I met a friend for breakfast every morning when were working together. When I got to the restaurant that morning my friend Gerry wasn’t there yet but I took a seat at our regular table. One table away was a older man, very pleasant sort of fellow and we struck up a conversation about the first one thing and then the other.

After a bit Gerry came in an took a seat. He and I chatted like we did every morning. Nothing real deep. The conversation got around to “did your in laws make it in last night” kind of talk.

Gerry said they did. They got in late enough that he was already in bed, but had to get up and play the good host. Then like to have never got back to sleep. At one point he said that the mother in law had “her little ole yelping dog with her and it never shut up all night”. Besides that it got under his feet at one point and he’d gave it a good swift kick when no one was watching. He talked about the old woman never shutting up and never said anything that made sense.

Finally the old fellow at the other table got up to leave and we nodded and gave an adios gesture to each other.

Gerry and I finished our breakfast and headed for the precast plant, that I was involved with for awhile.

Gerry headed back in the shop to do some welding and said to give him a shout a little latter when his wife and the in laws showed up. They were coming by to see what kind of operation we had put together.

A couple of hours later, his wife and the in laws walked in the office. To my surprise her dad and I had already sort of met. Earlier that morning at the restaurant.

It was hard not to smile at each other, realizing what had happened. I said, “dang why didn’t you join us”? He said, “I figured you and Gerry had a lot of business to talk about”. I told him we didn’t talk much business, mostly just a bunch of B.S.

I went to the back to get Gerry. I told him that his Father in Law was sitting within 5 feet of him at breakfast. At first he didn’t believe me, but then that all faded away when we got back up to the office and I said to the old fellow “you sure should have joined us”.

I guess Gerry hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings that morning. Had not notice that father in laws car had already left the house or who else was around when he walked.

Later Gerry told me it didn’t matter. The old man didn’t like dog either and he too knew the old woman was crazy.