Evening out

OUR FIRST stop on our evening out is to pick up Little B from the Pub. Oh, he’s capable of driving himself, but I think he feels safer with someone else behind the wheel during the dark hours – his eyes aren’t quite what they were. In any case, it makes sense for us to take one car instead of two.

The next people to arrive at the restaurant are PD and his wife Lin. We’ve not seen much of either of them lately, so their appearance is doubly welcome. They seem well. PD has lost weight and is looking good – abstinence clearly has its virtues. He looks at my glass of clear liquid. “What’s that?” he demands. “Gin and tonic,” I reply, “without the gin.” And to his querying look, I add, “Doctor’s orders – seems I’m drinking too much.”

Next come Mike and Helen, and I’m really delighted to see them. It’s Mike’s first evening out in weeks, since his illness has kept him housebound. They both seem in good spirits and glad to be in company, glad to be out.

Finally, Fran and Den make an appearance, and the gang’s all here. The meal is standard fare, unfortunately, although I have to say my game pie is tasty, and the red cabbage excellent – this from one who hates cabbage! It all turns into a grand, cheery, noisy evening of good friends all together.

Oh, how blest we are in our good friends!