Cigars and Life

It is November.  My wife has been dead for 2 months and it will be about 2 more months before she will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors, by the USAF Honor Guard.  Yes there is a waiting list for Arlington.  I'm in Florida with my wife's sister and her husband.  (i'm not sure how to refer to them.  She was my sister-in-law for 40 years.   I guess I'll keep her as my sister-in-law regardless).  I'm in Florida because My wife had arranged this trip back in February.   This is the annual trip to Homstead, Florida for the very last race of the NASCAR season.   Mary would arrange this trip every year along with a trip to Dover.   The four of us would travel, eat, drink, watch races and generally we would live life.   

Mary's not here this trip.  My wife's sister and husband get to put up with me and entertain me, or humor me or just listen to me.  Expedia screwed up our reservations and that put some added stress on me yesterday, but I didn't throw the phone and I didn't use any profanity to the Expedia folks.   Never again with Expedia.  

So,  last night I asked Mike if he ever smoked a cigar.  He said yes.  The last cigar I remember was in 1973, in Thailand where I was a security policeman.  When I was in Vietnam I started smoking because there were cigarettes in the C-rations.  I kept it up for over 20 years.   In 1973, I'd go a pick up some Hava Tampa's and take them out when I was the north perimeter patrol (jeep).  So i've never smoked a real cigar.

Last night we headed over to a local liquor store, bought some expensive cigars in glass tubes, got some Grand Marnier, got a cigar cutter and then we went back to the veranda at the hotel and lit up and drank up.   We had discussions that for some reason we have never had before.  We told war stories, passed around compliments, renewed our friendship.   I decided I needed my picture taken with a cigar and here I am.   

In what currently seems like a dessert of sorrow, for a while I found an oasis.