Blast from the past

I was in Whole Paycheck Foods looking for a few specifif items when this guy asked me if I was going to buy him something nice....I shrugged him off muttering dream on....then he persisted and finally said "You don't recognize me do you Clare?"   Well , obviously no, and here he was a co-worker of mine from bus driving days.  He had grown his hair out, grown a beard and lost weight.  He looked great and when I realized who it was I gave him a big hug.  The last time I saw Gary was in 2012 when I retired and he had promised free ukelele lessons ...he's a great player and singer and won some awards in Hawaii for an album.  So we chatted it up and  talked about how the bus garage was doing now...the state of the country and how the killing of one of Iran's top leaders was putting us ever closer to war.  Gary fought  in the Iraq war --a marine--and he is very opposed to any more interventions over there feeling that the Iraq War was a bloody mess entered into under false pretenses.  It was a very delightful meet up and I'm hoping we keep in better contact now. It's my non rhyming entry for Mono Monday.