A joke from beyond Jan. 9, 2025

  

Perhaps it was Paulie's last joke from beyond the grave

I had planned to spend the day the library he directed while I waited for my kitten to get neutered

 I'd even checked the library website to make certain of the hours then after dropping the kitten off I killed time revisiting the old library building and the island where Paulie had lived finally after going the wrong direction in search of the new library building

I also briefly went to the old library building where Paulie had started his career and then took pictures

The police sign above the downstairs door had faded since they had also moved the police headquarters to a new building elsewhere in town

I also briefly paused near the bar where Hank Paulie and I had gotten drunk back in the 1970s well in search of a house where Rick lived on the lake and where Paulie would eventually move into well he was director and of course it would have the ominous name of 13 Willow Lane

Although the amusement park is long gone there was an arch over the road going into the island that or the name of the park and the island and skeletons hung over from Halloween clinging to its stanchions a bit more of Pauly's grim humor

 I settled into the parking lot to wait out the last hour before the doors officially opened

At that point I found the doors locked and a card taped to the glass saying the library would be closed just on that particular day of my visit.

I should have suspected something when I saw no other cars in the parking lot

I also came upon the online tribute to Paulie which I had been unaware of previously

not only got the dates wrong as to when he actually worked his director but seemed out of touch

You would like to think a new and improved library like that would have done its research better

Instead of waiting the next eight hours in the cold I drove out to the Delaware water Gap 30 miles away to use the toilet and to take more photos.

Then I drove back to wait out more hours in the parking lot of the clinic where the kitten was

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