Sad to Say, I'm on My Way

So off we went last Friday, the six of us, Wifey, the Ds, and the 2 boyfriends (The Ds', not Wifey's).

First muster point: The Admiral's Club at MIA. My AMEX card is only good for 4 admits, but D1's good friend's Mom works there. Although it wasn't her shift, her name was enough to get us in, and Michael, Thomas and I began the drinking. Though Michael's just 18, I figured the Bahamas' laws of 18 for alcohol extended to MIA, sort of the way US Customs operates an office at Lyndon Pindling Airport in Nassau. We toasted to a safe and fun trip.

Ah, Atlantis. Gorgeous, but a ripoff in the way of a Disney Resort. And I hate Disney resorts. The rooms they gave us (at more than $400 per night) looked out on an asphalt roof, complete with broken bottles and discarded boxes. I called and politely told the manager this wouldn't do.

She replied the hotel was "oversold" but she would see what she could do. 30 minutes and 2 calming vodkas later (we stocked up at the MIA duty free shop --Absolut only $14/bottle!), we were moved to gorgeous ocean front rooms. As Thomas said, the hotel went from 2 stars to 4.

We met in the lobby and took a cab across the bridge to the Poop Deck, a great local seafood place where I had eaten with my Baha-man lawyer friend. It was terrific --we had our fill of conch, and became reacquainted with Kalik Gold --the 15 proof local beer. It DOES pack a Ka-LIK.

Saturday the younguns slept in, after a succesful casino night. I gave each young couple $100 to gamble, with the agreement that I get back 1/2 of the winnings. Somehow I got nothing back, but I think they bought a lot of their own lunches and drinks.

That night, we got into a cab, and asked the driver for a good Italian place. He took us to Luciano's of Chicago, on Bay Street. It was superb! Our waiter became our friend, and we talked all about the NBA (he loves D Wade but is a Bulls fan). There was a wedding party going on, and the couple were tall and handsome.

Inside, a group of nattily dressed Bahamian guys looked like a very tan version of a scene from "The Sopranos." We wished we could have overheard their conversation. Somehow, getting "whacked" wouldn't sound as menacing in a West Indian accent...

More casino and clubbing for the younguns, and Sunday they swam with the Dolphins. That "activity" came with the package --it would have cost $600 for the four of them! The prices at Atlantis are truly obscene, but the place was packed. Just like Disney...

Sunday night, we headed over to Graycliff, the 1700s era building, now Nassau's signature restaurant. It was, for all of us, one of the best dinners of our lives.

We sat on the sofas, and a charming pianist with an Etta James-like voice played our requests. We drank fruity martinis. Thomas smoked a hand rolled cigar. We laughed . We sang.

The singer asked how I was as a father, as it was Father's Day. The Ds told her, in detail, why I was the best Dad in the world. Wifey agreed, and said I was her life's best decision. The young men agreed.

She turned to me, I guess expecting a humble disclaimer, but I told her everything she just heard was true. I'm certainly no stellar lawyer. I'm an above average husband. I'm smart, but no genius. I'm not an athlete. But, I told her, I will accept FULL credit and praise for my father job. I give it my all. It's my measure of myself. There are no better...

Puffed up with this ego boost, I floated with everyone to the dining room. The singer kept singing. The sweet drinks kept flowing. Lobster, steak, seabass, and conch chowder were served and devoured.

I basked in my family, and the terrific young men my Ds chose to date. They're so young, and probably unlikely to end up together, but that's not the point to me. The girls, brimming with high self esteem, won't settle for anything other than winner men. My martini glass ranneth over...

Then the host took us on a tour of the Graycliff wine cellar. Michael survived a head bang against a low ceiling, and Thomas asked for the most expensive bottle. The host handed him a was covered 1800 something from France, which the restaurant bought at auction, and would serve now for $200,000!!!!! Thomas nervously handed the bottle back, and Michael remarked that the one bottle would pay his 4 year tuition at Amherst.

Back to the lounge. By now the singer was our old friend, and she played Wifey and my wedding song "You Send Me," and then Beatles, and Gershwin, and Sinatra hits.

We sure were sent by that night.

Monday, Wifey and I read in the library, and Wifey recovered from the one water slide I convinced her to try, the day before. It was fast, and in the dark, and as we hurtled down in a double inner tube, Wifey belied her claim of agnosticism, as she called God's name many times. I may have peed in the rushing water...

The younguns got more sun, and cheeseburgers, and then we left for the airport, as I recited my usual goodbye, from the old Disney travellogues" "As we reluctantly say goodbye to Atlantis and Paradise Island, we reflect on the wonderful memories we'll forever cherish of the time we spent there..."

At MIA, Thomas headed for another plane to D.C., and a student government lobbying trip for UF. He comes back to Miami for the weekend, and then back to UF for Summer B. We dropped Michael off at home, and I thanked his Dad Dan for lending him to us for Father's Day.

If anyone had a better Father's Day, I don't know who he is...