“Got any of that IPA from Greenbush in Three Oaks Michigan,” I asked Marty.
“Just got a couple of cases in,” she said.
“Well, perfect,” I said pulling up a stool. “Hey,” I said to Tony. “It’s been a while.”
“For you,” said Tony. “I haven’t moved from this spot in years.”
“Some of us spend time with family, Tony. Thanksgiving. Christmas. Hanukah. Vasant Pachami.”
“What was that last one?”
“Vasant Pachami. It’s Hindu. The Hindus celebrate it to venerate Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of education and learning.”
“Right. That reminds me of my cousin Fubar.”
“You don’t have a cousin Fubar.”
“No. I do. He married my cousin Harriet. They live in Georgetown. Met in college. Law school. They both work in the Obama administration in DC.”
“So help me out. How did what I say remind you of Fubar and Harriet?”
“You were talking about celebrations and I was reminded of how Obama is going to sell the second inauguration to corporate sponsors.”
“What? Like the Citi-Bank inaugural parade?”
“Precisely,” said Tony. “Or the Goldman Sachs swearing-in ceremony.”
“Why am I not surprised,” I said.
“Yes. Why are you not? It’s a potentially huge profit center. Obama didn’t take corporate money for his first inauguration. But Clinton made nine million spondoolicks off of his last inaugural party.”
“Spondoolicks?”
“Yep,” said Tony. “It like my cousin Fubar says. Always try to rub against money, for if you rub against money long enough, some of it may rub off on you.”
Fred Klonsky 