An AEF Tale

[Kip Powick]

It was bound to happen…the meeting of two of AEF’s most prolific and forthright posters. It was January in Winnipeg, bitterly cold but as it would happen, ideal neutral ground for the two verbal combatants. They met at the annual Cripes It’s Cold Out Here Winterfest held every year in central Manitoba. This was Air Canada’s first year as a sponsor and naturally dagger was in attendance. The other co-sponsor was CATTLE, Canada’s Associated Timid Travel Legions Extremist, and as one would expect manwest was an attendee.

During the course of the final evening the two veneral posters met, by chance, at the bar, each noticing the name tag of the other. Silence permeated their space, each eyeing the other warily and finally a tall and philosophical individual with a name tag emblazoned with “ccairspace” pushed his way between the two individuals and said…..”You can not be friends upon any other terms than upon the terms of equality.” (Woodrow Wilson)

Dagger sighed, manwest groaned, a crooked grin spreading across his weathered face and said, “How about we just bury the hatchet and try to start the year off like two gentlemen who have just met?”

Dagger looked stunned, his face blanched and he gulped for air. No one had ever asked him a question where he did not have an immediate, clever, and witty rebuttal at the ready…he paused…looked at manwest and mumbled a cautious, “OK.” ccairspace, grinned and as he led the two men to a small table said to the two new friends, “The world belongs to the enthusiast who keeps their cool”. (William McFee)

The conversation at the small table was friendly, a bit strained, but for the most part comfortable for all concerned. A buxom young lady approached the table and asked the gentlemen if they would like to purchase raffle tickets on the last evening mystery draw and further explained that the prizes were courtesy Air Canada.

Dagger immediately went for his wallet and said he would take five tickets, manwest feeling the competitive pressure asked for six. Dagger then announced he would take ten, manwest screamed, “ I want a dozen!!” ccairspace gazed at the two men, “The immature mind hops from one thing to another; the mature mind seeks to follow through.” (Harry A. Overstreet) Embarrassed by their immature and aggressive outbursts both men settled on ten tickets each.

The draw was held and the second to last ticket called was one held by manwest…his prize was five pounds of uncooked spaghetti. The last ticket called was that of dagger’s and being the last ticket his prize was a toilet brush.

The evening ended with an amiable parting and as they exited the ballroom ccairspace looked at the two men held them in a withering stare and said..”Everyman has three characters---that which he exhibits, that which he has and that which he thinks he has.” (Alphonse Kan) He shook each man’s hand and bid farewell.

A month later manwest felt that he would cultivate the new friendship by giving dagger a telephone call on the pretext of asking him an important question about Air Canada’s future and that perhaps they could embark in a civil conversation. Dagger answered his cell phone and was stunned find out the caller was manwest and that he actually was being civil to him. Not to be outdone, dagger engaged in friendly conversation with manwest and later as the conversation waned dagger asked manwest how he made out with the spaghetti.

“It was great “ said manwest, “ I had so much that I actually managed to get five meals out of it. How’s the toilet brush you won?”

“Not so good”, said a dejected dagger, “I think I’ll go back to toilet paper”.

[manwest]

LOL

Good one Kip

[Azure]

Thanks Kip!

Best Larrf I had all day!

[ccairspace]

Great story, Kip! I guess that would have been my "culturally creative" character coming to the fore.

What an interesting evening it would be in real life...

ccairspace

[newgirl]

Kip, YOU BAD!