January 31 – February 3. It was a “super” weekend. Super weather…. Super good time….. Super Bowl Sunday…..Super Groundhog Day…..and spent with a Super friend. Yes, an almost super perfect weekend.

Fayez is living in Kansas City now. Yes…. After seven years, he has both his B. S. and M. S. degrees. He has finished that “artificial” student life and has suddenly been tossed into the “real” world. Sink or swim. He has been pushed off the mountain top. Now he will either soar with the wind beneath his sails….or he will plummet to the ground! Believe me: He will soar with the wind…..be lifted to great heights….. It is his destiny.

All that is good….and true. The best part though is that he is only an hour from my house….maybe even less, if he drives as fast as I do. Compare this with the two or two and a half hour drive from Wichita…..and the constant complaint of, “It’s so far to drive.” That old excuse is no longer valid. The result: Fayez has spent a couple weekends at Darrah Tower in the past month. This past weekend…. Super Bowl Weekend….was the latest. “Come early and eat lunch with Sam and me,” I told him.

“I can’t be there until around 4:00.”

“OK. I will leave the door unlocked, just in case I am taking a nap.” Any time I sit down in my recliner, you can bet that I am going to fall asleep….or Take a Nap, as I like to diplomatically describe it.

I ate lunch with my friend, Sam, as we always do on Friday….at the Airport Cafe this week. The cafe closes at 2:00, although if we are sitting there eating, they certainly are not going to kick us out. We have been going there for years, so we are not strangers. In fact, one could probably say we are “regulars”…..especially since this has become a regular lunch rendezvous for Jason and me, too.

Finish lunch at 2:00….briefly stop at my insurance agent’s office….pick up a gallon of wine….stop and buy a few items at Walmart. Yeah…. I can do all that and still be home by 3:00, plenty of time to sit down in my recliner and take the proverbial nap until Fayez arrived.

As usual, things did not go like clockwork. A little late leaving the cafe….the insurance business took a little longer than I had anticipated…. Buying the wine went pretty smoothly. But Walmart? How does one ever get in there and get out in a timely manner? There was no problem picking up the few items that I needed. I have the geography of that store perfected. I make a list starting from the back of the store, working my way forward….milk, sliced meat, bottled water, cereal, coffee, bananas…. And then to the check out lane. Getting checked out? Oh, man. What system do they use to hire their checkers? I am convinced they start from the bottom…..Lowest score first….and then move on up the list….. And the customers? I am not even going to go there….except to say that some of them are not functional enough to even be out in public. I stand in line….reading the outlandish covers of the “yellow journalism” magazines, checking my cell phone, contemplating whether to buy an overpriced candy bar or a 4 ounce bag of beef jerky that costs a month’s salary….all the time trying to anticipate if the person in front of me is going to back up into my cart or the person behind me is going to seriously damage my ankles with his cart…..

At any rate, it was getting “late” when I finally arrive back at the townhouse. “OK. If I hurry I can go upstairs and check my email and Facebook and still get back down to my recliner for just a short nap.”

It didn’t work that way. As I was working diligently to read my way through the email, I looked out the window to the parking lot below….and there he was. It was only about 3:40. But, there he was….getting out of his car….. No nap this afternoon. Fayez had arrived…..and Early. This, in itself, was a momentous occasion! It could honestly be classified as one of those “Firsts” we always hear about…. A moment to be preserved in the history books.

Fayez never does anything early. In that respect, he is consistent and predictable. Normally, I just leave the door unlocked so he can come on in when he arrives…. And, that was what I was going to do when I went back downstairs to take my brief nap. But…. There he was….already out of his car and heading toward the townhouse. I called to him out of my office window…..immediately boarded my lift chair and started the snail-pace journey downstairs.

Earlier in the day, while I was eating lunch, I predicted to Sam, “I know the first thing Fayez will want to do after he arrives…… Take a nap.”

Man, I am so good at predicting things like this! But…. I have had seven years’ of practice, too! So, I don’t want to sound all that clairvoyant. Anyway, after Fayez had sat down for a few minutes, I said, “Well, what do you want to do?”

I have already told you…. So, all together now: “Let’s take a nap.”

I certainly have nothing against taking naps. In fact, that is where I was heading when he unexpectedly arrived early. “OK with me,” I said. “Do you want me to put on my headset?” I always listen to music when I take a nap.

“Yes. I can still hear the music softly when you wear the headset,” he said. Fayez claims he can hear the music even when I am wearing my rather soundproof headset. Maybe he can; maybe he can’t. Maybe he has super-sensitive ears! They look like they could be super-sensitive. At any rate, I settled in for my normal 80 minute nap. “Eighty minutes?” you may ask. Yes. All of my CD’s contain eighty minutes of music. I rarely stay awake even to the end of the first song. The last song is always a Willie Nelson song. That song sends signals to my brain that the nap is over….and it is time to wake up. And, nine times out of ten, my brain responds. It hears Willie Nelson singing, and it wakes up. I mean…. What brain wouldn’t wake up when it hears Willie singing?

Before Fayez settled down for his nap, he said, “I am cold.”

“Cold? The temperature is 72 degrees in here!”

“I am still cold.” So up the stairs he went. When he returned, he was carrying every blanket, every quilt, every bedspread that he could find. I thought that perhaps he was going to sleep out in the front yard….or maybe in the refrigerator! Fayez gets cold easier….much easier….that I do….than most people do. After he got himself tucked in…..still wearing all his clothing….and covered with practically every blanket in the house…..he proceeded to take a nap. I turned on my music…..wearing shorts and a t-shirt….and promptly fell asleep.

He was awake before I was, as always…..looking at his laptop….as always…..

“Where do you want to eat?” I asked.

“I’ve already eaten. Let’s go to the coffee shop,” he replied.

That was OK with me. I, too, had eaten a large lunch and eating another meal was not high on my agenda of things to do. Topeka has several coffee shops. Most of them are open for only a few hours during the daylight hours, though. Who knows why? Maybe it is because coffee keeps people awake, and they just don’t like to drink coffee after 3:00 or 5:00 P.M. Maybe the people of Topeka would rather drink alcohol at night….to forget that they even live in Topeka. I don’t know the reason. However, what I do know is that there are only three coffee shops that are open at night….and one of them closes at 8:00, hardly a place to hang out after the sun goes down.

It is rather strange how all coffee shops seemed to be arranged. Normally….in a store, in a bar….in a restaurant….a person walks in and the first thing one sees or encounters is the cashier….the check out stand….the cash register….the place where you pay….the place where one is greeted. And, it is the last thing a person passes on the way out. This serves at least two purposes: A waitress or host is waiting to either lead you to your table or your booth. In a buffet, they take your money and take your drink order. If you do not pay at your table, you stop at the cashier’s stand on your way out and pay the bill. It is all very utilitarian….it all serves it purpose. It gives the business a means of controlling the activity….of making the customers feel welcome….not to mention making sure they pay the bill on the way out. Quite frankly, I like it this way. I don’t know…. It gives me a sense of security to know that I have been recognized. If the joint is full, there is somebody to say, “You are going to have to wait for a few minutes.” If the place is crowded, there is somebody to search for an empty table or booth.

In coffee shops, however, for some reason, the clerk is always located in the back of the establishment. Man, I do not like that arrangement. It seems to take forever to walk through all the tables, past all the customers….hoping that I do not bump into either them or their table…..hoping they do not have their feet in the aisle for me to trip over…and probably fall into their lap. Although, I suppose this is one way to become acquainted in a hurry. Even worse is trying to find a table….while balancing a cup of boiling hot coffee in one hand and some sort of carbohydrate treat in the other hand. If I would trip and fall into somebody’s lap…..I doubt if I am going to make many friends in the manner.

That is probably part of the “charm” of a coffee shop, though. Its eccentricities, its unique character that appeals to those people who have nothing better to do than sit in a coffee shop….. Like Fayez and me, for example! On the other hand…. Isn’t this where the “cool” intellectual people hang out?

Fayez and I have been to two coffee houses here in Topeka. One is the Classic Bean in the Gage Shopping Center and the other is called Blackbird Espresso…or something very similar to that, at least. A few weeks ago, we went to the Blackbird Espresso place in the Fairlawn Plaza Shopping Center. There is nothing wrong with it. Actually, it is rather pleasant and comfortable with reasonable prices. The selection of food is not very satisfying. But… Have you ever been to a coffee house with a good variety of food to eat? Maybe that is why they are called “coffee houses”. Like most coffee houses, the Blackbird Espresso place has free Wi-Fi so people can bring their laptops and hang out there. Let’s face it, coffee houses are commonly….often….places populated by lonely people whose best friend is their laptop.

A couple weeks ago when Fayez was here, we went to the Blackbird Espresso coffee shop to…. Well, hang out. It was on a Friday night. Not being one who hangs out in coffee shops at night…..or anywhere else for that matter….I had sort of forgotten that weekends are always “Amateur Hour” for local musicians who want to showcase their “talent”…..maybe hoping that a big time music agent may be visiting an aunt or grandmother in Topeka, Kansas, and will just happen to be in the audience that night. Or maybe they are uninhibited people who are not easily embarrassed in public. And, why not? I doubt if they are paid for their services. They put some sort of container….maybe a jar or a small bucket or a bowl….. on the stage….and hope that all the grateful people will come up and drop money in it. And, they do. Fayez did! Sometimes they even pass around a container openly soliciting cash from the audience.

Well…. We went to the Blackbird Espresso place unaware of what we were getting ourselves into. We walked in….the place was virtually full of people….some (or a lot) of whom seemed to be related to….or friends of….the band that was performing. We found an empty table in the front of the coffee shop….and to the right side of the stage. The “act” consisted of a female singer and three backup musicians. One of these seemed to be her husband….or at least, somebody very close to her.

She was convinced that she was a good singer…..thoroughly convinced! She belted out an endless series of songs….some of which were even somewhat recognizable. Between songs she kept up what she deemed to be a witty chatter, complete with inside jokes and other rambling, but “knowing”, chitchat. And, to make sure that she could be heard, the sound volume was set on the highest level possible! The sound system would have probably been very adequate for Allen Field House or the Chiefs’ stadium. Except we were not in Allen Field House. We were in a little coffee house that seated a hundred people, at the most.

Oh, I am sure that some of the people thought she was another Joan Baez or Whitney Houston. They chuckled at her little jokes and her attempt at humor. I suspect that most of these people were family members….or deaf. Others had their attention focused on their laptops, and a tornado probably couldn’t have gotten their attention. But us? We went there to talk….to have a conversation….and there was no chance that was going to happen. I considered taking a quick course in sign language. You know…..like deaf people use to “talk” to each other. Or maybe somebody should have suggested to the singer she consider singing in sign language. I wonder how that would work.

“Surely, she is going to take a break sometime,” I kept thinking. But, she obviously had a good set of lungs….and an even stronger bladder. Finally, the noise got to us. We couldn’t take any more.

“Let’s go to The Shack,” Fayez suggested. He didn’t have to ask twice. I was ready to leave. Fayez still insists that I am the one who suggested what we leave….but I am sure that it was he. No matter…. We were both ready to get out of there. While we were driving to The Shack, I told Fayez that he and I should put together a little act. He can play the guitar and I can sing. We could make the rounds of the coffee houses and entertain the masses. And, I am pretty sure we can make a lot of money, too. Instead of paying to hear us perform, they will pay us to Stop Performing….to shut up and sit down. All of you guys are invited to come and hear us. Bring plenty of money!

Around 9:00 we arrived at The Shack. The Shack is a neighborhood bar and grill located a few hundred feet off 29^th Street, far enough from the street to make it semi-secluded. It is a friendly place, patronized mainly by residents of the Lake Shawnee area. Most of the people seem to know each other. They come for supper and to talk….and go back home. A few of the hard core customers tend to congregate in the center of the building around the bar, leaving the area with tables free for relaxed conversation. It is small enough for a hint of intimacy, but large enough that we can talk in relative privacy. Anyway, in a bar everybody is tuned into his own friends and their own conversations. Nobody is interested in eve dropping on other conversations. In fact, it is virtually impossible to even get the attention of a waitress.

The Shack is primarily a sports bar with eight or ten large screen TVs mounted around the large bar-dining area. Except for important sporting events, the TVs are usually showing two or three different games of some sort. You can bet that if either K. U. or K State is playing, they will get top priority. Normally, the volume on the TV sets is turned off…..with just the picture. Can you imagine what it would be like for there to be three competing games, all with the volume cranked up? That would be almost as bad as listening to “amateur hour” in the coffee shop.

Since I have lived in Topeka, this has been our bar of choice. Sultan and I spend many evenings there when he is here during the summer. Since we normally arrived late….late as being 9:00 or so….many times we had the dining area all to ourselves, which suited us very well. We are not the type to get loud and obnoxious. Sitting there those many nights, we discovered something rather strange. We would be sitting….talking….with Sultan never taking his eyes off the TV set…. Well, unless it is to look at his cell phone. He is much like Fayez in that respect. The volume on the game showing on the TV sets is muted….just the picture. Suddenly a song….usually a country music song….starts playing on the speaker. Not loud….just playing. Now, one would normally think that somebody had put on a CD or turned on Spotify or something. But…. The song finishes….and that’s it. Silence….no more songs. OK…. Then, almost exactly twenty minutes later, another song starts to play…. This becomes a sort of pattern: One song every twenty minutes. We know…. We timed them….. Yeah, we wondered why, but we never asked. You know: Don’t ask; don’t tell. The songs were never annoying. They were always played at a normal volume….and only sporadically.

The night that Fayez and I went there…. Wow… The music was cranked up to the highest volume, and the songs just kept coming, one after the other. Unfortunately, the speaker….and it must have been a good one….was mounted in the corner just above the table where we were sitting. At that time, sign language would really have come in handy! I do not have a piercing voice like some people….and neither does Fayez. Talking to each other as virtually impossible. Maybe Fayez found this desirable…..but not I. At the end of every song, we thought, “OK. Maybe this will be the last one.” But….No such luck. Sort of like the Energizer Bunny. The noise just kept going…and going….and going.

The noise was annoying. A lot of the reason was that we were sitting almost under the speaker. The other people were congregated up by the bar, and I don’t think the music was as loud there. Anyway, all of them had loud voices….loud enough to easily talk over the blaring music. “OK,” we thought, “We will move further away from the music, and everything will be fine.” We got up and started looking for a more suitable….more tranquil….spot to sit. What we were doing must have been rather obvious. One of the waitresses immediately asked us if the music was too loud. “Duh…… Yes, it is.” She turned the volume down to a much more reasonable level. Nobody was listening to the music anyway. She could just as well have turned it completely off.

We spent the rest of the night in relative auditory comfort…..me drinking a Bud Lite and Fayez drinking a glass of water. And, for the moment, I abandoned the urge to learn sign language.

Getting back to the present….. On this Friday night, we made a wiser choice. We had learned our lesson. They say that experience is the best teacher. That is true…..but only if one chooses to learn from it. And, take it from me….. We learned our lesson well!

This Friday night we went to the Classic Bean in the Gage Shopping Center. One might argue that the Classic Bean is not as “lively” as the Blackbird place. However, nobody is going to argue or even suggest that it not a more peaceful and conversation friendly coffee shop. We could….and did…..actually talk to each other. Talk….not shout! There was no ear-splitting music…or noise….assaulting the ears and brain. There was no contest to set a new decibel level. There were no smug, wanna-be folk singers trying to satisfy their egos….with delusions of “making the big time”.

No…. We ordered our drinks….coffee for me and tea for Fayez….some overpriced pastry….and sat down to enjoy a pleasant conversation. Of course, we still had to walk to the back of the coffee shop to place our order. But, I think there must be some “coffee shop” law about that….written into some mythical “coffee house” constitution. But, that is OK. Neither of us stumbled over anybody’s outstretched legs or spilled out drink. Nobody bothered us. It was a pleasant evening.

Saturday morning awakened to a bright, sunny day…..the temperature destined to rise into the mid-50’s. The sun was already shining into my office window when I got up around 9:00. After checking my morning e-mail and Facebook page, I went downstairs and made a cup of coffee and ate a bowl of raisin bran. As I sat waiting for Fayez to wake up and come downstairs, I finished drinking the coffee and eating the raisin bran….straightened up the front room a bit…..glanced briefly at the book I was reading, but reading in the morning makes me sleepy, so I didn’t spend much time with it. I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. Saturday morning is not the best time to watch TV, but I settled on watching a program called “Aerial America”, an educational program on the Smithsonian Channel that I often watch. Saturday morning they were showing a program about the state of Oregon, a state close to my heart. I had seen it before. I normally don’t sit and watch TV during the daytime. What else was I going to do? The program ended. It was 11:00. I turned off the TV and sat in my recliner….probably falling asleep, at least briefly. Sometime after 11:00, but before Noon, I heard Fayez moving around upstairs. By this time, the sun was high in the sky, and the temperature had already begun to warm up.

After Fayez had made himself a cup of coffee and a sandwich consisting of peanut butter, apply butter, sliced turkey and sliced cheese, he came into the front room and sat on the couch. When Fayez comes downstairs, he is instant joy…wide awake….all ready for a session with his beloved cell phone, which makes the instant joy a little bit unnecessary. At least, he was awake, though.

Now it off to Lake Shawnee for a morning run. When it comes to running, Fayez is just like a camel in the desert. In other words…. He likes to run. And, it was a great day for running. The sun was shining brightly; there was just a hint of a breeze. Unfortunately, there was no sand to blow in our eyes, although the water on Lake Shawnee was shimmering brightly, disturbed by a slight breeze from the south. Not quite like a desert sand storm…..but close enough that the conditions for running were nearly ideal. So, we took off. Me….walking. Fayez….running. It was sort of like the story of the turtle and the rabbit. I will let you guess which was which.

Lake Shawnee is my preferred place to walk. It is a beautiful setting; there are usually other people walking or running or biking, so it is safe; there are stretches of level ground to walk on (for me); there are convenient parking lots strategically place around the lake; and there are markers every quarter mile which makes it easy to keep track of distance. Normally I go walking around 3:00 in the afternoon. That is the time when the National Public Radio news program “All Things Considered” is on. It serves a double service: I can keep caught up on the news in a fairly objective, non biased manner, and the listening to the news keeps me suitable distracted from the fact that I am walking! I am not really sure what Fayez listens to…..maybe some of the plaintive, whiny Arab music that he likes….or maybe he is listening to a TED talk. Whatever he is listening to, I am pretty sure that he does not need the distraction as much as I do.

After about 20 minutes, I gave up and sat on a bench waiting for him to return. About twenty minutes later, I see him looming in the distance. I get up and get my camera ready to snap several pictures as he run down the bridge toward me. We are both happy. I am happy simply because it is over. Fayez is happy because he has run three miles….and has improved his time.

Later we head to El Chilar, the Corn Field, a Mexican cafe down the street from my townhouse at 25^th and California. This is our adopted neighborhood cafe…..sort of like The Shack is our designated neighborhood bar. Actually El Chilar is a good place to eat. The food is delicious….prepared from scratch….served in abundant portions….and reasonably priced.

El Chilar is a friendly, welcoming little cafe. The owner, a guy named Victor, is a friendly, outgoing person. It is rather neat that he not only owns the cafe, but he also runs it…..hands-on, in person. Maybe he even cooks, too. It would not surprise me. He is actually from the Dominican Republic. But, I can imagine that it just easier to call the place a Mexican restaurant. They probably eat the same things anyway. For me, I have more or less permanently settled on his beef soup as my favorite meal. If that doesn’t sound very impressive…. Well, it is a deceptively generous amount of food: nachos (or course), rice, tortillas….and, of course, the delicious beef soup.

A visit to El Chilar is always an entertaining experience. It is sufficient just to talk a few seconds with Victor….and his outgoing personality is contagious. But, be prepared for some rousing Mexican music…..videos, in fact. They are playing all day long on a big screen TV. The good thing about the music here is that it is not overpowering. Far from it. The volume is always set at audible level, but not loud enough to warrant a visit to an audiologist when the meal is finished. Yeah…. I know that music videos are not a patented product of El Chilar. Go to a Chinese restaurant and there is mournful, nasal music playing….same-same the Indian restaurant and the Japanese place. Somehow, though, the music at El Chilar is actually entertaining…..and not just designed to mask the babble of obnoxious loud talking customers. And…. It is certainly not comparable to the ear-piercing noise that bombards the ears in most bars. If you do not like the music, maybe you will like the constantly changing display of stunning photography that is displayed on another large screen TV. The constantly changing array of pictures is a visual feast in itself. A word of warning: Do not go to El Chilar to watch your favorite sports team. Not going to happen. This is a place for enjoying delicious Mexican food…. A place where you can leisurely cheer for the food….to yourself, of course…..and not be distracted by external forces.

After satisfying our appetite at El Chilar….and I think that both Fayez and I were both satisfied and a few pounds heavier….we proceeded with the rest of our afternoon activities. My plan for the remainder of the afternoon was to visit some surplus, discount stores….and maybe come away from them with some super bargains. Bargains on stuff that I don’t need….but still interesting, nice stuff. Personally, I love these stores. They are stores without the pressure of looking for something specific….free of pressure to buy something. The main pressure on me is NOT to buy something.

The content of these stores is constantly changing, depending, I suppose, on what kind of surplus merchandise warehouses are trying to get rid of. It could be electronic equipment, kitchen wares, clothing, hardware, tools…. Who knows? That is why they are so much fun. I have to be careful when I go into places like this. I almost always walk out with stuff I do not need…..but stuff “that might come in handy some day.” That is, in part, perhaps how I accumulated so much stuff….some called it junk…..at the Ozawkie house. Of course, I vigorously disagree with those people……but still….

On this Saturday afternoon, however, Fayez and I were unlucky. Or, maybe we were lucky…. At any rate, our afternoon was not very productive. We found one discount store….one just off 37^th Street. We looked at it rather carefully. But, most of the stuff there really WAS junk….or we could have bought most of it for less at WalMart. We searched for two other places that I found listed online in the Yellow Pages. One of them was closed…..and one looked like it had disappeared sometime back in the Middle Ages. This is another testimony for the accuracy….or lack thereof…. of the Internet….and only supports my conclusion that most of what is seen on the Internet is 99.9% pure junk. Oh well…. A penny saved is a penny saved. Or something like that.

After going back to the townhouse and taking a glorious eighty minute nap, we were refreshed and ready to embark on the evening’s adventure. As it was, it did not turn out to be much of an adventure. But…. Nothing “ventured” nothing gained. Right?

In our rather obsessive quest to try out all the coffee shops in Topeka….at least, all those that are open after the sun goes down and the people of Topeka disappear into their houses like birds to their nests….we headed to the only other one that was left on our list. And, our list only had three places! The coffee house is located on 17^th Street, right across the street from Washburn University. That should make it easy to find….right? Except that Washburn stretches for several blocks along 17^th Street.

We drove into the parking lot of what we thought was the coffee shop. It looked a little strange. Lots of people. Lots of people, sitting in booths. Lots of people sitting in booths eating Mexican food. Nobody had a laptop. Nobody was singing self-centered “folk song”….. Oh well…. Maybe it was just a popular Mexican coffee house. But, why were all these Mexican beer advertisements hanging on the wall? What is with all these pictures of tacos and burritos? Let’s face it: We had gone into a Mexican restaurant. At first, we thought maybe they had recently changed the place from a coffee house to a Mexican restaurant. But….No. We were simply at the wrong place.

What the heck? While we were there, we figured we may as well go ahead and eat our supper. So…. We took advantage the pictures on the wall….the beer….the tacos….and ordered something to eat. No coffee, though. Do Mexicans even drink coffee? I suppose they do….and I bet it is strong coffee, too. You don’t suppose they have a Corona coffee…..or a Modelo coffee?

A couple days later, after Fayez had gone back to Kansas City, I drove down 17^th Street again. We had driven right past the coffee shop. It was dark outside….so at least we have an excuse for missing it….even though it may be a rather lame excuse.

“Let’s go home and paint,” Fayez said.

Yeah, I guess that is OK. Fayez is always telling me how to paint….how I should plan the painting….how I should execute the painting….how I should name the painting….how I should choose the colors….although he had never painted a picture in his entire life. Nothing like getting a little bit of experience at what you are already an expert at. Just joking, Fayez. But…. On the other hand, the idea of him getting a little bit of experience turned out to be a good one. He actually enjoyed it.

I started painting about a year ago, so I am an old pro at it…..a real Monet or a Jackson Pollack….and maybe even a Michelangelo, except that I do not lie on my back and paint on the ceiling. I have often thought of calling myself “Grandpa Darrah”…… You know: Grandma Moses started painting in her 70’s and became famous for her primitive art. No…. I am an amateur….and I always will be. Actually, I can’t even draw flies (an old joke). That is why all of my painting are abstract art. There is probably no such thing as a mistake in abstract act. The truth is: When I start on a painting, I have no idea what it will look like when I finish…..not a clue. I just keep messing with it until I am either satisfied….or so discouraged that I just pronounce it to be “finished”. And, I paint only for myself. I am not interested in what other people think. What they think is their problem. Can I help it if they have poor taste….and do not appreciate the masterpieces that I produce?

So….. Fayez sat down and was initiated into the world of abstract painting on that momentous Saturday night. But, as he found out, a person does not just sit down and paint. First he had to get a glass full of hot water to wash his brush; he had to get some wet paper towel to clean his brush; he had to get some dry paper towel to clean the brush….. He had to choose the brush he wanted to use….a rather tricky task for somebody who has never painted before. Then he had to sit and think, “Now, what do I do?”

Yes… What do I do now? I don’t know if Fayez had a plan….or whether he just started putting paint on the canvas, hoping that an idea would come to him. Sometimes it is easier that way. But Fayez? He sat for a while, staring at the canvas….trying to form a vision….trying to visualize a plan….maybe trying to see the finished product. Even with a vision, it is infinitely more difficult to transfer that vision from the brain to the canvas. I don’t know….but maybe this was the barrier that he was facing at that moment. It sounds so easy….but it can be Oh So Difficult.

Fayez settled on a basic black painting. I was a little bit surprised. He has often told me that my paintings look “angry”. And, I very intentionally avoid using black in my paintings. Even using blue and red and violet, paintings can look dark. All of these colors, used alone, are bright and happy colors. Sometimes in combination, however, they can project a dark and angry mood. Anyway, he seemed happy with his efforts, stopping now and then to survey, and perhaps to contemplate, his work. He seemed satisfied….adding a touch of red here and a dash of green there and just a hint of blue. Unlike me, Fayez chose not to have a solid color background, simply leaving the white canvas background exposed, free of paint.

In the end, he was satisfied. After maybe an hour or an hour and a half, he pronounced the painting “Finished”. And, and in act of generosity, he presented the painting to me. Well…. I think he was being kind and generous. Maybe he just didn’t want the painting and pawned if off on me. No…. He was proud of his very first effort at abstract painting. He proudly signed it….always the final touch on a painting….and presented it to me.

Fayez is always telling me that I should “Name” all my pictures….even write a sentence or two explaining them. “What is the name of your painting?” I asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“I thought you told me that I should name all of my paintings,” I said. “Aren’t you going to give yours a name?”

“I just told you. Its name is ‘I Don’t Know’,” he said.

Oh…. Maybe a good name for the first painting. However, I think he can only name ONE of his paintings “I Don’t Know”….or people may start to become suspicious. At any rate, “I Don’t Know” is hanging in a place of prominence in my living room….directly in front of my recliner….where I can not avoid seeing it….where it will remain. When people come to visit and ask me, “What is that painting supposed to represent?” I can honestly answer, “I don’t know.”

Ahhh….. Sunday morning dawned…..another beautiful day…. a Super Day. In fact, it was Super Bowl Day. By the time I had gotten out of bed on this sunny Sunday morning, the day was already shaping up to be an awesome, almost summer-like day. And, by the time Fayez finally made his initial appearance sometime in the late morning….but before noon….there was no doubt: The weather forecast had finally gotten it right for a change. We were destined for a record-tying high temperature. Hang up the jacket. Put away the gloves. This was a day for short sleeves and shorts.

The coverage of the Super Bowl had already begun on TV. In fact, it probably started long before either of us woke up. And, sadly, there were probably millions of people who woke up, sat in their recliners, a beer in their hand….but nothing in their brain….and watched it from the beginning. I don know…. Can you imagine sitting and watching self centered, grown men….who like to call themselves commentators…. sitting in front of a TV camera talking about something they have absolutely no control over….just babbling….thrilled to hear the sound of their own voices….and probably awe-struck by their own phony wisdom… And, then further consider…. This is the sole contribution these spoiled, overpaid, men-children make to our society. This pseudo, artificial mindless chatter that has nothing to do with anything. And…. Then consider those people in TVland sitting for hours watching this mindless drivel, probably not even remotely aware they are being fed a diet of narcissistic nonsense. Is it any wonder that a mentally and intellectually challenged orange clown is president of the country?

Oh well…. Enough of that…. Needless to say, we did not watch any of it.

Instead, we chose to do something a bit more constructive. We went to Lake Shawnee (again). Fayez ran. I walked. It was a glorious day to be outside. Apparently a lot of other people shared our opinion. People of all ages, sizes and shapes were spending their midday strolling, jogging, walking their dogs, pushing baby carriages, riding their bicycles. Just enjoying the fresh air and the abundant sunshine and the beauty and serenity of the lake and enjoying each other’s companionship. Yes…. Probably a lot of them would watch the Super Bowl….but not until the game actually started….until the first kickoff…. when the only people who mattered were on the field playing the game.

It is not going to come as a surprise to many people that I finished walking a little while before Fayez finished running….. In this case, “a little while” can be defined as about thirty minutes. No big deal. This is normal. Fayez is in just a little better shape than I. A “little bit” being another way of saying “a lot”. Fayez is also a couple years younger than I. A “couple years” meaning two or three generations. I have no aspirations of running in races any longer. Those days have long passed. But, I have high expectations that Fayez will be back to his old habit of winning races….and bringing home the medals. I think both of us are trying to shed a couple pounds, though.

So…. I sat on a bench and waited for Fayez to appear in the distance….passing my time listening to NPR on my little radio. The time went by quickly, though. People walked past or jogged past or rode past. Sometimes they spoke or nodded their head; sometimes they just passed by without even recognizing that I am sitting there….perhaps invisible….or a dangerous old man to be avoided. Or maybe they are too absorbed in their own thoughts or conversations. That is OK. I am the same way. Sometimes I speak to people; sometimes I don’t. I don’t know them; they don’t know me. Maybe they are just as dangerous as I am….and people who know me know that I am a pretty vicious person!

In any event, I saw Fayez looming out of the distant mist. It was time to go into action. Get the camera ready. Figure out which way is up (I never get it right.). Start shooting pictures. He got nearer and nearer. He slowed down to a walk. He looked a little tired….but happy. He didn’t seem to be breathing too hard. “How was your run?” I ask.

“Good,” he says.

We got into the car and headed back to the townhouse.

Fayez headed upstairs to take a shower. I sat in my recliner. I learned long ago that when Fayez goes into the bathroom….for anything….it is difficult to predict when he may appear again. So…..for five minutes or fifty minutes, I may as well relax….watch TV, read, take a nap, clean the house….take a short vacation…. Get a part time job…. In this case, he was not gone long….relatively speaking.

The next decision of the day: Where to eat lunch. I had heard of a Japanese restaurant….and all-you-can-eat place….that I had been wanting to try out. For some reason, I simply had never done it. I had driven to it….just to make sure it was there….but I had never gone inside. Quite frankly, I am surprised that Sultan and I didn’t go there last summer. We were always looking for new and interesting places to eat. This Sunday afternoon seemed like an ideal time to give it a try.

The name of the restaurant is Mizu Sushi. It is located across town at Wanamaker and Huntoon. We drove into the parking lot, only to find that there were no other cars there. In fact, it gave every appearance of being closed. I was prepared to leave and go to the Chinese buffet that Fayez likes so much. As we approached the building, we were pleased to see a neon sign proclaiming the restaurant to be “Open”. We entered with a slight sense of trepidation….at least, I did. Was this a good omen? A restaurant where we were the only customers? At least, we were pretty sure that we had not gone to McDonalds by mistake.

We were greeted warmly by two young Japanese….a girl and a boy. Maybe brother and sister, although I have no way of knowing this. The boy….and I should probably be referring to him as a young man….led us to our booth. There were no tables, or I would have asked for one. I have some difficulty getting into and out of booths. He left and soon reappeared carrying a menu with a single sheet of paper.

We looked around trying to locate the buffet. There did not appear to be one….at least, not where human eyes could see it. “We want the buffet,” we explained to him. In his gentle manner….and in his rather rudimentary English….he attempted to explain to us how the procedure worked. This was indeed different than any other all-you-can eat buffet that I have experienced.

The sheet he handed us contained all the food we could order….all the food that would ordinarily be found on the buffet line, in other words….and there was lots of it. We marked the food we wanted with an “x”…..and he brought it to us….set it in front of us at our booth. When we were getting close to successfully devouring that food, the young man appeared again, presenting us with another sheet of paper….actually the same sheet. Again, we marked the food that we wanted. He disappeared only to materialize a short time later to present the food to us.

The food was well prepared. In fact, it was delicious. The portions were generous. After ordering a couple times….and we shared the food that we ordered….our appetites were satisfied. Yeah…. I have never seen a place like this before. But, I like it. These people have a sound concept….a good plan….. And, I think it works. A person, indeed, does get all the food he can handle. We only ordered twice, I think. We declined the third offer. There is no doubt in my mind that they would have kept bringing a sheet to us to mark the food we wanted for as long as our appetites could tolerate it. And, until we had to make a trip to Walmart down the street to buy some bigger clothes. It was always service with a smile….along with their barely understandable English. In fact, they seemed to be urging us on….

We enjoyed all of this…. The food was delicious…. Yes, we could have gotten the same thing at the Chinese buffet. Of course, it would have been called Chinese food there. Here it is called Japanese food. I am not sure if I really know, or can tell, the difference. In fact, I wonder if they can. Nevertheless, the food was first rate, according to our taste buds…..and I am sure we will delight them again with more visits in the future.

You know…. These people have the got it right. And, more all-you-can eat buffets need to learn from them. They need to go there and eat….and take notes while they are there. First of all, marking the food and having it served is a novel, but excellent, idea. The old saying, “The eyes are bigger than the stomach.” has some truth to it. Greedy, low-class, ignorant people…..and may I add Overweight People….will make second, even third trips through the buffet line….while leaving mounds of uneaten food on their plate. It disturbs me greatly to see people get up and walk out of a buffet restaurant with a full plate of untouched food. It is wasteful and arrogant….not mention greedy and selfish. Literally, millions of tons of food are wasted each year here in the USA. Wasted by thoughtless, unthinking, uncaring people who do not stop to think of the tens of thousands of less fortunate people who would weep tears of joy to have only a small share of the wasted food.

But…. Like I said, the people at the Japanese all-you-can-eat place have gotten it right. At the top of the menu, and in capital letters, I think, is clearly states that a surcharge….a fee in addition to the regular price….will be levied on uneaten, wasted food. Good for them! They got it right. Others should follow their example. This, alone, is an excellent reason to go back there and eat.

Now…. It was back to the townhouse again. Time for the ubiquitous, all important nap. Me….wearing my trusty headset….Fayez with his full set of covers to shelter him from the extreme cold of the 72 degrees temperature in the front room. Before I started my nap….before turning on the CD….I reminded Fayez that the nap will last eighty minutes. I do this because I will not wake up until 5:50….and the Super Bowl kicked off at 5:30.

Subconsciously I think we both expect to watch the Super Bowl from the comfort of our living room. When I woke up….Fayez is already awake. I washed my face, changed clothes….and we headed out for The Shack where we hoped we could find an empty table or booth.

As we turned into the long winding driveway to The Shack, we could see that the parking lot was crowded. Quite frankly, it didn’t look very encouraging. It was sort of like trying to find a parking space at Old Faithful in August. We were lucky. We pulled into a vacant parking space. Judging by the number of cars, I was fully expecting to simply go back home and watch the game.

“Let’s take a look before we go in,” I said. To me it is awkward to go inside a bar, walk around looking for an empty table only to find they are all occupied. I do not like to share a table or a booth. I know that Fayez doesn’t like this, either. And, I am pretty sure the people who would have to share their space do not like it either….unless they are super drunk….or some sort of lonely, over-zealous social misfits.

“Ahhh…. There is an empty table,” I said. We walked into the bar. Not only was there an empty table, but also an empty booth. We elected to sit in the booth….although I am not fond of sitting in booths because they are difficult to get in and out of. On the other hand, in a booth, I have the luxury of having a wall to lean on…..and a long seat to rest my legs on. So, it all balances out. Anyway…. The bar was crowded. There were more people there than I had ever seen there before. But, it was not packed; it was not filled to its capacity.

Often times our conversation is inhibited because of the fear that somebody will be listening to us talk. This is just a little bit irrational. Nobody goes to a bar to listen to….or eve drop….on other people’s conversations. Not unless you are a Russian spy…..or a member of the Trump administration trying to dig up dirt on an opponent. But….back to The Shack. We were happy to have found our own space. The waitress came to take our order. We had actually already eaten quite enough at the Japanese place. But… Come on. You can’t just go into a bar or a restaurant and sit without ordering something. These are businesses…. They are profit making institutions. This is how they make their living. Actually, they can tell you to leave….legally. (Just a hint or a word of advice to anybody who thinks these are just big public waiting rooms that happen to serve food!) So, I ordered a large Bud Lite and some nachos. Fayez reluctantly ordered a Diet Coke.

We settled down to watch the Super Bowl, which was already well in progress. Just for the record: The Kansas City Chiefs were playing the San Francisco 49ers. I am certainly not one of those people who is going to recount the game, play by play. I will leave that to people who have nothing better to do….people who basically do not have a life of their own. (And, I know a few of them!) However, the 49ers took the lead and from all practical appearances, they seemed to be in control of the game. In the third quarter, some people actually got up and left the bar, apparently discouraged by their perceived outcome of the game. I don’t know…. Maybe they just haven’t watched the Chiefs play many games during the season. All season, the Chiefs have had the remarkable ability to come back from what appeared to be certain defeat and win games. They are sort of a come-from-behind team.

The bar became noticeably more quiet. We could feel a sense of nervousness descending over the crowd….maybe even a feeling of despair or hopelessness. The two old ladies who had been screaming so vigorously….waving their arms with a sense of youth and enthusiasm they had not known for probably sixty years….became subdued….reverting back to the normality of old age. (Like me.) Yeah…. It didn’t look so good. I told Fayez, “All they need is one big play, and they will win the game.” Yes…me. The ultimate authority on football games actually said that! Fayez, of course, just looked at me. I mean…. What else could he do? (Although I am sure that deep in his heart, he knows that football is really “my thing”.)

As we sat, watching the game unfold, I kept noticing that people were walking past us….and then returning with plates of food. “Ummmm.. This is interesting,” I thought. “Where is that food coming from?” I then diverted my attention to discover the answer to this mystery. I noticed they were going to a table that apparently contained a variety of food. My first thought was, “Oh, Wow! We have crashed a private party. We don’t belong here.” I stopped a waitress and asked her what the deal was. “Is there a cover charge or something?”

“Oh, no,” she replied brightly. “The food is all free. Go help yourself!”

“Now I find out,” I thought. Free food! Who passes up free food? But, here we sat….a large plate of cheese nachos is front of me (although Fayez refused to eat any of them)….just a few hours from a stomach-filling Japanese meal. What rotten luck. If the game was not depressing….. The news of free food….free food that I could not take advantage of….certainly did not help. On the other hand, I am pretty sure that all of the free food contained pork. And, I would have felt rather guilty stuffing my stomach while Fayez had to sit and watch me.

Well….. Sure enough! Midway through the fourth quarter, Patrick Mahomes threw a long pass. The pass was caught. The Chiefs scored. The crowd in the bar went wild…. Fayez and I included…. The atmosphere became electric…. The people in the bar began their celebration…. The party started again…. The Chiefs could not be stopped…. Another touchdown….. Another field goal…..

Fayez had never seen a Super Bowl game before. What a game to start with! I think we can say that Fayez was super excited watching his first Super Bowl game. Fayez described the game as being “Tense”. And, that it was! It was tense….and maybe uncertain….until that big play….the long pass that broke open the game….in the 4^th quarter. Now Fayez is living in Kansas City. This was perhaps the best possible game to catapult him on his path to becoming a Chiefs fan. Nothing like starting at the top! Maybe we can say that it took a Super Bowl to make a “super” Chiefs fan out of Fayez.

And, again, just for the record: The Chiefs became the 2020 Super Bowl Champions by defeating the San Francisco 49er by a score of 31 – 20. A day with super awesome weather, a super football game, some super Japanese food, spent with a super friend.

But…. The story doesn’t end here. We left The Shack as winners in another way, too. Each of us was given a ticket to a drawing….all for free. Throughout the evening, numbers were drawn. If the number on our ticket matched the number that was drawn, then we won a prize. We got there a little too late for the initial drawings….and I strongly suspect the best drawings. Before we received our tickets….and I think it was probably just a lucky accident that the waitress finally realized that we did not have tickets….the prizes were almost entirely Chiefs shirts. Man, I would have loved to have won a Chiefs shirt.

Fayez told me he was going to buy me a shirt from a street vendor and bring it to me. Wow… I was excited. It has been years since I have owned a Chiefs shirt. In fact, I probably still have it….packed away in a plastic storage box….now three sizes too small for me to wear. But, as fate would have it….and as is usually my poor fortune….Fayez forgot to buy the shirt. So, I am still without a Chiefs shirt to wear. And, since I exist just above the poverty level, I am not going to pay $30 or $40 for a shirt that should sell for $10 or $15. Call me cheap….or call me smart….

We were winners, though. Both of us. I won a Patrick Mahomes tote bag. Fayez won a Chiefs lanyard for his keys and ID. Maybe not quite as desirable as shirts. But, as they say, “Beggars can’t be choosers.” So…. Like Happy Campers, we drove back home. And, as William Shakespeare said, “All is well that ends well.” And, that is a good description of our day.

“Monday, Monday, So Good to me….” The weekend was over. A great weekend. Now it was time for Fayez to go back to Kansas City. Before he left, we had one more task to accomplish. Fayez needed somebody, actually almost anybody….somebody who had a job and was not retired…. to sign a form assuring that he actually Fayez…and that the work permit that was issued by the government was indeed in the right hands of the right person. After considering the possibilities available to us….and remember, I was not eligible because I am happily retired and no longer work…. we agreed that probably the manager of the townhouse complex would be the most logical and the most convenient person to ask…..and especially since she is also a notary public. She was quite willing to help Fayez, and she also seemed to be somewhat familiar with task.

So…. As we walked out the door of the townhouse office, Fayez was “legal”; he was legitimate; he was ready to start paying his share of taxes. He was also ready to pay his share of my social security. In other words, he is now going to be paying my “salary”. Thanks, Peasant!

With that, the weekend was over. Fayez got into his car….and drove off into the sunrise…. Yes, I got that right…. He was heading east, back to Kansas City….the home of the Kansas City Chiefs…. And, now…. Home of Fayez.