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I am leaving today

Well I survived my first Christmas without Frank. I had braced myself for a weekend filled with grief and untold agony, and while I did shed some tears on Christmas morning, overall God blessed me with a weekend filled with love and laughter. To that end, if I’ve neglected to mention lately that I have the best family and friends on the planet - please allow me to correct that oversight right now. I have the best family and friends on the planet! (The best, Jerry! The best!)

I want to be a part of it
New York, New York

On Christmas Eve during the day I saw some friends for a bit then spent a few hours with a couple of my aunts and uncles, a few of my cousins, and some extended family members (lots of fun!). Later, I met my mom at church for Christmas Eve service and after that we went back to my place where we had dinner with my son, Kevin, opened some presents, and after Kevin left my mom and I watched our favorite Christmas movie. ("Christmas in Connecticut" - the Barbara Stanwyck version) I went to bed with a smile on my face. After the 11:00 a.m. service ended on Christmas day, I called my friend Eileen from the car. I had a gift for her and her husband, Steve, and I wanted to drop it off but they had a house full of Eileen’s family from New York for the weekend, as well as Steve’s mom, so I wanted to be sure everyone was up before I rang the doorbell. She told me everyone was up, so I headed on over.

These vagabond shoes
They are longing to stray

First, I want to be very clear about this: I honestly did not intend to stay. (I left my purse in the car for pete’s sake!) I wasn’t even going to go inside the house, but Eileen held the door open and told me to just come in and say hi to everyone. Well, ok. I guess I can come in and say hi. I said hello to both moms and Eileen’s brother, Jimmy, and sister-in-law, Cleo, in the living room, and we found Eileen’s brother, Michael, in the kitchen with Steve, where he was getting dinner ready to go in the oven.

Right through the very heart of it
New York, New York

Steve and Eileen opened their gift and tried to entice me into staying with a slice of one of Michael’s pies. (they invited me to stay a couple of times after I came in, but I politely declined because I was feeling emotional and just wanted to go home to be alone and cry)  However I quickly caved on the pie and ate a small piece standing in the kitchen with my coat on. I still did not intend to stay. Now as to what happened next, I’m a little fuzzy on some of the details. I’m thinking that when the chocolate pecan pie hit my system (yes, c-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e p-e-c-a-n p-i-e!!!), I enjoyed it so much that it created an endorphin rush which slammed headlong into the sugar high, which in turn caused a chain chemical reaction that made it impossible for me to say ‘no’ when they asked me again to stay. I do remember making Steve promise that if I took my coat off, he’d let me help in the kitchen. When I took my coat off Eileen whisked it away, so I rolled my sleeves up and asked him what I could do, and Steve said, “Um, well nothing really.”

I want to wake up in that city
That doesn’t sleep

Mmm hmm. In other words, Michael’s pies are dangerous. They should all have warning labels on them. “Caution – eating this pie may result in temporarily taking leave of your senses”. Oh, and watch out for Steve. He's tricky. Very, very tricky. To redeem him a bit though, I was eventually able to help a little. Several hours later (they held me hostage for over 10 hours!) I had the opportunity to help clean up after the big, formal, sit-down dinner that evening. That made me feel marginally better. That and playing "Pictionary Man". What a riot! (Eileen, Jimmy, Cleo and Alisha were all pretty good at it, but I think Matt and Lance emerged as the Pictionary Man kings of the day)

And find I’m king of the hill
Top of the heap

You know, I discovered something very interesting this Christmas. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “you learn something new every day.” Right? Well I learned TWO new things. I think it’s pretty safe to say that it’s common knowledge that New Yorkers in general are supremely arrogant when it comes to two things in particular.Their bagels and their pizza. Having been close friends with Steve & Eileen for almost two decades, I have to say I always thought their insistence that they haven’t found any really GOOD bagels or pizza here in Massachusetts in the entire time they’ve been living here (over 15 years!) to be rather silly. I truly thought it was all in their heads.

My little town blues
They are melting away

So when I was offered an authentic, made-in-a-New-York-bakery bagel, I jumped at the chance to try one. Well… let me tell you something. IT’S NOT IN THEIR HEADS. Oh. My. God. They have officially ruined all other bagels for me. (Thanks a lot, guys!) On the plus side though, I will now be able to go to my grave finally knowing exactly what a bagel is supposed to taste like. (So, thanks, guys!)

I’m gonna make a brand new start of it
In old New York

I didn’t actually try the pizza until the next day, however. Eileen sent a piece home with me and I had it for lunch. I warmed it through in the toaster oven – not the microwave. (I remember asking if I could reheat it in the microwave and four of them said very quickly, at the same time, “No! Use the oven!”) New Yorkers are so funny.

If I can make it there
I’ll make it anywhere

I'm sure you've already guessed that my reaction to the slice of authentic New York Sicilian pizza was the same as my reaction to the bagel. I’m mad at them now. I've always loved pizza and they’ve ruined it for me! Not that I’ll never eat it again or anything, but it just won’t be the same. When I spoke to Eileen the day after Christmas to report on how I liked (loved! drooled over!) the pizza, her next words struck terror into my heart. “Do you like falafel? Because we can ruin falafel for you too.” Good God!

It’s up to you
New York, New York