Fast Breaking

So I stayed on plan and eschewed, not chewed, food all day. Around the time of day where it gets tough -- 2 pm --Wifey and I headed to the Palace to visit her mother.

It didn't appear that Yom Kippur was being observed. They had several aging belly dancers performing, and the music was loud. Wifey fetched my suegra from her room, and told me I ought to join the belly dancers -- reprising my move from a birthday party she threw for me when I was 24. I declined -- it was the Day of Atonement -- no dancing was allowed.

My suegra, who always observed YK, had no idea about the holiday. She kept pressuring us to join us for lunch, so I repeatedly showed her the typed message on my phone saying I was fasting. Her short term memory is gone forever -- she'd ask again every few minutes.

We left her, and I dropped Wifey at the body shop to retrieve her repaired SUV, and then headed to the wine store for my Billy Joel purchase -- bottle of red; bottle of white.

At 7, it was off to Grove Isle, to Rick and Susie's condo for break fast. I've always loved Grove Isle -- ever since I was in college and my friend Tere worked there as a fitness instructor -- she'd sneak us into the clubhouse, and we'd walk around. Their apartment had stunning views -- we watched the last bit of the sun's light from over the Biltmore.

We gathered at the table -- D1, Joey, Joey's two brothers and sister in law, and Rick and Susie. Susie is Ashkenazi, like us, and Rick is a Southern Jew, from Virginia, so the food was classic fast breaking -- bagels, lox, whitefish, egg, and tuna salad, and veggies. Also, Susie is a baker, and made probably the best noodle kugel I ever had. The joke was that the Sephardim find the concept of kugel gross -- Susie told them it was a type of bread pudding.

We caught up, in Spanish and English. Rick and I were the two gringos -- D1 does a passable job in Spanish. Vera, Joey and D1's sister in law, was glowing -- she had just given birth to a gorgeous girl -- she was home sleeping with the nanny, though. Vera talked about how she totally gets D2 -- the two are very similar.

As if on cue, D2 Facetimed in, from her break fast in NYC. It was a glorious coincidence.

We left, and I gave thanks to the Big Man. D1 married into a wonderful family -- so warm and welcoming, and funny, and smart.

We talked of Thanksgiving, which we'll host this year, though many of them will be in Peru celebrating Susie's father's 90th.

So another YK has come and gone, I reflected, and contemplated, and gave thanks -- one very fortunate Daddy in the USA...