May 10 2008
Well gang, last week a very rare kind of party was thrown in town. A surprise reunion party.
Now, that’s a unique concept. Just how do you set up that kind of thing?
Well, Gordon Goldleaf arranged everything, and figured that you start with the common denominator. And to Gordon’s mind it was simplicity in itself. You find their bartender from the old days.
It just so happened that Gordon learned that one of their old bartenders was turning seventy years old on Sunday, May 4^th. Ted Feeble was his name.
He wasn’t anybody’s favorite bartender; he was infamous while tending bar at Rudyard’s for constantly playing Jazz music to a crowd that was solidly comprised of hard-core rockers.
When not tending bar, he would hang out and cheat at darts. He didn’t get any points for that either…if you’ll pardon the expression.
At any rate, Gordon told everyone that Ted was retired now, had no friends and his eyes, feet, and mind were starting to go. He appealed to their sense of charity for this old timer, and didn’t tell anyone who else he was inviting.
They were directed to Gordon’s antique shop for the party, since Gordon had to pay rent for the place anyway, and what better place to have a party for an old man, than an antique shop?
The party was a blast. Ted’s old boss from Rudyard’s showed up, a plumber who once came in third in the Houston mayor’s race, with the slogan:” Let’s flush out city hall." And a KPFT disc jockey/philosopher that stopped coming to Rudyard’s when Ted was tending bar because of the incessant Jazz.
There were quite a few very nice presents for the birthday boy, along with some really funny cards, that seemed to go over Ted’s head somehow. His sister, who you have to believe, knows him as well as anybody, sent Ted some mysteries about the "Shadow", some comic books, and a remote control indoor helicopter.
Not what you would expect a seventy year old to be getting for his birthday. The surprise reunion was a great success and rolled on long after they carried Ted off to a car with his presents. Including a small antique that he apparently fancied.
"Doc" Dougherty, the club’s chaplain, was assigned the job of carting Ted home, in the event that Ted might require the administration of last rites on the way.
It’s already being bandied about that they should have another reunion next year.
With any luck at all, Ted won’t even remember this year’s.

Till next week
Helga Biermeister
Secretary