The Wild Couple

So Wifey and I have been less than exciting socially, lately, mostly due to her bad back. We don't go out much, and when we do, it's local, and early. We're in our 50s and we behave like we're in our 70s. But not last Saturday! Some friends from Atlanta were landing at MIA, and asked to meet for a drink Saturday night, at some place between the airport and Aventura, where they were staying before leaving Sunday on a cruise out of Port Everglades. The plane would land at 8:30 p.m. -- we'd have to meet AFTER NINE! Wifey was skittish. That was SOOOOOO late. And I didn't care enough to do what I usually do: go alone -- especially since it was a couple and 3/4 of their kids. I would not be playing the creepy uncle role with kids I barely knew. But Wifey rallied, and saw an opportunity to visit her Dad at Miami Jewish to boot, so she laid down in the back of her luxury SUV, and off we went. My father in law was happily surprised to get late evening visitors, and we wheeled him outside in the cooling evening. No -- not cooling, but with the sun down, at least just muggy, and not oppressive heat. It's funny -- this is the first summer the Miami heat is really bothering me. I hunger for some cool nights. Maybe I'll make that happen later this month... But anyway, we returned my father in law to his room. I told him where the Ds were 6 times -- damn Alzheimer's! But he was in good spirits, and we left less than sad. We arrived in the Design District, just a half mile south, and parked. We walked to the Oak Tavern, a place D1 suggested might be hipster-less enough for older folks and younger kids. It was PACKED. We squeezed in to two seats at a table near the bar. It was after 9. The patrons were all in their later 20s and 30s, and beautiful -- professional types, dressed casually, but with expensive casual stuff. One woman looked Wifey's age -- but she was bald and wearing hipster 50s era big glasses -- clearly an artist or art gallery owner. Lauren came in, from the taxi. She's a take charge kind of lady -- Southern Jewess, who runs her own law firm and is the mother to 4 and does more in a single typical morning than most ladies do in a month. She saw there were outside tables, and it had stopped raining, but it WAS muggy. Not a problem, she announced -- this is the tropics. Her husband Tom came in -- one of the nicest guys I know. He's a LI Italian, who met Lauren at Duke. They were celebrating his 50th , and Lauren's Mom's 80th, with a cruise on the Allure -- an enormous ship we had taken years ago. We sat around the big table with 3/4 of their kids -- a college junior, high school junior, and entering high school freshman. Son number 2 was in California attending film school. We chatted happily -- the kids are all polite and interesting. Tom had local beer and Lauren and I toasted with martinis. A lovely evening. Wifey and I left -- it was 11 pm. On a Saturday night! I guess this is what the wild couples do. But we weren't done yet. As Wifey lay in the back, I surprised her with a move right out of the days when we had met. I deftly pulled in to a parking lot where there's a 24 hour IHOP -- and we had breakfast near midnight! OK -- so she ordered the whole wheat pancakes -- but still! The waitress was the same one I remembered from my last late night visit to IHOP -- a Jewish gurl from Tampa. The omelette and pancakes were awesome -- especially at that witching hour. I guess there's still life in us yet...