Popcorn and Plans

            Ah, the best laid plans.

            Yep, you know the rest of that, don’t you?  It’s the saying that “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” 

            Taken from a Robert Burns poem and a John Steinbeck novel, the saying, of course, means that, sometimes no matter how hard one plans, things just don’t work out according to those plans.

            Here’s my newest “best laid plans” story:

            Iris, a really good friend, and I like to get together to play Buzztime Trivia on Wednesday afternoons.  This particular trivia game is played throughout the US and Canada in restaurants, pubs and other such establishments. 

            Iris and I usually go a neighborhood family pub (O'Lacy's) late on Wednesdays and then The Duppster joins us after work to play a round or two of trivia.  Typically, we’re out of there by 6 pm or 6:30.

            Last week, the two grandsons were staying with us.  They are just-turned-four (Harrison) and 17 months (Fisher.)  I didn’t want to tell them we were going to a pub or anything like that. 

            Since this particular pub has free popcorn, I told Harrison and Fisher we were going to the “popcorn place” where we could eat popcorn and have fun.  They were excited! 

            Iris was in on this temporary-name-for-the-business scheme.  She got to the pub a few minutes before I arrived with the two grandsons, so she told the owner what was going on.  When the boys and I walked in, the owner said, “Welcome to the Popcorn Place.”

            As is normal for late Wednesday afternoons, there weren’t many people there.  We all had popcorn while Iris and I played trivia.  Everything was working out just right.

            As we were leaving around 6 pm, several other people were coming in.

            That’s when Harrison exclaimed, “Boy, this bar sure is filling up fast!”

            This bar?

            So much for the Popcorn Place.

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