"What are we waiting for?" Ryan huffed and poked at a rose bush with his cane.
          "Brad…he's making himself respectful," Colin replied bluntly.
          "Ok…I'm ready now," Brad chirped as he joined the others who were waiting outside.
          The others (minus Drew) looked at Brad with horror. He was still sporting his woolen hat and socks, but he'd avoided the needs for pants by pulling on a faded trench coat and a pair of gray shoes with zippers.
          "You look like a fucking pervert," Greg scowled.
          "I feel free and comfortable," Brad retorted.
          "Well if you get arrested, I ain't bailing ya," Greg spat.
          "I won't get arrested…I look perfectly fine. Besides it's my birthday and I'll do as I please," Brad announced as he strolled down the path and into the street.

          "So where are we going exactly?" Jeff asked, as he pushed the wheelchair-bound Wayne into the street.
          "A bar," Ryan spat.
          "We can't just go to a bar," Brad stated.
          "Why?" Ryan rasped.
          "It'll get boring," Brad whined.
          "I want liquor," Ryan snapped.
          "You'll get liquor, let's just do some other stuff too," Brad said, trying to reason.
          "I want LIQUOR," Ryan said slightly louder.
          "And you'll get your liquor…but let's do something first," Brad insisted.
          "LIQUOR," Ryan yelled and thrust his cane into Brad's chest.
          "Calm down Captain Billy…we'll get you some liquor on the way," Colin sighed, patting Ryan 's arm.
          "OK," Ryan mumbled.
          The eight men began their slow walk down the street. Brad led the way, followed by Colin and Ryan, Jeff pushed Wayne, Greg was dragging Chip by the arm and Drew was thrusting his white cane in every direction possible. It didn't help though, and he ended up slamming into a tree.

          A short while later they arrived at the bus stop. Two young girls looked over at Brad, who smiled kindly at them.
          "You even think about opening that coat you old perv and I'll call my Dad," squealed one of the girls.
          "Told you," Greg said matter-of-factly.
          Brad glared at Greg as the bus pulled up and its doors hissed open.
          Everyone got on the bus, and although they received some apologetic looks, no one got up to give them their seats. Ryan leaned over some kids, who looked shocked at the old man's height.
          "Don't you kids have manners? When I was a boy we got up for the elderly, we would have got flogged with our own entrails if we'd sat on our asses," Ryan began, waving his cane in their faces. "Now, I don't wanna have to do something nasty. But if you don't get up now for me and my buddies, you might need surgery to remove my cane from your ass," he snapped and poked his cane in one particularly cheeky boy’s face.
          The now wide-eyed kids leapt up and hurried off to the back of the bus. Ryan pointed to the seats and ushered his friends to sit down.

          Half an hour later the bus pulled into its last stop and the guys, now slightly stiffer, piled out into the street. They watched as they bus released its breaks and disappeared into the distance.
          "Why did we get off here?" Jeff asked, looking around for a familiar landmark.
          "I thought you might like to go to the zoo?" Brad shrugged.
          "Oh great, if I happen do die within the next two hours it might be in front of a pack of wild hyenas," Greg scorned.
          "What about my liquor?" Ryan hissed.
          "Soon Captain Billy," Colin soothed.
          "Where's Chip gone?" Wayne pointed out, looking around at his friends.
          "Fuck, he's still on the bus," Greg gasped.
          "Ah well, we'll pick him up on the way back then," Jeff mused and pushed Wayne toward the zoo entrance.
          Brad beamed and followed Jeff to the entrance booth.
          "I'm not going to the fucking zoo," Greg spat and staggered out into the middle of the road.
          A cab pulled up, leaving only centimeters between its bumper and Greg.
          "What the hell are you doing you old man," snapped the driver.
          "Getting a ride you middle aged, ethnic hick," Greg sarced and motioned for Colin and Ryan to get in the cab.
          "You guys want a lift back to the home?" asked the cab driver.
          "Take us to a bar," Ryan piped up.
          "A cheap one," Colin added.
          The driver looked curiously at Greg who was in the passenger seat.
          "Well don't think about it…do it," Greg ordered.

          Drew walked several times around the same tree, got honked at by a car and then headed off in a direction that he hoped was the zoo entrance…it wasn't.