This past Tuesday evening Judy and I met Corey, Tia, and Lily at Wasabi’s to celebrate his birthday.
The meeting was arranged by his mother, Connie, as is always the case. Also attending was Gary, Connie’s husband, 
her father, Dub and his date Mary Lois, and long time mutual friends Betty Anne and Squeaky.
The food kept coming and we all felt like we would pop. It was entertainingly prepared by a skilled Japanese chef, who performed all the expected tricks, like the flaming volcano, flipping an egg around and 
then cracking it in mid-air on the side of the spatula, and tossing a ball of rice into each of our gaping mouths!
I love to watch them prepare the shrimp, scallops, steak, and chicken with quick sharp cuts, and then quickly add in the seasonings. It takes a lot of patience to move around that mound of rice, vegetables, and eggs, but it all winds up so temping on your plate.
Lily was scared by a huge ball of flame the chef created on the grill, so from then on he warned her before any further pyrotechnics!
Afterward, we were all 
invited to Connie and Gary’s for birthday cake, ice cream, and coffee/punch. It was the first time I had been back in that house in over 30 years. After the horrible experience of building that house, it holds no special sentiments for me, but things had changed and it looked very lovely.
We played a very heated and animated game of Win, Lose or Draw, with us men being constantly accused of cheating. I don’t know how they came to that conclusion, but when it was all over the men came out on top!
It is a great feeling to know that all the old animosities, insecurities, and fears are gone. We’ve all grown beyond that silly stage. It’s a good feeling to see your first wife and your current wife interacting as friends and enjoying each other’s company.
We were long over these things before Lily came along, but she is now a bonding force for us and with a new one on the way, our lives can only become more intertwined. There is no doubt in my mind that we all look forward to that future.
Anyway, happy birthday son, and thank you too for being such a binding force in our lives.
