By Phil Riske | Senior Reporter/Writer
In our lifetime, we’ve heard hundreds of jokes but over time, most fade from out memory banks. Not this one, which I heard years ago, but keeps returning to make me laugh again.
Roy was a WWII veteran, who served in southern Germany and received two Purple Hearts for wounds he sustained. At age 65, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a year to live. Wanting to do something for Roy, close friends asked him for his “last wish.”
“Before I die, I want to eat just one more piece of Bavarian cream pie,” Roy answered. “There was this little cafe in Bavaria we would go to on leave, and the pie was the best I have ever eaten. I’ve always dreamed of going back there for another piece.”
His friends collected money to send Roy to Bavaria, and a couple of them drove him to the airport. On the way, their car was broadsided. Although he didn’t realize it at the time, Roy had two broken ribs. In pain, he said goodbye to his friends and flagged a taxi to the airport.
His pain on the trip was intense and was aggravated even more by frequent turbulence that tossed the plane up and down.
After Roy arrived in Berlin, he took a cab to his hotel. That night, the hotel caught fire, and Roy suffered burns on his legs and arms, but remained steadfast in getting to Bavaria.
As fate would have it, a van taking Roy to his hotel in Bavaria rolled over near the cafe where he dined during the war and threw him out onto the street. Bloody and near death, Roy crawled on his hands and knees to the cafe, where an employee helped him up and said he’d call an ambulance.
“No, no,” Roy said. “Please seat me at a table, I’m okay.”
A waitress attended to him. “Are you sure you’re okay, sir?” she asked.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“What can I get you?”
I’d like a piece of your Bavarian cream pie, please.”
“I’m so sorry, we haven’t served Bavarian cream pie for years.”
“Okay, well, Apple’s fine then.”
