Later that afternoon in the club room

"Okay, now that he's gone," said Archie in a low tone, "I got a package in the mail today."

"What is it this time?" Ben asked, suspicious.

"A real treat," Archie replied.

"I don't know. The last stuff didn't sit so well, you know?" Ben said.  Indeed, the last stuff had hit his stomach hard.  He was understandably nervous.

"Trust me, you'll love it," he reassured his friend.  And Archie went to his room to fetch it.

He came back, holding the treat aloft. "Nummy nummy!  I hope you're hungry."  He laid a plate on the table. "Wait, where did Averi go?"

Ben looked at the treats with anticipation.  "She went to get a puzzle for us to put together. I had to promise her we would wait, but these look really good."

They couldn't wait, and each took a puff.  "Mmmmm."

"Yeah, these are pretty good."

"Hey!  I thought you guys were going to wait?" Averi walked up to the table.  "What are you eating?"

"Oh, sorry," Archie gulped down a bite.  "Here," he pushed the plate towards her, "the grandkids sent these in a care package.  They're good."

"Mmm... they are good," Averi said.  "And here, I got that puzzle we were talking about."

She started laying out the pieces.  Ben dusted off his fingers, and helped.  "I'll start with the edges," he said.

"Alright, here we go.  What are we making here?" Archie asked.

Averi looked at the box.  "It's one of those mystery puzzles.  You don't know what it is, until it's all put together.  I thought it would be fun."

Puzzles aren't normally a raucous activity, but every crowd has their thing.  The activity got pretty loud, what with all the trading of pieces and speculation as the picture beginning to form.

Meanwhile, Beckett sat in a comfortable chair, reading in the sun room.  The  noise from the other room was starting to annoy him.

Archie yelled excitedly in the club room, "It's jelly beans! Guys, it's jelly beans!"

"Can't a man have a minute of peace?" Beckett wondered, and went back to his reading.

"Beckett!  You gotta see this!  They're jelly beans."

An afternoon in the retirement home is always an event, and always more fun with friends.

the end