Blues & All That Jazz

'PINT?' Text message from my pal.
Unusual for a Thursday night.
'Mon then!'
Met him at the corner and started walking to the local.
The form was bad, he gets 'down' at times.
We get to the pub and he doesn't want to go in.
'Wanna go somewhere else for a change, into town?'
'Why not?'
We call a cab and go to a pub I frequented as a youngfella, an old place, full of character and characters. But that was back then, full of students now.
My pal doesn't do 'let's talk about my problems', he takes me drinking to cheer him up. Somehow we always end up laughing by the second drink. Go figure.
The students got too much for us so we left and went to a pub on the opposite side of the street. It was quiet, and the beer was good.
And then we hear a piano. We turn around and see a three piece band just starting. Jazz & swing. We've stumbled into one of the best kept secrets in the city.
We were both still singing on the cab ride home.
We were both in good form today.