This past weekend marked a milestone birthday for my wife, Ann. It was also another milestone; after 19 months of relative isolation, we were able to see our son Jonathan and his wife Tracie, and two weekends before our other son, Chris and his significant other, Megan, celebrated Mother’s Day with us. All of this was feasible because of the effectiveness of the vaccination. If only we could pull together as a nation and truly make COVID a plague of the past.
We drove Chris and Megan up to The Dive Bar for their famous lobster rolls their first full day and afterwards we walked along the Juno Beach boardwalk, enjoying a beautiful sunny Florida day while watching all the fishermen casting their lines. A lot of swimming and sunbathing ensued by the sun starved Bostonians and on Sunday, we all loved a sumptuous Mother’s Day brunch. Unfortunately, it was only a long weekend visit and they had to return before Ann’s birthday.
Jon flew in a few days before her big day and finally on Friday, Tracie joined us. As a treat to our daughter in law, we made reservations for a High Tea Luncheon at Teacups and Treasures, an experience Ann particularly wanted to share with her. Obediently, as Ann made it an unconditional invitation, Jonathan and I accompanied them although we noted we were the only men in the entire restaurant!
It turned out that half the restaurant was dedicated to little girl birthday parties, one very large group gathered together behind some clever screening. All were in their most fancy party dresses. Even their squealing and giggling wasn’t the least annoying. Luckily we were at the entire other end of the room and had our own little corner to enjoy our incredibly delicious meal. I never knew having a freshly brewed pot of tea, a delectable soup and scones, small tea sandwiches and delicious miniaturized desserts could be so much fun! Seeing how delighted Tracie and Ann were made it all the more worthwhile.
The following day -- Ann’s big birthday celebration -- found us driving up the exquisitely manicured entryway to The Breakers Hotel, for their Sunday Brunch, ridiculously priced, all patrons unmasked, even when getting up to the buffet (after all, this is Florida), but it was an experience to mark a very special occasion.
A word about Ann, who I love dearly. What times we have shared during our long 51 year marriage. She and I remarked that indeed, life is but a dream, we are hardly aware of the day to day details, only the major memories lingering, and suddenly we are here, now acutely aware of our days. Our son, Chris after visiting two weeks ago, wrote a moving tribute to her upon his return home, and I take the liberty of quoting part as it is a great character study, capturing Ann:
When I arrived home and began my work-from-home life, I realized there was a sadness, one that had taken root since my departure. I missed my mother. I missed her stories she shared with us, her frenetic energies and breadth of conversation. I missed how she charmed hostesses and waiters and her spontaneous laugh, a laugh that said “I’m here and love it, dammit!” She loved my father through thick and thin and put up with my brother and my own oddities. She kept a flock of life-long girlfriends near her chest, loyal and loving. Literature transmuted their essence to her: she read everything from Jane Fonda to Jane Austin. She traveled and played and cruised across oceans, still short by fifty countries compared to my brother, she joked.
It was a lovely couple of weeks, seeing our “kids” at long last. May it be only one such incident on the path to “normal,” if that is still feasible in this country.
