Valentine's Day is today -- El Dia de Amor. And my first thoughts turn, Oedipally, to my mother Sunny, gone now nearly 12 years, since a boy's first love is his mother, and so she was mine.
D1 is seeing this now as well, with her two sons, who she adores. The older one, more of a challenge, is now 5 and adores her. Last Sunday, at Greer Park, D1 was sitting and Little Man ran over and hugged her so hard they fell over in what I called a love tackle.
His pre school had all the kids make cards today, of course. On Wednesday, I drove him home, and he told me about polar bears and how they live in the "toondra." I corrected his pronunciation, but when you have teachers in Miami...
Ah, Sunny. As close as I was with my Dad, that relationship truly blossomed later -- probably when I was in junior high and I got his wisdom and humor. Plus, when I was young, he was still working pretty long hours, and though he had time on weekends for Little League, Sunny was the stay at home Mom, and she was so beautiful and chill.
My earliest clear memories are of kindergarten -- where Little Man will be next year. I would leave Miss McNamara's class at East Broadway, and look for the gold '65 Pontiac parked out front on Seaman's Neck Road. We'd drive North, often to my favorite, McDonald's, and she'd buy this finicky eater 2 hamburgers and scape off the onions, and she'd put down the glove box cover, which had depressions for cups, and she'd place my orange drink and her coffee and ask all about my morning. Then we'd drive home, and I'd go out to play with the kids on the street -- the Italian Perotas, or the Jewish girl Leigh 2 houses down, who, years later at our 20th high school reunion, drunkenly knocked on Wifey and my hotel door to proclaim her lifelong crush on me. Wifey was a good sport about that...
But Mom. I always knew she was a beautiful woman, and the fact she loved me so unconditionally gave me confidence with girls -- I went through life NEVER thinking there was a girl I couldn't date if I so desired. As I aged, she told me she loved AND admired me -- my grades were good -- and I had lots of friends. Indeed my first Valentine.
And now Wifey, for the past 4 decades, has been my Valentine. We often celebrate with Mike and Loni, and so it shall be tonight. Loni scored us reservations at Beauty and the Butcher, a new Michelin starred restaurant in South Miami. This is the WORST traffic weekend in Miami -- many come for Valentine's Day, PLUS the Grove Art Festival, and biggest of all, the International Boat Show.
It's a great weekend to stay in the burbs, where we live.
The reservation is at 5:30, but I'm guessing no Early Bird Special -- that's the stuff of Palm Beach County, especially Delray and Boca and Boynton...Wifey noted all the places she visited while there had a much older crowd than we get here -- it was nice to not always be the oldest patrons in a restaurant -- she sees why many of our cohort move the hour or so North when they retire.
But not us! We remain, indeed, young lovers, though only in our minds. And that's what counts.
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