Oh What a Night

When I met my dear friend Eric as a UM freshman, in 1979, he invited me to his family's house in Kendall for the Jewish holidays. We ate, and read, and had a wonderful time. I clumsily broke a dish on the holiday table, one that I think Eric's Mom Norma had inherited from her grandma. I felt awful, the family shouted Mazel Tov, the classic Jewish phrase of "good luck," shouted at weddings and celebrations, and, in the Ashkenazi tradition, when something breaks, to both acknowledge the brokenness of the world, and to hope for fewer klutzes like me in the future.

Well, it has been MY great mazel being adopted by Eric and his family, nearly 33 years ago. Eric and I have grown close like brothers, literally grown from teens to men together. We shared college, lived together during grad school, stood as best men for each other at our weddings, and kvelled over our 4 kids, who have brought us more joy than we would have ever dreamed...

At my life's lowest point, in July of '82, when my father was in the hospital with the heart attack that would eventually claim him, Eric came to my mother's condo in Delray, and slept on my floor, giving me the comfort of a kid whose brother promises to drive away the boogie man. I still wonder whether those days affected Eric's decision to become a cardiologist...

More significantly, as the Torah teaches us that true friendship is revelling in one's friend's successes, he was there at those, as well. And we have been blessed to have many of those lately, from great Canes games to family vacations together, filled with laughter and the creation of memories that are for me, sacred...

Well, last night Eric and Dana hosted a combination party at their house -- to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, and Eric's impending 50th birthday. The theme was sprts tailgate, and everyone wore their favorite team jerseys... I wore and was several times complemented on my Canes HOCKEY jersey, which my bud Norman gave me this summer. No one had seen one, and no fewer than 5 folks asked if the U had an ice hockey team. I told them they did, but the season was short -- games were only played when the campus lake, Osceola, was frozen...

Dr. Barry, the third stooge and brother, made sure to wear his NY Jets jersey, to annoy Eric and me. Although Barry moved to South Florida in the 9th grade, he still loves the team that used to play next to his Flushing childhood...Somehow he found a Revis shirt, to honor the latest Jets star, in a size probably 5 larger than the actual Revis jersey. Revis will probably fall down and cause the Jets to lose at some critical junction, as per normal for that team...

Anyway, back to the party. All of our spirits soared. I'm still high on the news that I don't have a tumor the size of a basketball growing inside my prostate, and Eric's boy Josh, who is essentially Eric with a far friendlier personality, thanks to his mother's genes, was accepted into Georgia Tech and Michigan. Jen, his daughter, is soaring at UF, and leaves soon for a Birthright Israel trip.

We ate, and drank a few (ok, more than a few) shots of vodka, and toasted these wonderful milestones. Eric put together a video slide show, and we were amazed, truly, at how young we all looked back in college. There was a shot of Eric in his first medical office, in Boston, and he truly looked like Doogie Howser, M.D. People trusted that kid with their hearts?

And at the wedding, we all looked like an episode of "The Little Rascals" putting on a wedding. At the time, we were in our mid 20s, but to these 50 year old eyes, it was a children's party.

Ah, sunrise, sunset...

I hugged Dana, and Eric, and Barry a little tighter than usual. I planted man kisses on their cheeks, in the way I used to kiss my father.

I guess one can go through this life without friends who are closer than brothers. I'm sure I don't know how.