Say it ain't so

Yeah, Bickford's Braintree has shuttered it's doors and slipped silently into the night.

I drive by the damn thing every day and was totally unaware until my mother mentioned as we drove back from ikea last night. I feel like I've lost a friend.

True, the place has spirled away from what I remember most fondly. First, they changed the interior from 70's orange vinyl and dark wood paneling to a fancier green and white. That was years ago. Then Braintree went no smoking. I always loved the Big B because the smoking section was the man part. The non-smokers were confined to a small space way in the back.

A few years ago they became Bickford's Grille. I stopped going, as it was putting on airs and was too far gone from what it was for my taste. But it was still there.

Now, the windows are dark, the seats are empty. There is a For Sale sign on the door. Anyone want to buy it with me? Eh?

So many nights spent drinking cup after cup of coffee, smoking butt after butt and talking about everything and nothing at all. Mycalls and I became best buddies there. As did Dude and I.

No matter where I was living, no matter what I was doing, who I was fucking, Bickford's was a homebase. A place to reconnect.

In the grand scheme of things, it's not that important. There are other places to meet. But it's been a personal landmark for a large part of my life, and I am grieved by it's loss.

I have my momentos. A coffee cup, postcards, the old school "Late Night Menu", the regular menu. There are pictures. And memories. Many, many memories.