I received a phone call from an old family friend who was reaching out to let me know of an old family friend's upcoming funeral. It had been several years since I last heard from this old and long-time family friend. We caught up briefly on the phone, but the purpose of his call was just to let me know that a mutual friend had passed away from injuries as a result of a vehicle accident. The funeral service was scheduled for Wednesday the next week, back in my hometown.
I looked into flights and booked one that would see me arrive the day before the service, returning a few days later. I booked a rental car and a hotel room for my brief stay.
After getting settled into my room I felt like getting a beer and a bite to eat. I went to the local pub that I used to frequent, sat at the bar, and ordered a beer from the bartender, and inquired as to the daily lunch special. Deciding on a locally brewed IPA and burger, I sat back with my phone to check on messages. With nothing pressing, I opened up FB and browsed our old friend's profile. While checking out his profile I noticed a few other familiar names of past acquaintances. I clicked on them to browse their profiles -- basically catching up on the local current events.
The local IPA was delicious, as well the burger and fries. Before I had finished all my fries another patron pulled up a stool at the bar across the corner from me. We immediately recognized each other...
Chad stood up, pushed the chair back and relocated to the chair next to me. We had not seen each other in 16 years. We were old buddies and more -- close buddies. Turns out that Chad had come home for the service as well, and as fate would have it he was staying at the same hotel as I. I finished my fries and we both ordered another beer and relocated to a table for some privacy.