Music is served … - Irish American News

6 IRISH AMERICAN NEWS January 2006hMikeooliganismHoulihanOtto had been in the nuthousefor ten years, but we thought hemight be faking.Maybe he figured it was threesquares a day, read the paper,unlimited napping, a roof overyour head and nobody bothersyou. Knowing Otto, I’m sure hedeveloped his own philosophy onhis stay at the nursing home.Otto had been bs’ing us sincewe were in first grade, so his diagnosisa decade ago didn’t reallysurprise anybody. Technically itwas called alcohol encephalopoly,AppearancesCutsColorPermsa fancy shmancy way of sayin’Otto had suffered brain damagefrom Mr. Booze. When we firstwent out to visit him at the home,I talked to his brother who toldme, “He suffers from delusions.He thinks he served in Viet Namand has grandiose conspiracy assignmentsfor the CIA.”That was the same type ofmalarkey Otto had been spinningto us as kids hanging out at theb-ball courts in Beverly. Otto waswell read and had a keen intellect,which he used to great effect as aFoil HighlightsWaxingGifts/Jewelry229 N Northwest Highway, Park RidgeCall Mary Today!847-825-7615provocateur and troublemaker inhis youth. He had a caustic witthat he began fueling with beer inseventh grade.We admired him, not for hisfalsehoods, but his dedication tothe detail of his devilish designs.Otto was a master who weaved hisBS into a rich tapestry of eccentriclies. My old pal Malachy Keanehad grown up next door to Otto.It was Malachy who initiated ourfirst sojourn to visit Otto at thenursing home, three years into hisinstitutialization.Otto started right in with hisdelusions once we sat down inthe cafeteria for a cup of coffeeand got comfortable with our oldfriend. He appeared normal, evenlooked like he had gained weight,but he let it drop in the midst of ourbonhomie that he had just flown inthe night before from a mission inNicaragua.We actually went along with it,rather than challenge his fantasyand potentially set him off on apsychotic episode. We alwaysknew he was crazy, but now it wasofficial and we had some reverencefor his lunacy.After twenty minutes into ourbanal reminiscing, I gave Malachythe high sign that we should split.Otto walked us to the front door aswe said adios. Standing in front ofthe Waukegan nursing home withits lovely view of the parking lot,Malachy remarked to Otto “Thisseems like a nice place.”Otto mumbled, “Yeah, it’s notbad, for Kansas.”Malachy eyes bugged as hewhispered to me, “He thinks we’rein Kansas!”It was just enough oddballlogic that convinced us then thatmaybe the doctors we’re right.This guy had burned out severalspark plugs.Malachy and I left that day ofour first visit and drove directlyto a bar. We felt bad for our oldpal, but it seemed pretty apparentthat he was not coming backfrom whatever planet he was nowoperating. That was about sevenyears ago.Malachy called me last weekand told me he was flying in fromAustin and would I be interested inpaying Otto another visit? Macksaid, “It will be a corporal workof mercy!”Indeed it would be and I saidcount me in.We knew that the trip to visitOtto would provide a touchstonefor our own alcoholic consumptionand mental condition. Otto’spresence would be a warning signon our own slippery slope.The nurse told us we could findOtto in the cafeteria. We walked inand spotted Otto in the corner withanother guy. He seemed surprisedand then delighted by our visitOtto shook our hands and tookus to a room to wait while he hadhis lunch. Malachy said to me, “Hedoesn’t want us to see him eat.”It seemed perfectly normal tome, in fact Otto looked positivelyfull of vim and vigor other thana couple missing teeth in front,which he hid with a sloped grin.Malachy and I had long since lostour hair but Otto was still sportinga mane like Bat Matterston.The room Otto had escortedus to contained a couch and twochairs, a couple prints on the wall,and a bookcase of old books andarcane magazines like Reader’sDigest. It was only about six feetwide and provided just the rightamount of claustrophobia for avisit to the mental home.One of the prints on the wallwas a Van Gogh. He was nuts too.Mack and I catalogued ourreaction to Otto’s state of mind aswe waited.“He remembered our names!”“He looks pretty good.”“He’s faking.”But Mack was more inclinedto give Otto the benefit of thedoubt. He had known Otto a lotlonger than I and he was stillconvinced that his boyhood friendwas bonkers.But I had my doubts. This wasa compassionate visit but also aresearch project. If Otto was pretendingto be mentally deficient inorder to suckle at the county teatand have all his responsibilitiesdisappear, then I was ready tobuild him a statue.By the end of our visit thatday, Otto’s state of mind was stilla mystery. Maybe it always willbe. And maybe that’s how Ottowill make sure that Malachy andI will continue to visit our oldfriend every year until we areas loony as he is. Happy NewYear Otto.• Monday Night Football Party• Thursdays - Live Music &Ladies Night• Fridays - Traditional Irish MusicEnjoy an authentic Irish Pub settingwith a spectacular golf course viewUpcoming EntertainmentJan 12 Cirrus FalconJan 19 The Katie Sullivan BandJan 26 Joe McShaneFeb 2Feb 9Feb 16Feb 23The Debe Welch BandCirrus FalconThe Katie Sullivan BandJoe McShaneMurphy's Irish Pub & RestaurantLocated in Palos Country Club13100 Southwest HwyOrland Park IL708-448-6550