The Old Firm

I'm Facebook (tm) friends with Dolores, who was the office manager of the firm I worked at from '88-'94. She put together a reunion lunch yesterday, and I fired up the plush man car Buick and headed to Little Havana to attend. Ah, my new Lacrosse! It's roomy and comfortable, and the stereo is terrific. I really ooze down the road in this vehicle -- and the retired ladies watch me go by and say, as if I was the boy from Ipanema, "ahhhhh..." Anyway, I headed over to Casa Juancho, which is Spanish for House of Juancho -- a restaurant that's been in Little Havana for 50 years, and famous for their paella. I met Maribel the receptionist at the front, with her 18 year old son in attendance. He was born after I left the firm, and he's now a JUNIOR at UCF, due to some advanced program at his ORlando high school. Maribel is Puerto Rican, and got the letter 10 years ago to move to Orlando. (Seinfeld used to joke that elderly Jews in NY got the letter requiring them to move to Palm Beach County at a certain age. I figure that Orlando, which has more Boricuas than anywhere else, must send out similar correspondence). Anyway, it was great to see her, and shortly after Maria arrived. Maria worked at the firm after I did, but shortly Esther showed up, too. Then came the elderly Mr. W, the long time handyman, still courtly and still working -- not for my old boss's son, Bobby. He was brought by Tizzy, the former accountant, and eventually Chris and Lourdes arrived, too -- my boss Frank's 30 year secretaries! It's funny...Frank and his wife had one of 2 marriages Wifey and I always aspired to. They had 3 kids, and adopted 2 multi racial nieces. They always spoke to each other in such respectful, loving tones, and spent each August together at a beach house on the West coast. They had a big, messy house in Pinecrest, the golden burgh Wifey and I hoped to someday afford. Life seemed so lovely for them. Years later, they divorced, and Frank took up romantically with Lourdes...so you just never know. Chris, Lourdes, and Dolores and I reminisced about the colorful cast of characters. We mourned the passing of Juan -- an only in Miami guy who used to be an investigator for the firm, and died a few months past. Dolores still keeps up with Ed, who is near 80 and in frail health. She told me his mind is weaker, too. This saddened me -- Ed was one of the few true geniuses I've known as a lawyer. Frank used to say he thought like an engineer and fought like a great general -- and he did. As we ate our paella, I noticed a couple a few tables away who didn't look very Hispanic. Sure enough, it was Jon Bon Jovi and his leather clad wife -- sharing a bottle of red wine and paella. He glanced at our table and smiled, but never came over to ask for an autograph. Classy Jersey fellow... So it was a nice afternoon -- a small slice of the past -- nothing dramatic. The valet brought out my land cruiser, and I glided through the city streets. The car has a great Blue Tooth (tm) system, and I just speak the names of the Ds, and they appear on my speakers. D2 was floating at a lake in Gainesville, and D1 was chilling in her apartment. It was an amazingly gorgeous, sunny day. I like my memories like that.