50th Reunion: Part Two

Note: Events following my return from the reunion trip in addition to coming down with some intestinal bug knocked me off schedule, but let’s see how much I remember about the final day, reunion Dinner, and return flight…(click the image at right to make biggen.)

For unknown reasons all three of us roomies were bright eyed at dawn on Saturday, July 19^th. Had coffee on the balcony while planning some shopping for friends and ourselves; items not generally available where we live.

So we set off for a final visit to Café du Monde for beignets and café au lait; stopped at Central Grocery for sausages and spices, Aunt Sally’s for Pralines, hunted for a bottle of Absinthe (now legal in the US) and a few boxes of Zatarain’s crab boil (both of which were outrageously expensive (in the Quarter, at least) and not purchased.

Side Note: This turned out to be a smart move since both those items were subsequently purchased locally for half or a third the price.

We browsed a couple of photography and art galleries; the gals shopped for summer dresses, and when we grew hungry, stopped for lunch and a cold beer at Pierre Maspero’s (again) where Will dropped Bonnie off to dine with us before making our way slowly back to the hotel. Bonnie in her wheelchair with oxygen tank on her lap bounced about on the notoriously uneven brick sidewalks. Poor baby.

Through the afternoon all three fussed over what they would be wearing to the big event. For a few hours I was the fashion consultant - a sort of Tim Gunn wannabe if you will, and in the end they looked absolutely radiant.

Leaving the hotel we learned that the keys to all guest’s cars were lost, well not quite lost, but the daytime valet manager moved the key cabinet to a secure location (did Cheney know about this?) without telling the evening staff where it was. We also learned that Lynn’s car was off site anyway, so even with her keys we would be unable to find the vehicle.

Lynn (God bless her) who had been on the cell phone all day coordinating last minute details, now had to find a way to get us all to the restaurant – and quickly. She reached Raul just as he was about to park having dropped off Mary Rose and the kids; he came to our rescue and thankfully had enough room for all of us and Bonnie’s wheelchair to boot.

When we arrived everyone was already enjoying cocktails and catching up. We were a bit frazzled by the delay and confusion, but soon calmed down as the hugs and kisses began making the rounds. Everyone recognized me with the exception of Hazel Romano herself. (I was profoundly wounded. Nah, not really) Well, I did have a lot of hair 50 years ago and as soon as I introduced myself she grabbed me and told me how sorry she was for not recognizing me straight away. I was reintroduced to her daughter Dawn, who as a toddler was more than happy to be held by me while I danced around the studio, and later would arrive during rehearsal breaks to sit on my lap. They were having usual summer mixed drinks, but wanting something different I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea, which came in a mug the size of the Long Island Sound. Delicious!!!

I felt much better as I sipped and talked with everyone remembering events and fun times before we were directed out to the patio for the photo-op.

Taking our seats at two long tables we began to peruse the menu for the evening (I could have eaten one of everything). The meal began with shared platters of boiled crawfish, shrimp, and potatoes and corn on the cob, and then I had the Creole Spinach salad (baby spinach, crumpled bacon, hard boiled egg, sweet red onion, fried oysters topped with Creole honey mustard dressing) with a Crawfish Etouffee on rice with French bread.

As Hazel enjoyed another cocktail, I ordered another LI Iced Tea. Table-hopping ensued and the noise level rose accordingly. All too soon it was the witching hour; time to say our goodbyes with promises to do it all again sometime in the near future.

Our threesome had barely gotten back to the rooms before suggestions began burning up the phone lines. Suggestions for everything from another reunion next spring (before it gets too hot to deal with comfortably) prior to or following an annual pig roast hosted by two of our members, to a plan for a cruise getting a good deal on a group rate. Naturally, Lynn and I lobbied for one to Alaska…my bad!

Will, having taken Bonnie home for the night to monitor her condition, left the three of us to spend the cool late evening breeze on the balcony with a nightcap and a re-cap of the week’s events.

My flight was scheduled for early morning; Dione’s flight to NY was in late afternoon, so I made a reservation with the airport shuttle not wanting Lynn to make two trips to the airport and giving those two a bit more time together. They had done so much to make this happen and it was time to slow down. Besides, having always considered airport farewells emotionally draining, this was a better alternative. Still, they woke to share coffee on the balcony once more before hugging and kissing me goodbye. Ain’t that love?

The flight to Philly was full, on time, and uneventful (God is good!) and the drive south to the beach was fast and traffic-free. All northbound traffic was bumper-to-bumper for at least 20 miles with all those beach weekenders trying to beat each other home. I just set the cruise control and relived the last 4 days quietly with great joy.

Thank you: Hazel, Lynn, Dione, Bonnie, Will, Tommy, Marie, P.J., David, Leslie, Marilyn, Margaret, Chuck, Barbara, Bruce, Corrado, Henry, Kirk, Trudy, Pam, Mary Rose, Raul, Tricia, and everyone else who celebrated with us.

Reliving old times is one thing, picking up from that place and finding that there is something more to those friendships is another thing entirely. I believe we all felt that special connection again.

I look forward to the next one, if there is one, and hope to have more time to share with the others the lives that happened to us in the interim.

A toast with Absinthe to celebrate the reunion experience is in my plans for this evening.

Pictures to follow.

And so it goes.

*