Ian and Bill

“Mind if I sit? My knees are killing me. Ooff, dang, it gets much noisier getting up and down when you get to be an old fart like me.”

“Old fart?”

“Sorry. Words seem to fall out at times, ‘old Fool?’”

“Nah, I prefer old fart. It brings a more accurate image to mind.”

“It does that. I’m Ian McRae, pleasure meeting you.”

“Bill Simpson here, and I’m equally glad to meet another old fart. I’m 77 in March.”

“Got you by 2, I’ll be 79 in March.”

“What day?”

“The fourteenth.”

“No shit, mines the fourteenth too, we were born on the same day. And you don’t look a day over 90. How do you do it?”

“I’m not telling. I don’t want any competition. The women approach me. They get a kick out of my kilt and we may talk for minutes. I’ve bought coffee for several. Had lunch with one, but she wouldn’t let me buy hers.”

“Thanks, Ian, Maybe I’ll try that. Do you wear underwear?”

“That’s a hell of a question to ask on our first date, Bill. Yeah, I was born in the States, actually no state, Washington D.C.”

“No shit! I was born in Buffalo.”

“No shit! We moved to Grand Island when I was 6. That would’ve been 1946. Right across the river.”

“We were there from when I was born in ‘42 ‘till ‘57 then moved to here. Been livin’ here in Santa Rosa for 62 years now. Retired postal worker. 67 to ought-seven, 40 years.”

“Lived all over myself. Moved to Oklahoma in 1959. High school, the navy for 4 years then back to Oklahoma for 6 years of college. Computer engineering. Worked all over the states, Germany 4 years, Russia for two, China for a few months, japan for three and Hawaii for five more. I got here in ‘95, 24 years for me. Got any kids, Bill?”

“Oh yeah, five, 15 grand kids and two greats.”

“Me too, 6 kids, 16 grands and 5 greats so far. Maybe a great-great in 6 years, if I live that long.”

“Family is great. Your wife still with you? Mine passed 6 years ago.”

“No, she died 5 years ago.”

“Anyone new?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. A retired lawyer and an author. I’ve decided to learn to write so I can leave my kids a readable history of me. Several asked. She won’t teach me, but I get a lot of encouragement.”

“I’ve got a new friend too. It’s nice having someone close. We’re getting married in 4 months. How often you walk?”

“Every day at nine for an hour.”

“Me too, at noon though.”

“Had a doc’s appointment. Got here late.”

“How about we meet here at 10 tomorrow, Ian, and do a walk/talk, get to know one another. I don’t have any old fart friends.”

“Great. Me either. We could start an OldFarts club.”

“Our girlfriends would hate that.”

“Not if they were included.”