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Lettuce
celebrate
Lisa had
taken the day off and it was going to be perfect. Because of our
crazy schedules, we hadn’t spent an entire day together in a
long time and I was longing for it. We decided to spend our day
roaming around Harvard Square, exploring the shops, eating in
any restaurant that looked good to us. And as the cherry on top,
Steve would meet us that evening at a favorite restaurant to
celebrate his birthday.
I woke up to
beautiful sunshine and smiled as I dressed for summer, then
headed for the train to meet my girl. We met at South Station,
then got on the Red Line to Harvard Square. Since I spend my
suburban life constantly driving a car, taking the train always
feels like a holiday. Not having to worry about the traffic,
whether I will get hopelessly lost in the city streets, or where
to park is a sheer pleasure. Trains make me feel like I’m a
teenager again since I spent my adolescence riding the N.Y.C.
trains.
When we got
to the Square we stopped at a Japanese noodle place and ordered
everything that looked good. We sipped carrot juice and ginger
tea, popped edamame pods, and dipped our chopsticks in each
other’s dishes enjoying every bite. Afterwards, we wandered
around the narrow streets. Steve and I had spent so many years
walking around the Square but everything had changed, except for
a few old landmarks, so I couldn’t quite get my bearings.
However, what I did get was wet when clouds suddenly rushed in
and poured rain on us.
We raced
into a nearby store where Lisa bought an umbrella so that we
could continue our travels relatively dry. The rain had also
brought in cooler weather so we decided to have some tea in a
side street tea shop to warm up. Lisa informed me that she was
cutting me off from coffee for the rest of the day when I
revealed that I had already consumed about six shots of espresso
in various coffee concoctions.
Afterwards,
we walked back towards the square through a park, where we
surprised a squirrel eating half a bagel that was as big as he
was, and decided to call Shatz and sing Happy Birthday to him.
That accomplished, we headed into Boston.
When we
emerged at Charles Street, the sun was out again so we
window-shopped our way towards the Public Garden and then to
Boylston Street. We stopped at a bookstore and five minutes
later when we emerged, the sky was black with storm clouds.
I was about
to suggest that we head for the nearest indoor anything when
Lisa caught a glimpse of the farmers’ market at Copley Place.
“Please mom,
let’s just stop for a minute. I really need some lettuce,” she
entreated, and I reluctantly agreed. I kept eyeing the
increasing clouds above, while Lisa raved about how the light
shining through them was so beautiful. Feeling like a party
pooper, I tried to get into the spirit, telling myself that we
would be fine.
A minute
after we reached the outdoor market, the clouds exploded. We
stood there underneath a flimsy plastic covering, which was
worthless against the onslaught of wind and rain that attacked
us. Thunder and lightning cracked around us as we huddled there
together with a few other people while the market owners held
onto the poles so that they wouldn’t fly away with the force of
the wind.
When it
began to hail, I kept my head down and my eyes closed, feeling
myself becoming completely soaked, from my hair to my sandals. I
wondered when the locusts would show up. As soon as the rain let
up a bit, we both ran to the covering of Trinity Church, where
we tried to figure out what to do, since we were supposed to
meet Steve at the restaurant across town in an hour.
We decided
to head for Marshalls to buy some dry clothes. I called the
restaurant to move our reservation up, and then called Steve to
tell him we would be there as soon as we could. Lisa and I then
spent the next hour desperately trying to find clothes to change
into.
I don’t
believe that people usually shop with their hair dripping into
their eyes and their clothing soaking the floor beneath them! If
I hadn’t been so cold, wet and miserable, I would have been
laughing myself silly at the picture I must have presented, yet
nobody even looked at me twice. Somehow, we managed to find
outfits, run downstairs to pay for them, then race back up to
the dressing room to change.
Still
running, we jumped on the green line, then ran the hill up to
the State House and over three blocks to the restaurant. We fell
into our seats, laughing, starving, dizzy. I couldn’t believe we
made it. Our waitress told us that her boss had gotten caught in
the storm as well and had shown up for work dripping wet.
After our
birthday dinner, we parted ways with Lisa on the Red Line. As
Steve and I rode the train home, I lay my head on his shoulder
just as I used to when we were dating in high school, and the
day and our memories overwhelmed me. What a crazy, wonderful
day. Lettuce included.
July 10, 2008
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