AFTER THE VIEWING

After the viewing we went to La Pampa. It is our favorite restaurant. We always order la parrillada--fajitas, beef ribs, chicken, sausages and mollejas. I start with a cold beer to clear my throat. Before the evening was over, we had finished two bottles of wine.

"How old was he?" she asked.

"He wasn't twenty. He was a great kid."

"But he died so fast."

"From the time the doctors diagnosed him with pancreatic cancer, he was dead in less than a month."

"I've never seen such a heart-broken family. He was their hero."

"I don't want to even think about it. I may get a little bit tipsy tonight. I would be a basket case for the rest of my life if anything happened to David or Sara."

"Where is the funeral mass?"

"At the Cathedral," I answered.

"At what time?"

"It's at two."

"And the burial?"

"It's right after, but we're not going. It's going to be too hot and windy."

"I haven't been downtown in ages. Let's go to Dodici's. I've heard the food is excellent and the interior patio is gorgeous."

"It doesn't open until five."

"We enjoyed The Library the last time we were there except you drank too many tequilas and almost ruined the night on account of that near fight with that Trump supporter."

"Es un pendejo."

"I love the hot dogs. Shall we go there?"

"Daisy doesn't open her place until five either."

"What about Terras? One of my colleagues told me they had changed the menu."

"All these places are closed until the late afternoon, honey."

"We're going downtown and we're not going to eat?"

"There's the Palm. You haven't been there since the joint reopened, have you? You wouldn't recognize it. A cantina has metamorphosed into a fern bar."

"Do they still serve their historic hamburgers?"

"No. Only Al's has remained true to the greasy tradition, but there's nothing wrong with their upgraded version. We'll go there. I'll be in the mood for a bucket of beers although I expect you to drink at least one. By the way: Did you send the flowers?"

"I did. They were to the left of the casket. They were beautiful."

The moral of this anecdote: Life is for the living.