Farewell Mads

It happened as quickly as it started. Mads, my Norwegian companion, was packing his things frantically. I was used to this kind of thing, but got a little worried when Pageant Girl extolled the virtues of her native Oklahoma.

"What are you doing, Mads?"

"My credit's no longer good in this town, so me and Pageant Girl here are splittin', heading to Oklahoma. She's going to run a pageant store with some of her pageant friends, and I got a job with the University of Oklahoma as an ornithology professor."

"A job? You, a job?"

"I know, it's kinda crazy, huh?"

"So that's it? You're leaving?"

"I got a private jet ready for this afternoon. You plan to see me off?"

"Well, yeah. What else am I going to do today?"

I decided to make this last moment we'd have out on that tarmac somewhat special. I called in an old favor with my friend Ringo to have him sing Mads a song that was special for the occasion. The atmosphere was set for a perfect send off.

"There are places I remember..."

"What do you think, Mads?"

"You got Ringo Starr to sing 'In My Life'? That's a waste of Ringo Starr."

He was right. I went over and whispered in Ringo's ear. He nodded.

"I'd like to be, under the sea, in an octopus's garden, in the shade..."

"So this is it, huh Mads?"

"I guess so. At least for the forseeable future."

"C'mere ya big lug."

We gave each other a big hug and then a firm, manly handshake. As I watched him board the plane, I couldn't help think of a famous Hunter S. Thompson quote:

"He was one of God's own prototypes. A rare breed, never intended for mass production. Too rare to live, too weird to die." And as if on cue, Mads popped his head out of the plane door, and gave the Nixon victory salute.

On the ride home the cab driver was listening to KISS 108, and someone had requested Sarah MacLaughlin's "I Will Remember You". As it played, I watched as a montage of memories flashed through my brain. The cab driver didn't seem to mind when I pushed the cork through on a bottle of Cabernet Savignon I'd bought for the night, and poured a little out on his carpet. I handed the bottle to Ringo, and he took a pull off it.

Stay classy Mads, stay classy.