Dan shaded his eyes as they adjusted to the sunlight and he tried to fathom what he saw. There, on the far side of the courtyard was Duardo kicking a soccer ball as only a three-year old could to an unshaven man. But this was no playground. Dan looked up at the high walls surrounding the courtyard. The razor wire that capped the walls and the t …
Roberta acted calm on the outside, but on the inside realized that her time was up. Todd had brought her into the picture knowing that his brother would trust her. She had no reason not to get involved, no reason to turn down the money and no reason to rattle the cage once she knew in her gut that she'd never get the money. Her lonely life of pr …
As the sedan pulled away, Dan fell over into Roberta’s lap. Confounded by a mix of emotions, Roberta looked down at Dan who now seemed peaceful, not the agitated man he had been just a little while before. She found herself stroking his hair, something she had only dreamed about. Of course, Roberta knew that this calm was false, or better put, d …
As Dan began packing, his resolution began to fade. So he reached for a different drink, one that would help give him the courage he needed to forge ahead with his plans. As he drank from a bottle of whiskey, questions began to swirl in his head. How was it that Duardo was able to take Espi to Argentina when Dan knew that Espi did not have a …
It was a rainy Sunday morning in October and the sky was grey and dark and thick with clouds. The thunder startled Dan who was always on edge and made him spill his coffee on his couch and all over the framed picture of his younger brother Todd who he had not seen ever since he was lost at sea exactly a year ago. He wiped the coffee off the …
Got up, got out of bed and dragged a comb across my head. Before going downstairs to have a cup I stopped short in front of the mirror. I was staring in total disbelief and thought "who is this guy?" His beard is "frosted" and he looks much older than I thought. I eventually realized that the image in the mirror was me but I was expecting to see so …
If you've gone to recent Gotham meetings this question may be "old", however, for those that have not it is topical.Simply put, what is your favorite all-time vacation?Mine, because of this Winter's polar vortex, was our extended stay in Key West during which many suffered through at least three horrible storms. Our frigid Winter is the subject of …
It was a few hours before Passover and we were on our way to the family Seder. One of our many traditions is to call relatives who we will not be seeing and wishing them a “Sweet Passover”. Flo called her Aunt Lillie who lives in Florida. After exchanging holiday greetings, Lillie mentioned to Flo that it was a significant day for her and her s …
I have commented on recent blogs about old friends. There is smething unique though about friends from upstate or outside the area. A different quality to the caliber of people. As much as I enjoy being close to the center of the universe (NYC) there is absolutely a difference in the type of people who live outside of the metropolitan area. I s …
There is something special about the friends that know you from back when. Last weekend, we had dinner with friends I have had since just after I started practicing law. (You know who you are!) For perspective, I am coming up on thirty years. When you have known each other that long, everything that happens has context. You don’t have to explain …
Sometimes, as I’m sure we all do, I wonder/worry about whether my children will accept the traditions my husband and I have tried to impart to them and continue them in their own household. When it comes to religious traditions, my children-- as my brother, sister, and I did-- loudly raise their objections. I hear annually, “Do we have to go both …
Torn between two menu items, the friendly server comes over and wants to know if we have any questions. Yes, I say, what is better, the swordfish or the black cod? Or the branzino and the vegetarian mousaka? Sometimes the waiter seems stumped, as if he or she had never ever given that any thought before. Then they offer their opinion, and I wo …
An Ohio judge came up with a unique solution to punish a 62-year-old man who was found guilty of harassing his neighbors over the course of a 15-year feud. As a punishment, Edmond Aviv will be forced to stand outside on Sunday for five hours with a sign that reads: "I AM A BULLY! I pick on children that are disabled, and I am intolerant of those …
I've been noticing lately that people seem to resent that I don't act my age. Having been born in 1942 I'm actually a pre-baby boomer (figure it out). Mostly, I don't feel old. Rather, I subscribe to Satchel Paige's axiom "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you was?" Plus, they say 70 is the new 50. As an example, in preparationfor …
Fred keeps a diary and has for many, many years. I know this because Fred has shared some of his entries from years ago with me. Here is one that he shared and I must share. “4/9/80 - Had a life experience tonight running across 59th Street Bridge with Benj in near hail torrent getting soaked and running on water and splashing through streams.. …
