I made a bad decision, but it may have been a good one. I was invited to join my long-time high school friend and her daughter to go on a Mediterranean Cruise. Great! But it meant I would be away on my husband Bill’s 70th birthday. I really couldn’t do that. He said that it was fine with him and I could visit with our son who was living in Rome. I said yes, but I felt it was a selfish decision.
Bill did get lots of licks in by teasing me about deserting him on his big birthday. I arranged for several friends and family to see him, call him, and take him out on his birthday. I think they wore him out!
I had a wonderful week with our son and his Italian friends. I stayed at an old farmhouse in the middle of a vineyard. A plus was that it was grape-picking time and I got to see the pickers and witness their lifestyle. Hard work with big baskets on their shoulders and fingers bloody at the end of the day.
Pine trees that yield pine nuts grow in Rome. I was given a handful of the seeds to plant when I got home. One made a nice small pine tree, but it never yielded any pine nuts—probably too much winter.
On to Venice by train to meet my friends for our cruise. Two other friends joined us, and we loved it. It could not have been nicer.
As Bill’s October 5 birthday approached, I could not help but feel guilty. It was that day that we arrived at Capri, a beautiful, very special place. The cruise ship ferried us ashore and gave us extra evening hours there to enjoy. About 6 p.m., five of us met back at a lovely cocktail lounge (not a bar) right on the shore. The harbor was filled with yachts and big sail boats floating on the water. Rumor was that Onassis’s yacht was the biggest one. I guess that yacht is wherever it needs to be to improve the ambiance.
Phones were hard to handle back then, so I talked the lounge owner into letting me make a collect call.
“Happy Birthday!” I greeted my 70-year-old husband, “Happy Birthday!” my friends chorused. I told Bill where we were and described it, and he seemed to really join us.
“All drinks on me,” he said.
Out came his credit card, and we were all together. It was really a beautiful, peaceful setting and a memorable 70th birthday for both of us. My husband never stopped bragging about taking five women out partying on Capri!
Some life events do stand out, and we need to enjoy the memories. A good decision to go on that cruise? Probably was. Have you made a bad decision that turned out well?
Now it is time for me to apologize for talking so much about myself. Sorry, I only know me. I don’t know you. If you have an interesting story or an interesting thought, send it to me, and maybe I can talk about you.
Contact me at [email protected].
Jeanette Smith, 95, a Blythewood resident, has been active in the community’s civic affairs for over 50 years.
