From stranger to brother.......
As anyone who reads this blog or even knows me, knows, my sister, Kim got married this previous August. (For those of you keeping track this is the wedding where I won drunk bridesmaid by a landslide.) Kim married a man name Ken who I have known approximately 5 years and I have seen a total of 6 times in those years. Well, to be honest, I really didn't know him at all because he is VERY quiet. In the first 5 times I saw him, he said a total of 10 words to me and those words were, "Hi Lisa", each of the 5 visits. So in August, I watched my sister marry a virtual stranger and hoped that everyone who knew him was truthful with me when they said he was a good, solid man who take care of my Kiki forever. She has always has and always will have a special part of my heart because of our huge age difference, she was more my little shadow for years than contemporary, and it wasn't until the last dozen years or so that I felt that I didn't always worry about her and watch after her.
At the wedding, I spent quite a bit of time talking to one of the groomsmen, Ken's friend Jay. Jay coincidencally is the nice man who covered me when my dress ripped and I flashed the whole wedding. Jay and I were talking a little about how I could get to know Ken better. He said find a common interest and go from there. Jay suggested video games? Um, big no on that. "Football?", Jay said. Bigger no on that. "What about hockey?", Jay suggested. To this one I give a big hell no. In a last ditch effort, Jay said, "Bring him a drink, you are both a little tipsy (Jay was being polite, I was drunk off my ass.) and he is chatty when he drinks. Well guess what, Ken rejected my drink because he had one and wasn't in a rush to get a new one. Well shit, I walked away a little defeated, continued in my quest to win drunk bridesmaid and you know how that one ends.
Fast forward months to Christmas and Kim and Ken are coming to Milwaukee for the holidays. I tell Kim that I would like to get sometime together so we plan a double date for lunch. We go for sushi and Ken ordered sake and I thought, well here is your chance Lisa and I ordered sake, too. I am from Milwaukee, I can day drink with the best of them. Sushi and sake turned into a stop at Sobelman's for their famous bloody mary's. At this point Dan has to work so we have to drop him off but I continue on with Kim and Ken.
Next stop, Lakefront Brewery tour, where we each got four beers tokens. Well Kim and I don't drink beer and each chocked down about one, we gave two tokens away, and Ken took one for the team and drank the other eight. Now, I had one sake to Ken's two, we both had a bloody mary, I had my one beer and he had eight. I quite honestly had a fairly giggly buzz going on (damn sake, lol) but Ken was rip roaring drunk. And I won't lie, Jay was right about drunk Ken, he is pretty funny.
Now Kim, or as Ken calls her, Boo Bear, had buzzed, giggly Lisa and drunk Ken on her hands and she some how got talked into going to Bayshore. I think she quite honestly was ready to call it a night because she had had enough of both of us but Ken had a hat emergency and needed to get to Lids ASAP. He needed a new Raiders hat so he was ready when he moved to New Jersey. Because as most of you know, Milwaukee is famous for Oakland Raiders hats, but they for sure DO NOT sell them in Jersey, lol. I think Ken and I were becoming friends somewhere here. We talked about a lot of things that I am going to keep private for me, Ken and Boo Bear but it was good, my sister was no longer married to a stranger.
We hadn't eaten so on to John Hawk's Pub we went. I had wine and Ken had his favorite beer in the WHOLE WORLD. I, at this moment, cannot remember what it was, but it was a great moment for Ken. Who doesn't want to find their favorite beer and eat shepard's pie?? Well, I must say that the restaurant was empty and we were pretty loud, noticably loud. At this time Ken decided he was joining the Marines. I asked if he remembered that he was in The Coast Guard and I was pretty sure you couldn't do both at once. He said that, of course, he knew he was in The Coast Guard but they only rescued people and he wanted to protect people now, too. The Marines protect people. In my buzzed my mind, this was a huge turning point for Ken and me. He met my Kiki while in The Coast Guard and he rescued her from what was only half a life (because Ken really does make the the other half). But now he wants to be in The Marines and protect people so I knew at that monent he would always protect my baby sister. Now, can he in be in both The Coast Guards and The Marines, well no, but that is ok. By day he can rescue people and by night he can be a Marine in his heart and protect my sister because I guess that is no longer my job. That was job that I was only willing to relinquish to family and I think by this moment, I knew he was my family, I officially in my heart had another brother.
From 10 words to 10,000 words, from stranger to brother, it was a good day. And to think, all it took was a little (ok a lot) of day drinking.
At the wedding, I spent quite a bit of time talking to one of the groomsmen, Ken's friend Jay. Jay coincidencally is the nice man who covered me when my dress ripped and I flashed the whole wedding. Jay and I were talking a little about how I could get to know Ken better. He said find a common interest and go from there. Jay suggested video games? Um, big no on that. "Football?", Jay said. Bigger no on that. "What about hockey?", Jay suggested. To this one I give a big hell no. In a last ditch effort, Jay said, "Bring him a drink, you are both a little tipsy (Jay was being polite, I was drunk off my ass.) and he is chatty when he drinks. Well guess what, Ken rejected my drink because he had one and wasn't in a rush to get a new one. Well shit, I walked away a little defeated, continued in my quest to win drunk bridesmaid and you know how that one ends.
Fast forward months to Christmas and Kim and Ken are coming to Milwaukee for the holidays. I tell Kim that I would like to get sometime together so we plan a double date for lunch. We go for sushi and Ken ordered sake and I thought, well here is your chance Lisa and I ordered sake, too. I am from Milwaukee, I can day drink with the best of them. Sushi and sake turned into a stop at Sobelman's for their famous bloody mary's. At this point Dan has to work so we have to drop him off but I continue on with Kim and Ken.
Next stop, Lakefront Brewery tour, where we each got four beers tokens. Well Kim and I don't drink beer and each chocked down about one, we gave two tokens away, and Ken took one for the team and drank the other eight. Now, I had one sake to Ken's two, we both had a bloody mary, I had my one beer and he had eight. I quite honestly had a fairly giggly buzz going on (damn sake, lol) but Ken was rip roaring drunk. And I won't lie, Jay was right about drunk Ken, he is pretty funny.
Now Kim, or as Ken calls her, Boo Bear, had buzzed, giggly Lisa and drunk Ken on her hands and she some how got talked into going to Bayshore. I think she quite honestly was ready to call it a night because she had had enough of both of us but Ken had a hat emergency and needed to get to Lids ASAP. He needed a new Raiders hat so he was ready when he moved to New Jersey. Because as most of you know, Milwaukee is famous for Oakland Raiders hats, but they for sure DO NOT sell them in Jersey, lol. I think Ken and I were becoming friends somewhere here. We talked about a lot of things that I am going to keep private for me, Ken and Boo Bear but it was good, my sister was no longer married to a stranger.
We hadn't eaten so on to John Hawk's Pub we went. I had wine and Ken had his favorite beer in the WHOLE WORLD. I, at this moment, cannot remember what it was, but it was a great moment for Ken. Who doesn't want to find their favorite beer and eat shepard's pie?? Well, I must say that the restaurant was empty and we were pretty loud, noticably loud. At this time Ken decided he was joining the Marines. I asked if he remembered that he was in The Coast Guard and I was pretty sure you couldn't do both at once. He said that, of course, he knew he was in The Coast Guard but they only rescued people and he wanted to protect people now, too. The Marines protect people. In my buzzed my mind, this was a huge turning point for Ken and me. He met my Kiki while in The Coast Guard and he rescued her from what was only half a life (because Ken really does make the the other half). But now he wants to be in The Marines and protect people so I knew at that monent he would always protect my baby sister. Now, can he in be in both The Coast Guards and The Marines, well no, but that is ok. By day he can rescue people and by night he can be a Marine in his heart and protect my sister because I guess that is no longer my job. That was job that I was only willing to relinquish to family and I think by this moment, I knew he was my family, I officially in my heart had another brother.
From 10 words to 10,000 words, from stranger to brother, it was a good day. And to think, all it took was a little (ok a lot) of day drinking.
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