Half day at work. And it did not start off well. Overslept, basically waking up when the alarm went off. That doesn’t happen often, I’m usually up before the alarm. And that’s the alarm on my phone. The clock radio went off when I was in the shower, waking up Bill, which is something I did not want to do since he did not get home until 2:30 in the morning.

After stumbling around the apartment I was out on the street headed to get my bagels and onto the train. Most Fridays the train is not crowded, today it was nearly empty, maybe 6 or 7 people riding in my car. And the office was hardly populated, about 5 people on my floor.

My workload was the same and I did not see Schlomo which was good. I was out by 1:30, and Schlomo’s supervisor the Legume came in around 1:15 which was fine. I said Good Afternoon and soon I was on the train heading back to Hoboken.

Last summer I had a lunch date with Nancy and Bob. I’ve known Bob for over forty years, back when he was called Bobby. And Nancy I’ve known almost as long. Drugs were involved in the beginning, first with Bobby and powders finding their way up our noses.

Then Nancy stepped in and she always had powders. She used the powders like a leash, at least on me to the distress of other friends. She also meddled in my life to my detriment. Advising William my then roommate to put a lock on his phone since I could not be trusted. Landline, not a cellphone as this was the Nineties.

William took her at her word and did just that and I attempted to have Nancy banned from the apartment which was a success mostly.

An interesting thing about Nancy, Bob, and I is that when the three of us are together it’s generally a laugh riot. But that involved many pints and drinks at Maxwell’s, convulsing with laughter around midnight. This time, last summer it was a lunch date, meaning in the afternoon.

I’m not much of a drinker these days, though Nancy and Bob hold up their end considerably. I prefer to drink at night when the day is finished. During the day I think that the hours that follow drinking are wasted. I don’t begrudge anyone else their drinking or drugging habits. Powders are right out, herb is still welcomed.

We met at a Taqueria in Hoboken. I studied the menu before and knew what I wanted. It was on the cheap side and I drank water. Nancy and Rob drank and had not-so-inexpensive fare. During the meal I commented on a mutual friend’s partner and how they looked which got me off-putting stares from Nancy & Bob.

I regretted it instantly and having no way to backtrack I tried to change the subject. I did steer it toward my battles with depression and how there were times when I could not leave the apartment, so despairing I was.

It’s not an ongoing thing, just that summer of 2023 was not a particularly good one. Nancy and Bob seemed astounded by the confession of depression and it made me realize that they were ‘not THAT TYPE of friends’. Drinking, joking, and whatnot are fine, and personal problems are not to be brought up.

That was basically the last time the three of us got together. Will it happen once more, I couldn’t say. It came close last winter with the memorial for a mutual friend. Bob was there with a few other friends from those Maxwell’s days and Nancy was on her way.

Bill and I stayed for a bit longer, chatting and joking with other friends. They were drinking and smoking of which I indulged with the herb. Bill and I were hungry and had been at this memorial for almost three hours. Some friends tried to intervene and get us to stay until Nancy’s arrival but we bailed.