The phone rang last night close to midnight. Paul had just landed in San Francisco. He wanted to make sure I wasn’t worried and that I could sleep. He woke me up to tell me that!! He will be gone for 11 days on a speaking “tour” for a national bank. I’m not sure but he may think he’s the Beatles or something.
There was a lot of back-and-forth before he left. For his part, he was worried that I would be lost with his being gone for so long. On the other hand, I told him on a daily basis that I was worried that the party banner I ordered from Amazon would arrive before he left and create an awkward moment.
Normally, the moment he leaves for a trip I turn on a different music source in each room and turn it to top volume. This time I haven’t turned on the TV at all and very little music. Am I getting old? There are so many things that point to the fact that I’m getting on up there and yet the fact that I enjoy quiet more these days is what worries me the most.
Last week I was talking with an acquaintance, and I said something about participating in some kind of hijinks: a word I love, but not one I use frequently. And to be honest, not something I’ve participated in recently – which is disheartening. The fact that Paul’s in San Francisco brought to mind some shenanigans I participated in years ago.
Paul and I were visiting one of his brothers and his sister, both of whom lived in San Francisco at the time. A wonderful evening has been planned. We would go to Ghirardelli Square, have dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant in the city, and then go to see the play Beach Blanket Babylon, which had been running for 25 years at that time. We were all very excited.
First stop. Ghirardelli Square. We walked around and looked at everything and talked about eating some chocolate, but dinner was soon and we were told not to ruin our appetite. Paul's sister, the oldest in the group, went to find a restroom so she could wash her hands. The minute she was out of sight, we ran, literally ran to the soda shop and ordered ice cream floats, sat in the corner and ate as fast as we’d ever eaten anything in our lives.
The possibility of getting caught made it even sweeter. By the time his sister found us, we had gotten rid of any evidence. We had done it. We were in the clear.
Paul's sister rounded us up and led the way toward our next activity. Dinner. UH OH. I think we all turned a little green around the gills when the waiters brought in big family style bowls of pasta, and put it on the table. There was no doubt as to what kind of hijinks had been going on at this point. Paul’s sister was upset with the lot of us. And just like children, we were reprimanded. Since we were closer to 30 years old than 13, we took it with a grain of salt. It might have even added to the fun.
All this reminiscing has piqued my interest. I think it just might be time for some hijinks again.
