OK, girls, settle back, because I know this is what you have been waiting to hear! What happened at the reunion????????? To start with, the weekend turned out better than I could ever have expected. Let's go through things, chronologically.
I left work at 6PM on Friday, got down to meet Monsieur at Port Authority, by 6:15, and we actually made the 6;30 PM bus, out to New Brunswick. We were there within an hour, 7:30 PM, not much different from my ride home to Bay Ridge from Manhattan, on the subway!!!!!!! We were in our comfortable and impressive hotel room, at the Hyatt Regency, with a window view, looking straight up Albany Street, to the old church with the green steeple and cemetery, the train station, the white building with the flag atop it--all of which I remembered from my youth, and it was surreal spending time there, especially at night, with this staring me in the face!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shortly after settling in, I called my classmate, Lenise, and she joined us over where the reunion was to be held--Old Man Rafferty's. My beloved had a chance to meet her, and we dined and noshed and chatted the evening away. And Lenise looked fabulous, as always. She was not alone in that!!!!!!!!!!!!
We were so tired that we did not arise until 9:15 on Saturday. Which, for any who has followed me on here, knows is unheard of, so I was really knocked out. I also had a terrible sinus headache, which I feared would turn into a migraine, so when I screamed for coffee--because the supply left for our room had the temerity to be DECAFFEINATED--what were they thinking?????-- we literally threw something on, and got downstairs to the restaurant, where, after three heaping cups of strong coffee, the headache left me, and I knew I was going to be all right. But, coming back to our room, whom should we run into, but one of the key reunion committee members--Nedra--who had just arrived, and who, everyone knows, is good friends with Roberta. We had a lovely chat with Nedra, who looks absolutely gorgeous--I should look so good, girls--and it was from this point on, I became less nervous, more sure of myself and more convinced the reunion was going to be a success.
Shortly after this, we took a walk through parts of the town.that I had not seen in some time. The highlights--the State Theatre, on Livingston Avenue, where I saw my very first movie--Walt Disney's "Tobey Tyler," is still there, but more of a live venue. I also recall seeing the original "Willard" there, back in 1971!!!!!!!!!!! It is now a live venue; we almost came out last March to see a touring company of "A Chorus Line," but it did not work out. And next door was the building that, in my day had been the YMCA; it is now the home of the George Street Playhouse, which, when I still lived there, was up at the further end of George Street, in what had been a supermarket, across from the old Rivoli Theatre, and Music Shop. All are gone. And "Crossroads," the Black auxiliary of GSP, which had started on the Memorial Parkway, is now next door to the Playhouse on Livingston Avenue!!!!!!!! Imagine that!!!!!!!!!!!!
Imagine all the shops that I knew on Albany Street--including the Albany Theatre, the Strand, which became the Art Cinema, the newsstand, and other such things--all gone!
Including the Chock Full O'Nuts store, on the corner of George and Albany, which is now a public park! I wonder how the recently passed Paige Morton Black would feel????????????
We knew we would eat a lot that night, so we opted for some yogurt at a shop which certainly did not exist in my time. Neither did Old Man Rafferty's, in my day. We went back to the hotel, read and rested. I showered and glamorized, nervous as anything, and we were meeting Lenise in the lobby at five. Which was good, because she was there to usher us into the experience.
At the bar, we had drinks and munchies. Eventually, people started parading in--Nedra, Sally,. to help set up. But then, in walked Helena and Arlene, looking as poised, gorgeous, and young as ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Impeccably dressed, of course, and what a pleasure to see them! Then, in walked my former classmate and neighbor, Fred Milch! His family lived up and behind us on Ninth Avenue, so I saw a lot more of Fred, by association, than most of my classmates, growing up. He looked great, though I was sad to hear his parents, both of whom I knew, and whose mother sometimes substituted for us in the lower grades,, had recently passed away.
Someone announced people were in the back, congregating, where the reunion was to take place. So we proceeded on, with my beloved Monsieur being charmed by the whole thing, if, inevitably, a bit overwhelmed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, get ready, girls---here it comes!
Seated at one of the corner tables, already having arrived,
was............Roberta!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, darlings, THE Roberta!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, my God!!!!!!!!!! She looked stunning--perfect hair, as always, white summer pants with a Dona Karan goddess top--Roberta is a goddess, so why not??????--who seemed genuinely surprised to see everyone, most of whom she had not seen in 40 years, nor we her!!!!!!!!!!!
That night, darlings, I felt like Eliza at the ball! Because I actually got not one, not two, but three--THREE!!!!!--hugs from Roberta!!!!!!!!!! And I have documented photo evidence to prove it, which is now framed and sitting on our living room table! Future visitors will gasp, when they see it! And let me give you a fashion tip, dolls--everyone a month from now will be wearing what Roberta wore that night! You know I will, hons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not to be outdone, the fabulous Lynn Perlgut showed up, flying in all the way from Israel. I was also glad to see Ted, Mark, Marty, Sue, Janet, and Melanie!!!!!!!!! Wait till you see the group picture, where I am right between Melanie and Nedra! I felt so honored!
The food was scrumptious, but so plentiful, I could not finish. I did manage to get down some coffee and that "Dark Side Of The Moon" desert, which was heaven!!!!!!!!! The evening went on and on.. Monsieur had enough--who can blame him?????--and went back to the hotel, while I chatted up Sally, Mary G, Larry--it seems I worked that room as strenuously as as though I were Anna Wintour. By close to midnight, I was wiped, so a group of us walked to the hotel bar, to continue things. Some, including Roberta, I heard, stayed till 2 am, but I just couldn't.
However, the next morning, before leaving, Lenise and Nancy Sarnoff, who was a year ahead of us, joined us, and so did Helena, Arlene and Nedra!!!!!!! I thanked Nedra profusely, we all said our farewells, after breakfast, and back Monsieur and I went to New York. I am not kidding--we got to the bus stop, just as the 12 noon New York bus was pulling in!!!!!!!!! How is that for timing?????? We got back to the city by 1, Bay Ridge by 2, had lunch, went shopping, and were home by 3. We had dinner with David's friend Ellen, which was the perfect capper to the weekend!!!!!!!!!!
But I know what you all want to know darlings--"What did you learn, Dorothy????????"
I learned the reality of 40 years passing since we graduated seemed a bit unreal to a lot of us. I heard some people acknowledge themselves as old, and when the group pic was being taken--which took awhile--some complained of back strain.
This was the first reunion where, I felt, the barriers were all down. It didn't matter a hoot who was in what, or who took Honors this or Advanced Placement that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I learned the past may not have been as awful as I made it out to be, which meant that I could finally let go of a lot of things I had been hanging on to.
I learned the value of periodically reconnecting with past aspects of your life to put that time in true perspective rather than one's sometimes distorted perspectives of it!!!!!!!!!!!!
I learned that not only I, but plenty of girls, had issues, with Mrs. Santamarina!!!!!!!!! And I learned a lot about her--which I will save for another post!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally, I learned, that, familiar as all this was to me, I could never go back. I could not live in that area again! Of course, if Monsieur deemed it necessary we should, I could, as long as he was with me. But to do so voluntarily, I just could not.
It was a weekend to remember. As the song in "My Fair Lady" goes, " I Could Have Danced All Night."
But I am so really glad to get back to the realities of my present day life.
See some of you in a couple more years!
Ta Ta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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