Halfway Between HER Day + Her Son's Day

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Two days ago

—being May 14—

was Mother's Day

and I naturally featured

my Mother

on this blog

 

Two days from today

—being May 18—

is my birthday

 

Today

my dearly beloved friends

at Starbucks

sent me

an upcoming birthday gift

with a semi-promise

that they will start rehearsing

the birthday song

to honor me

 

But I will deem that honor

a ludicrous and dangerous

invitation to chaos

 

HOWEVER

—in a La Jolla Starbucks—

circa 2010

a large staff of baristas

+ numerous customers

sang the birthday song

the exact moment

Raymond Peterssen

walked through the door

and gave him a "free" latte

 

(I had pre-paid for the drink) 

 

Ray is one of only 2.5

bi-coastal + lifelong friends

 

He is also the person to whom

the GodFather of Math Trilogy

is dedicated

 

My psychoanalyst [Dr. Raft]

is the second

 of my bi-coastal buddies

 

I have known both

Peterssen and Raft

since I was a teenager

on Long Island

 

The third

—and most important—

bi-coastal buddy

 is Mrs. CarPeo

 

She is represented 

by a decimal because

my life began anew

when I first visited her

in Katonah, New York

in 2012

and she has been

a California resident

since 2016

 

I have promised Mrs. CarPeo

that I will do my damnedest

to stay within hollering distance

of Sanity 

today and tomorrow

 

But how I behave

on Thursday

is anybody's guess

 ***

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