andrew61

Confessions of a Slacker
2010-02-21 00:00:00 (UTC)

Retirement Luncheon

I did get to attend Silvija’s retirement luncheon today. It was a brunch buffet, really, at the Mill Rose Brewing Company, a restaurant in Hoffman Estates we used to go to as a group every now and then back when we all worked together at an office out there. I hadn’t been to the place in ten years, so it really brought back some memories.

I was somewhat disappointed in the food — it was all just breakfast stuff, really — but what the heck, I didn’t pay for it. It was all covered by the company.

I did enjoy seeing Carole and Debbie again after all these years and getting caught up. They both still look good — have hardly changed in all this time — and they said I still look the same, too.

Even though I enjoyed seeing them again, I still felt a bit out of it the whole time, like I was only half there. Numbed and half-conscious, sadly. Maybe it’s because I had to get up at the crack of dawn to make it out there, and even though I got to bed much earlier last night than usual, I still didn’t get nearly as much sleep as I needed.

Getting out there, carless, is a big production, and I suppose that took a lot out of me as well. I had to take a bus to the train station four miles away, then take the train thirty miles, out to the horsey suburb of Barrington, then had to take a taxicab from the train station to the restaurant seven miles away (I’d tried to call Carole yesterday to bum a ride but couldn’t reach her, so I arranged for a cab instead). The cab ride cost me twenty dollars! To go a mere seven miles. Isn’t that ridiculous?

Not only that, the cabdriver showed up a bit late. So everyone had already been seated and were going up to the buffet table getting their food by the time I arrived.

And here, when I got there, Carole said, “Oh, you should have called me and I would have come and picked you up.” Thing is, when I did call her I didn’t leave a message, so she never knew I called.

But she did give me a ride back to the station when it was time to go, and waited with me until the train came. Gave us a chance to talk and get caught up. I hadn’t seen or talked to her in eight years! She was still working part time back then, but is now fully retired. And she’s got grandchildren now! She babysits them a couple days a week, so that keeps her busy.

Carole also told us that Nancy — another woman we used to work with, who was older and retired before we did — has been in very poor health the last few years. In fact, she almost died. They had her on oxygen for awhile. One of her daughters and her kids moved in with her to help take care of her as she was very weak. I was very sad to hear it.

Although there were about eighteen people at the brunch, I sat with Carole and Debbie and pretty much talked only to them (except for Silvija, of course). The rest were people I only barely knew or else didn’t know at all.

I’m glad I didn’t miss the event, even though I was sort of out of it. I know Silvija was only allowed a limited number of people for her guest list, and I’m glad she included me.

I could use a nap right now, though.




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