a while.”
“I don’t think I could ever get tired of a
good party.”
He was definitely young. “Why don’t you go
get your nachos?”
“Oh yeah, I forgot. I’m on it.” He
practically ran to the food.
Amused, I changed the subject as he heaped
chips, cheese sauce, hamburger, and jalapenos on his plate. “You
like hockey?” I asked as he took a seat next to me, so we could
watch the game.
“It’s all right.” He shrugged, more
interested in his nachos. “These are so good. Can I have more?”
“Sure, you can have as many as you like.” I
motioned to Joaquin, who was standing by for nacho duty.
“Cool. I’m so hungry. My mom says I eat her
out of house and home.”
“I believe it.”
“So what do you like to do?” I asked.
“Oh, jokes are my thing. Love the jokes,” he
said, taking a drink of his beer as we sat in the seat facing the
game.
“Yeah, I think you come by that honestly.” My
granddad was the same.
“Got any good ones?”
“Sure. Knock, knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Interrupting cow.”
“Interrupting cow w—“
“Mooo!” Charlie said, chuckling as he got out
the punch line.
I laughed from the sheer corniness of the
joke. “Nice one. So you like the knock, knock jokes?” I asked.
“I do. You can’t go wrong with a
classic.”
“That’s a classic? Try this one on for size.
An Englishman, American, and Irishman, all walk into a bar and
order a beer. The bartender gives them each a beer; however, there
are flies in each mug.
“Well, the Englishman pushes the beer aside
and says, ‘That's disgusting.’
“The American pulls the fly out and starts
drinking the beer.
“The Irishman pulls the fly out, sets it on
the counter and shouts, ‘SPIT IT OUT YOU BASTARD!’” I finished in a
bad Irish accent.
Charlie let out a peel of laughter, sounding
like a deranged hyena. “Oh, that’s a good one.”
“Yeah, it’s a classic,” I laughed, pleasantly
surprised he found my joke funny.
“That’s a keeper. I’m locking it in the
vault,” Charlie giggled, pointing to his temple.
“You do that,” I chuckled.
With humor in the air, we turned our
attention to the game and watched it for a little while as the
Gators took a 3-0 lead in the second period.
“I could get used to this,” Charlie
confessed, after his third trip to the nacho bar.
“I do like my box. I spend a lot of time
here.”
“Do you come to all the home games?”
“Pretty much. I usually use the time to
network and invite different people to enjoy the VIP
treatment.”
“Well, I will come back anytime you want me
to.”
I was pleased. “Consider yourself invited
back.”
“Cool. So what’s going on with you and my
mom?” he asked abruptly, as he took a sip from his bottle of
beer.
That was a loaded question. “Um...it’s
complicated,” I answered, hoping he wouldn’t want more
information.
“That’s a dumb answer. Of course, it’s
complicated. You just found out you have a kid and I just found out
I have a dad. But you have to treat my mom right because otherwise
there is no way we can move forward.”
I guess we were already in our first man to
man talk.
“I can appreciate you defending your mom. But
a lot happened before you were born. Your mom broke up with me and
then never let me know you were in the picture, which isn’t cool at
all. Believe me, if I had known, I would have been there.”
Charlie shot me a quizzical glance. “Have you
ever asked her why she never let you know about me? Maybe she had a
good reason. My mom is a very wise, wonderful woman. Growing up,
she always told me what a good guy you were and that she loved you
very much, b—“
“She still loves me?” I interrupted wildly,
my voice suddenly high.
“You didn’t
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