happy birthday shari

Our sons originally were responsible for bringing us together. But they've all since graduated and are all now working —in New York, DC, Chicago and Philadelphia.

But us moms still get together. And we always make time to celebrate each other's birthdays. We've been doing this for many years, and have morphed into a solid group of seven.

Tonight we meet at Antonucci's, an intimate Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side. We are celebrating Shari's birthday. The entire dining area is a little bigger than my bedroom. We look around and there's not a single table that looks big enough to accommodate the seven of us, though we are assured by the friendly maître d' not to worry. 

Finally, after hanging around in an inconvenient place near the door, we are seated at a table that tightly fits six. A little while later, a table that is better suited for seven becomes available and we move. For the inconvenience, we are generously given a bottle of good red wine.

Shari, Janice, Brooke, Ronda, me, Zelia, and Pam

Despite the intimacy of the table, and the excellent food, this is not a place that is conducive to conversation. But somehow we manage to do just fine.  

We split appetizers of grilled calamari and roasted asparagus. My duck ravioli is one of the best pasta dishes I think I've even eaten. And though no one feels like dessert, we order one (a scrumptious chocolate banana cake) as an excuse to sing happy birthday to our dear friend Shari.

We leave sated from good food and good friends.