But I had forgotten most of the details of those days until a few months ago, when M and I got back in touch after many years without any contact. In fact the last time I saw her was probably at her wedding. Now M and I live far from the little town where we grew up, but we find ourselves only about 60 miles apart here. Thanks to her twin sister, we got back in touch over the summer, and have tried to make a point of getting together every couple of months or so, as our schedules permit.
M's husband is an officer in the Marine Corps and currently deployed in Iraq. But he is due to come home soon, which is great. He is being promoted to a higher rank and being reassigned to another base after his return. So our opportunities to get together may be nearing an end in a few months.
We had a nice dinner and listened to a Latin jazz quintet at this little place in downtown Palm Springs called The Deck.
The band leader, Bob DeSena, was a trip. DeSena is an accomplished and talented musician, playing the vibes, trumpet and flugelhorn. Watching him perform was also part of the show. He would sing and dance around the room, flashing his diamond-encrusted pinky ring, when he wasn't pounding away on the vibraphone or blowing one of his horns. It was like a parody of a Vegas lounge act. His flamboyant antics were contrasted by the other 4 musicians he played with, who were inexpressive, like they had all taken a dip in the Quaalude pool before the show.
Our dinner table was right in front of the left edge of the little stage, so DeSena made several trips to our table. I thought a couple of times DeSena would trip during his dance spin and sprawl out over our table. Either that or DeSena would take M by the hand and try to get her to dance with him. She had a similar fear, plotting an escape route if DeSena got too friendly.
But the music and the food were good. The Deck is one of my favorite restaurant/bars in the area, with lots of charm. Although the waiter seemed to want to make sure we didn't have too much to drink, because once we finished our meal, we never saw him at our table again. I guess that's one way to keep patrons from being too drunk to drive.
In between the music sets, M and I got lots of opportunities to talk and had a very nice chat on the way back to our respective cars. It's very special to rediscover a friendship suspended for 15 years. I haven't laughed so much in a long time, and I've been reminded of things and people long lost to the cluttered cobwebs of time.
1 comment:
Oh, I didn't know she was leaving. Sorry to hear about that. I hope you two keep in touch though. I know she reads this blog, so at least she can see what you are up too.
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