7 a.m. Miami. It was a real Christmas Eve. Tom let the crew go early, over his place on Southwest 13th, I followed an hour later. Rice, beans, ribs and I learned a new game called "Pierda". Tom's got three boxes on a crate. The guys roll the dice and highest number can pick box 1, 2 or 3. The catch? One of the boxes has no prize, but rock. You get the rock, you have to pay him one dollar. I got the rock. (Pierda means “stone” in Spanish.)
At 6:30 p.m. I drove down to JZ's dad's place in Coral Gables. There were a lot of new people, for I missed last year. The kids are grown fast but they also sing a lot better. Mary Jo played the piano. Everybody else mingled and talked. I mostly visited with JZ and his sister Alaine. Dinner was great, state Turkey and I barely managed user. One more bite and I warned JZ I'd have to curl up and sleep till noon.
Remember I'm still the newcomer over there, so I can't leap into a lot of conversations. I'm basically an accountant in a roomful of doctors. Well, make that mostly doctors because there was a guy there named Phil George that they kept introducing as reputedly the richest person in Miami as if otherwise they would be leaving out a detail everyone should consider important.
Alain introduced me to her best friend but it only took a moment to realize we had nothing in common except being the only singles present. Later Alaine strongly hinted her friend was looking, but in my opinion what unmarried 50-year-old millionairess isn't looking?
[Author's note: keep reading and you'll find years later Alaine is still introducing me to her rich single friends, but finally learned rich isn't important to me. I want the younger pretty ones and that has not happened, because she'd lecture me if I asked. After a while, JZ and I learned to joke about her matchmaking, because neither of us has every dated any of the gals we've met through Alaine. She means well, but has little perception of what we want. What would I have in common with some rich old lady?]
This led to an interesting episode. As I went to leave I noticed Orion in the Southeast. The constellation is hard to see from most of Miami because of the streetlights. I pointed out the individual stars to JP when Alaine found us and asked, "Where is the best spot in Miami to see the stars?"
Without thinking, I blurted out, "My place." What I meant was the best place was with somebody who knew the stars. But for a moment she was like a young girl again. She said something to the effect that that was such a sweet thing to say. I must be more careful, really.
[Author's note: the referral to a real Christmas Eve means my 14 years at the phone company, were I normally work 10 days back to back on Christmas evenings. I was young, I needed the money, and I was the only single guy on crew.
The kids mentioned
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