The evening was quite long and personally, I was ready to go home afterwards, but Dr. Lyle’s guests were Fred Khan, the owner of Khan Optical in Toronto, and Dr. Tom Norquay, who had interned with Dr. Lyle a couple of years earlier. Fred Khan always loved to go out for Chinese dinner late at night, when he came to Winnipeg. I was invited to join these three, tired as I was.
In a few moments, I was tuned up and ready. Tommy selected his position as drum major and led the way throughout the restaurant, and back to the kitchen, where we continued. It wasn't quite as easy as that, for the chief cook was standing in the centre aisle of the kitchen waving his hands, and calling out, “Stoppie! Stoppie!” Tommy directed the parade all the way through and back into the restaurant where many late diners were seated. Beckoning them as we marched past their tables, he added them to our increasingly long line. A second tour was made to complete our unscheduled parade. Once again, the chief cook was there to welcome us and Tommy directed the parade through the kitchen regardless of the cook’s expression of disrespect.
When our parade came to the end, back in the restaurant, and all the diners were resuming their places, I asked Tommy why he supposed the cook was so eagerly trying to have us stop playing when we were doing so well. He replied, “He was only afraid we were going to line everyone up in the restaurant and march them outside, and they wouldn't have to pay their bills." We had no such idea, but apparently, that’s what the cook thought we might do. Everyone else, however, enjoyed the entertainment.
