Can You Come Be My Wife?

Yeah I know. It has been awhile since this olelongrooffan has posted anything here on By The Numbers. But as the Bus says, "Hey, I've Been Busy."

A couple weeks ago, this olelongrooffan was on the receiving end of a distress call from a great, long time friend who needed some assistance from this longrooffan. Yeah it was my friend Kris, who I have previously blogged about. If those of you Counting Along With Me remember, while a great friend, she is not just that into me.



As it turns out, four months ago Kris had accepted a position as the Operations Manager for her brother's upscale cosmetic surgery practice down in toney Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Regular Counters will remember what else happened down in that super high end community.



For the first three months she was there she stayed with her brother and family in their McMansion, finally getting a condo of her own about 6 weeks ago. She moved a couple beds and a couple dressers down from her place in MickeyMouseLand leaving the remainder of her furnishings in the care of one of her five sons in that condo. Now Kris is working 9 to 8 every day of the week and prior to getting her new place, she commuted back to the Big O for the weekends. Since she moved into her new place, she has spent her weekends furniture and car shopping.



Yeah, her brother thinks an 03 Acura TL with a few teenage boy dents in it is not befitting her position and wants her to "step up" to a Mercedes or BMW.



Now, after living there with no furniture, barely a TV and a solitary life post work, Kris was at wits end. She invited her daughter in law, Ali, down for the weekend and while having a picnic in her vacant living room on Sunday afternoon, Ali suggested Kris contact this olelongrooffan to see if I could come down and help her make some decisions.



Ironically, on that fateful Monday evening during Happy Hour on the sprawling veranda at the Taj Mahal, this olelongrooffan was lamenting to thejeepjunkie that I needed a couple weeks work prior to heading out to Denver to work on my buddy Justin's new "John Lee" home. (More on that trip in another post.) So anyway, thejeepjunkie and TheGoodAttorney head out to do whatever they do after Happy Hour and this olelongrooffan heads in to fix up a bit of grub and check out these interwebs.

A little later the massive communications center of the Taj Mahal lights up and it is my friend Kris. She fills me in on her life, or lack thereof, and asks me what is going on in the life of this olelongrooffan. I filled her in and then she drops a bombshell. "Can you come down and be my wife for a couple weeks? I really need some help." Well as those of You Counting Along With Me will know, you just do things when friends or family is in need.

As an aside from this tale, this olelongrooffan is listening to the Nationwide race on the MotorRacingNetwork and just heard our National Anthem sung and stepped outside to catch the two Air Force F-5's do their fly over of the Taj Mahal.  F*ck Yeah!

So I commented to Kris this olelongrooffan would be in the Gardens the next day around 3 or so. And I was. She was floored that I was available so quickly but in all honesty, I was excited to see her again. It had been too long.



Upon arrival, I dropped Kris a text and she and I met up outside the Barnes and Noble I was hanging at then went to her new condo. She spent a few minutes showing me around the place and relating her ideas about what she wanted to do and was looking to me for my input. We chatted it up a bit more then she had to head back to the office. But before she left, she pressed a cool grand in my hand. I was shocked and asked her what this olelongrooffan was going to spend a thousand dollars on. "Oh, you'll need it, here is my list."

And like the dutiful wife I was to become, I checked the contents of her frig and pantry and headed over to BBB's favorite Whole Foods competitor to stock up on rations for our nourishment, as well as some organic wine for Kris and some hurricane supplies for this olelongrooffan.

That first evening when Kris arrived home from work around 9, we got fully caught up with each other over a delicious meal of blackened mahi, parmesan cheese covered asparagus and a loaded tossed salad.

And Counters, this olelongrooffan spent the past two weeks at Kris's beck and call. The first week I spent buying, picking up, assembling and returning the furniture she had picked out over the past month. And cooking dinner every night, preparing her morning coffee, cleaning her dusty condo, ironing her slacks, doing laundry...just doing the old time wifey things she needed to get done so she could deal with her stressful job. It was a blast!

The next week I spent buying clothes for her approval and this olelongrooffan had a batting average of .307 approval rating so I felt pretty good about that average.



That is my old Comanche hanging out with an Audi A6, a Range Rover and a Mercedes while out picking up some Father's Day cards for Kris's approval for her dad.



While down at Home Goods looking for accessory pillows, I spotted this sweet Mercedes and at the local



gourmet market picking up some organic corn chips, I spotted this 67 Caddy daily driver for the chef at that boutique restaurant.

Last weekend we spent test driving Audi's, Mercedes, BMWs, Cadillacs, and Acuras. While Kris decided to postpone her car buying decision to a time in the future when she has fully settled into her new condo,



This olelongrooffan would be very happy with this vintage Toyota Cressida longroof.

And know this, being in a position to help a friend this past couple of weeks prior to heading to the mountains to be of assistance to another really allows this olelongrooffan to

Celebrate Life.