Monday night at the pub with the boys.

I have not kept up with the blog because I no longer trust it. It does not always work right and it has lost at least one of the blogs I spent an hour writing. We will try once again.

On Monday evening we went to the pub around the corner, the Sherlock Holmes. At six o'clock in the evening it was a crowded, noisy place. No free tables. Eva was in front of me and two gentlemen invited us to share the two empty spots at their table. She agreed so we sat down and ordered our meat pies. One guy, in his late thirties was from Colorado. The other guy, probably in his mid forties was from Australia, but lives in the islands. He was good looking, looked like a man of the world, but he had the annoying habit of winking at me when he thought he had said something clever. He offered to buy us a pint---first time that has ever happened to me! Eva did not take him up on his offer because of her meds. Do they have half pints? Yes! So I had a half pint of Speckled Hen ale. It was pretty good.

We exchanged the usual information: Where are you from? What are doing in London? The older man was the boss, and the younger one was marketing director for a firm that does international litigation. They were not attorneys, but they ran the business that supported their work. Interesting fellows. One of them asked Eva if she was religious. Thus began a most interesting conversation.

Neither of them were involved in a church; neither felt the need for any relationship with God.  The younger one grew up in a Baptist church and he thought he was OK. He was good to his wife and kids. Surely that was enough. The Boss said he had gone to church more than any of us--but I'm older---I've had more time...I went to a Catholic boys' school and we went to church three times a day all my time in school. That was enough. His hope of heaven? He was going to have last rites and that would fix everything. And if you don't have time? He was willing to take that chance.

Eva asked them some theological/philosophical questions. The Boss did not believe in absolutes. More discussion. The boss had not slept in more than 24 hours and was starting to droop. As they were leaving they said they had never had a pub conversation like that one. It was a friendly discussion. I wonder if they thought much about the conversation later.