Hi there.
This is story #2 from this past Saturday night.
Story #1 was my encounter with a stranger in the parking lot before dinner at “The old spaghetti factory”.
Once I figured out how to pay for parking (had to download an app) and actually paid it, I walked across the street to the restaurant. I was still a bit early, and this place has a huge lobby with lots of elegant seating, so I took a seat while waiting for Rick and his husband to show up. When Rick first invited me, I think he indicated that “a group of us” are going to see South Pacific…but I didn’t question who was in the “group”.
As I’m waiting, John (Rick’s husband) comes up the lobby stairs along side an older woman, and they go to the hostess area. When John’s eyes looked in my direction, I wave to him. He doesn’t see me, and they take a seat on another couch about twenty feet away. He then looks in my direction and I wave again. Still doesn’t see me or doesn’t recognize me, not sure.
I get up, and sit next to this woman – she is seated closer to me, and I would have had to walk in from of them, to sit near John.
“Oh, there you are” says John.
Rick is nowhere to be found (yet).
I wait a couple of seconds for John to introduce me…and decide not to wait for him, holding out my hand and sharing my name with her.
“I’m Lois” she tells me.
I learn she is from out of town, visiting Rick’s friend Nancy. Which means Nancy is part of this group tonight. So, I’m assuming Rick is parking the car, with Nancy in tow.
(I’ve met Nancy a few times previously. She is retired, and I only remember the most recent events of my meeting her, which was at Rick’s 50th B-day in 2012, and last summer, while attending a funeral for the mother of a friend of Rick’s. Both times, Nancy has always been very gracious to me. I’m thinking Rick has known her for maybe as long as he’s known me.)
So, we’re sitting on this couch in the lobby of this pretty old fashion elegant restaurant, and I decide to get out of my shell and talk to Lois while we wait for the other two to arrive.
“Where are you from, Lois?”
Southern California, she says.
“Oh, I lived there in my mid twenties for four years”, I tell her. “Have you heard of West Covina?”, I ask.
Why yes, I live in San Fernando Valley, she tells me.
Which starts the ball rolling. By the time, Rick and Nancy come up the stairs, Lois and I are old friends.
I see Nancy and stand up. She greets me by standing directly in front of me, and with a huge smile, tells me: “I hear you just achieved a life-long goal”.
Well, yes, I did, I tell her, while giving her a huge hug. I expound for a minute on getting my degree, and we follow the hostess to our seats. Nancy, has, once again, made me feel a part of the family.
We get seated and I’m sitting across from both women, and Lois mentions to Nancy about my being in L.A., and I learn that Nancy was out there for a bit as well.
It seems Lois was an entertainer for a short bit, before marrying her husband, who also was in the industry. Both of them were singers, but her husband became a comedian. (she told me her last name, but I didn’t recognize it)
Well, it was time to order, and so we did.
Lois and I both had the special that night, “Chicken Picante”, while Rick had the Lasagna, and Nancy and John had who knows what. Lois and I agreed the Picante was to die for. It was quite “Delish”. Seems like everyone enjoyed the dinner.
We had gotten there early enough, we didn’t have to rush thru the meal in order to get to the Guthrie on time. So, we had lots of time for great dinner conversation. Not sure why, but both of these (retired) women want to know all about me (probably because I was the new guy, since Nancy has known Rick and John going on now for about 15 yrs).
We head on over to the Guthrie, about a block or so away from the restaurant. Nancy walking with Rick, and I’m walking/talking with Lois. John’s on his own.
We’re in the very upper balcony, last row. Quite different than the seats Rick and I had last summer when we saw “The Music Man” together – we had second row seats for that.
Turns out (during dinner) that not only Lois is a singer, but Nancy is as well. These two gals know their stuff, commenting on the orchestra, the lead performers, etc., during intermission.
It was a great show (South Pacific). I believe I might have seen short bits of the (1958) movie long ago. But, I was mostly aware of this musical due to some of its hits such as:
“I’m gonna wash that man right out of my hair”
And
“Bali Ha’i”
Among others.
Nancy mentioned to me, during intermission about a (controversial) song coming in the second act, titled “you’ve got to be carefully taught”. It seems this musical / movie dealt with the theme of racism in the ’40s – albeit, back then, between Caucasians and Polynesians.
So, seeing this musical, created close to seventy years ago, seemed quite apropos.
After the musical was over, it turned out, it was sprinkling outside, and that it wasn’t Rick, but Nancy who drove the four of them, and she insisted on driving me (from the Guthrie ramp) back to where I had parked my car, with Lois sitting between John and Rick in the backseat, while I sat shotgun.
(This post is part two of a three part post – where part three occurs the following day (Sunday), where I’ve been invited to attend Rick’s Birthday party at Nancy’s cabin on Lake Minnetonka, AND where I learn the true identity (and alter ego) of this most gracious lady.)
Stay tuned.
(Part three to be posted By Friday, if not sooner.)
