Pizza and Beer, Our Mark of Friendhip

I spent yesterday afternoon with Chris. She is the little older Italian lady that I’ve been friends with for over 26 years. We had a blast.

A few weeks ago I took her grocery shopping. While we were out, we decided to get P & B (that is pizza and beer). This has been a ritual for us for years. Anyway, we went to this pizza parlor, and the cute little young waitress came over and asked what she could get for us. Chris said that we’d like to order a pizza and beer. She informed us that they didn’t serve beer. Here this little woman ( in her eighties) looked the waitress straight in the eye and asked, “What kind of a pizza joint doesn’t serve beer?”. The look on the waitresses face was priceless. I started laughing. Chris started laughing. And then the waitress laughed as well. Then she asked if we still wanted to eat there since they didn’t serve beer. Chris is a sweetheart, but if I try to pay for lunch she gets downright angry at me. And I really don’t want her spending her money. I know she lives on a fixed income, so I’d rather her not waste her money on me when I can treat her.

So, that takes us to yesterday. I decided to surprise Chris with a DiGiorno pizza, two bottles of beer, and chocolate cookies (I know I totally blew my “nondiet” for the day, maybe the week, but it was so worth it !)for us to have after we went grocery shopping. She was delighted.

Chris and I have her shopping down to an art. She makes out her list and itemizes them in categories where they are located in the store. I take her list, read it to her, and mark off item as we get it. Remember her eyesight is failing her now…she feels the produce like roma tomatoes, and then I scan over them for blemishes. I sort through her coupons for her. We’re in and out fairly quickly. While I might be doing her a service because she needs someone to take her, it means just as much to be because I absolutely love this time with my friend.

I was able to lug her groceries up to the second floor apartment in two trips because bless her heart she insisted on carrying a few bags. Again, she got angry when I tried to take the bags from her. I know it must be difficult to come to terms with not being able to do all the things you used to do.

I told Chris that even though she couldn’t see as well as she used to or move quite as fast that I was quite sure she would still kick some ass if someone messed with me. She raised her fist in the air and said “You bet I would!”. She’s more than a good friend. She’s family. Kind of a second mother and friend rolled into one.

So, after we put the groceries away, we had pizza and beer. And a couple hours of conversation. She has known the most interesting people in her lifetime. Let me say, she can tell a story. She has such a wonderful sense of humor. I have more fun with her than most of my friends my own age. If you weren’t looking at us you’d never know there was about a forty year difference in our ages.

Pizza and beer are good for the soul. Friendship is good for the heart. And cookies, well they’re good for everything!