Family of One Goes to a Reading

It was with some horror that I realized recently that I have been spending way too much time lounging on the sectional sofa. I believe that is referred to as cocooning and can be very restorative for one's mental health; however, as I noted that I spent every Sunday night and most Saturday nights in the triplex, I realized that it was time to get out a bit more. Trips to NYC and points beyond are wonderful, of course, but one should not ignore the marvelous city just outside the gates of the triplex community.

Monday night had been a night for catching up on work and assorted other doodads around the house, but when I saw that Jennifer Weiner was giving a reading at my beloved Books and Books, I decided to make a night of it, complete with dinner in Coral Gables.

I had been abstaining from readings since the the last couple that I attended were either so boring as to be embarrassing or so borderline hostile as to be irritating. Per the latter, I had been very excited about meeting a certain somewhat successful authoress who has written one of my alltime favorite novels. There to tout her latest, I was shocked at her gaunt and spindly appearance, resembling nothing like the lissome creature on her cover photos. She insisted on reading from the book in different voices for each character which I found off-putting. But, not nearly as off-putting as when I approached her to sign my book and said, "I must think about your book xxxxxxxxx every couple of days. What a fascinating world you created". Looking at me in a way that can only be called supercilious, she replied, "Don't you have anything better to do? I don't even think about it like that and I wrote it".

So, an evening with Jennifer Weiner promised to be the antidote to such brittleness. And, indeed, it was. I loved being surrounded in the audience by smart, attractive women talking with each other in an animated way about their latest goings-on. There was a large crowd and the energy in the room was full of happy anticipation. I helped an elderly couple relocate from their cramped seats in front of me and ended up learning all about them, including the fact that rather than get married for the third time for each, they are happy to be companions--at the age of 86. An Asian woman came over to speak to them and told me how familiar I looked to her. It turns out that we worked together 15 years ago at Harper Collins in NYC.

The author has a real gift for making the room a delight. She has written quite a few best sellers and tells a great story as well as creating warm, memorable characters. She was kind, funny, lovely, and passed out huge trays of Misha's cupcakes. I asked a question that elicited lots of supporting murmurs from the people around me and a very kind response from her. Afterwards, as I stood in the long line to have my book signed, I observed how she personally connected with each person and I loved seeing the smiles on thier faces as they walked away from her. I enjoyed my moment with her as well.

Then, the return to another tradition that I had abandoned. At one time, I was journeying to Ruth's Chris (which is in the next block) with much frequency although you will be happy to know that I did not have a steak except once a month. I stopped going because they replaced most of the comfortable club chairs in the bar where I ate with high stools that were not so comfortable. But, I felt like it was a good night to go back. I strode in and there was Mike, my favorite server. "Mary Jo," he calls out, "there is your favorite table". And, indeed, there it was, one of the three surviving tables with "real" chairs. Within minutes, "here's your lemon drop". Sighing with happiness, I settled in with my book, a chopped salad, and a crab-tini (a freshly luscious crab salad) and savored the evening.