I hadn’t seen Buckner for 20 years, although we kept in touch since we mustered out of the Navy in 1975. We were electronics technicians on the USS Nimitz, a nuclear-powered battleship. Our work group was the geek squad of the ship, and Buckner and I were at the heart of it.

We were best buddies and a good partnership in getting stuff done and things repaired. We had different ways: I was hands-on, and he was theoretical.

Because the Navy educated us so much we were obliged to remain six years in the service, so we were hungry to get out and into the civilian world again. Buck remained back east, and I returned west to what was to become Silicon Valley. We both were successful in parlaying our experience into riding the wave of the dotcoms into a good deal of money, more than we would ever really need.

When we were overseas, Buck was always in the bars and ‘skivvy houses’ with women. He was a sucker for a pretty face, and he paid plenty for the experience. Now that we were about to meet again for the first time since we got out, I wondered if he had settled down like I had.

He was coming out to San Francisco to negotiate a deal with a new communications company, and we decided to get together to catch up in person. The letters, then emails we exchanged once or twice a year were shallow, so I looked forward to seeing him the flesh and having a few drinks and some time to get reacquainted.

I reserved a place in Palo Alto, about 20 miles south of the airport, a great dinner place where it was quiet and reserved. Buck said he’d take a taxi to the restaurant, so I didn’t have to meet him at the airport.

I was feeling pretty excited about seeing ol’ Buck after all these years and wanted to brag a bit about how I’d done in Silicon Valley. And, I could stand to have my spirits lifted after finally getting through the divorce that had battered me down during the last two years.

It was after 8PM and I was getting antsy about not seeing him yet. I had already finished a martini while waiting.

He showed up 20 minutes late, but I was so relieved I immediately dismissed my uneasiness. But then I saw he had someone with him, a woman! Damn, I thought, how are we going to talk about old times, and new ones, with someone else with us? Maybe she’s a quiet one and will let us talk, I thought hopefully.

“Hey ‘ol buddy, there you are. Boy you look like shit, but what else is new?”

“Uh, hi buckster, you look pretty crappy too. C’mon sit down. I’ve already had my martini, what’ll you have and who is your friend?’

“Sorry, this is Claire. We met on the plane. Claire, this is my old partner in electronic crime, Pappy Perkins.”

“Hi Claire, glad to meet you. Please sit. What would like to drink before dinner?”

“Hello Pappy, or do you have a regular name I can use?”

“It’s just plain Bill, Claire, and thanks. I haven’t been ‘Pappy’ for 20 years.”

“Ok, Bill, I’ll have a martini too.”

“I’m a single malt scotch kinda guy, myself, ol’ buddy, a few steps up from when we drank that rotgut in Rome and Athens, eh? Boy it’s good to see ya’. How ya’ been?”

Although Claire seemed composed enough, Buck seemed almost off the charts with booze or sex or something.

“Let’s have those drinks and slow down a bit so we can get all the essential details laid out, OK?”

“He’s still the technician, ain’t he?” Buck said to Claire, his voice was just a little too loud for the restaurant.

We sat down, the waiter attending closely, seeming a little nervous. I ordered the drinks and as the waiter left, Buck started talking about how he and Claire just happened to be sitting next to each other on the plane, and how she is in the same business as he is and how they know some people in common. This discouraged me because I could see the thrust of the evening was not going to be about getting reacquainted, but all about Buck and, apparently, Claire.

I decided I’d just sit back and get what I could out of the meal, tolerate what I had to while Buck was here, then go back home to my apartment and listen to music.

It was a bit depressing, until I felt Claire’s knee press tightly against mine.