I had arranged a Skype call with my best friend, Mike, at 17.00 on Monday afternoon. He sent me an email during the day saying he suspected I would be at a bar at that time, so just to spite him ... Ann and I went down to Santa Barbara for a drink. The plan was to swing the phone round so that he could see the bar and the blue Mediterranean in the background. At the appointed time Skype beeped and we began to chat.
My shot of the Mediterranean was responded to with a shot of blue skies and sunshine, and the announcement that he and Wendy were about 6 km away in Polis for a week's holiday. The absolute swine and worse, when he told me that they had booked their holiday six weeks previously and kept it a secret. Beer and wine flowed when they arrived ... what an absolutely marvellous surprise.
Later this afternoon we are all going ten pin bowling. And if you think I am competitive, then you haven't met Mike. Ultra, ultra competitive and he has always been since I met him twenty-two years ago when he moved into the house next door in Kent. We played cricket together for some years but Mike's competitive edge was dulled at that time (probably because he couldn't bat to save his life), although when he gave me his bat (which was identical to mine) I was able to score freely. That's what talent is all about, I suppose.
Will he be able to bowl this afternoon? Will the light in his eyes have that old gleam? Only time will tell.
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