By Bill Ciccotti
The SMS Band Of Brothers held their annual Valentine’s cheeseburger eating contest at the Fireside Martini Grill on Chestnut Street this year. The Fireside is their new Gateway to the Poconos. Jim McCormick set everything up and once again, he did a great job.
There was a big turnout this year. Robert “Rollo” Meehan won first place after consuming 12 cheeseburgers deluxe, along with quite a few French fries. Donny Loftus came in second with eight burgers.
Brian McAndrew and myself only finished one each. Then we sat back and enjoyed the show.
Robert “Bob-O” McDonald said, “Look at Rollo eat.” Booner gasped, “I can’t keep up with him.” Chick Harle added, “That boy is an eating machine.” Harry was curious how Rollo could pack away all those burgers.
Jimmy McCormick added, “He even ate some of my French fries.” Motsie Kaminski was in shock. All he could say was, “Beautiful (blank) beautiful.”
I told Rollo, “Slow down. Perrett has a nice dinner waiting for you at home. You don’t want to spoil your appetite.” Rollo replied, “Keep laughing, Ciccotti. She’s going to redecorate your front yard for you.”
Pete Loftus said, “Don’t put nothing about me in the paper Bill.” Who me?
It was a fun night as we all talked and reminisced about all the crazy stuff we have done, so far, along our life’s wild ride. Pete brought up something about a ride in a grape car. But I don’t remember that. Rollo barked, “Yes you do, Bill.”
Brian McAndrew got in on the act and started talking about me falling off Rusty Saddle and I cut him off. “I never fell off my horse. A bear came out of the pines and spooked Rusty. He swirled and I got hit by a tree branch.” Brian laughed, “But you did fall.”
Jerry Conway asked, “When are we going riding again?” Still a bunch of rodeo cowboys. It’s wonderful being together with such great people. And after a lifetime of clowning around, we all still like each other.
Seventy-something-year-old men that somehow have been able to remain kids at heart. Oh, we all have our own aches and pains or missing hair, no names mentioned. But through the good and bad times of growing old, we have held onto that little child inside of us, including the one that used to jump off the garage roof with a superman cape tied on tight.
Cowboys at heart, no doubt about it. Like I said, we all have some kind of a limp now, but we keep moving along. Drifting like the tumbleweed. And we continue to cause a little mischief along the way. I think these guys are still riding mighty high in the saddle. All of us, and we’re in our 70s no less. Bocker laughed, “After all the stuff we’ve done, it’s a wonder we’re still alive.”
We kept the waitress busy with refills and she told us, “I’ve never seen anyone like you guys. You’re still acting like a bunch of little kids.” Bocker told the waitress, “You’ve never seen anything like us before, because we’re the last of our kind.”
Rollo added, through mouthfuls of prime burger, “We’re old enough to be collectible.”
They say before you take your last breath, your whole life flashes before your very eyes. When mine does I’m going to smile. Donny corrected me, “No Bill. You’ll be laughing.”
You know, I think he’s right. Good friends, lifelong pals. Ageless bonds. You don’t get that in life. Well, sometimes a lucky few do. Maybe it’s a Dunmore thing.