Do you know someone like Stuart?

at the gym Monday we talked turkey fat

Did you use Jenny O in your turkey chili?

I don’t know what Joe bought

Well Jenny O is the only one that doesn’t

grind the skin in with the turkey meat

Why are you asking Stuart?

Well I have a colonoscopy on Thursday

and am not supposed to eat fat

I have no chili left

Wednesday coffee at my house

I gave him a few mangoes to take

Now are these sweet ones?

Well no, unless you wait till they ripen

You know I hate sweet mangoes

I know you like them sour

If they’re too sweet I’ll just throw them out

Fine

Later in the week we discussed my

landscape lighting project

How deep are you going to bury the wires?

2-3 inches I suppose

Why not 6?

Stuart, that would take forever to dig

Well you do have all those plants

Yes another reason not to overdue the digging

Have you ever put in lighting before?

No

I’m reminded of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, the Smother’s Brother’s. Affection sliding along the edges of silly banter, a fondness hung out in the word’s margins, friendship buried in a head-scratching chuckle.