Sunday, May 01, 2011

Eat Your Heart Out

Eat your heart out…
Some of us, actually, went to the wedding. Yes, of course David did, but that’s not news. The rather amazing fact is that when I awoke this morning I was sure I had been there as well. And this was not like my mother’s dream where she saw her long gone sisters in paper hats. This was like Star Wars, where I was transported from 54th Street to London, England.

Here’s what happened. I went to sleep at about 11, with the TV set to start recording at 4:30 am. It was not my intention to watch at 4:30, it was just set to tape the festivities so I could watch it later. And it’s a good thing I did that because by 4:30 my trip had already begun.

It would be foolish for you to think that I was inside the church during the ceremony. That was a seated event and even with my best Paris hat, someone might have guessed that I was not an invited guest. Instead of stopping at Westminster, I went directly to the Palace. There were millions of people blocking my way, but somehow I managed to get through the crowd and into the reception. I saved a place for David on a VIP balcony, but when he arrived he said we didn’t need to be with the VIP’s… how foolish. Maybe he didn’t need to be there but I was perfectly comfortable.

It was quite a glorious event, what with finger sandwiches and spiked lemonade. (Not in amounts that Jews would have served, but never mind.) It was tasteful and good for the waistline. There were four, maybe five, old Texas friends standing nearby and we had a lovely reunion. It’s hard to remember just when I had met them, but it was so early in the morning, and I had traveled so far, my memory was a bit foggy. All I know is that they were not only my friends, but they were also Elton John’s partner’s cousins. To be perfectly candid, they were a bit conservative for my taste, but who am I to judge – they were, after all, special enough to be in the VIP section with me. I had hoped to meet Elton, but their babysitter was stricken with some horrible malady, and they had to rush off. It was obvious that my travels had taken me far from the shores of NYC, because who in the City would ever say, “Stricken by some malady.”

At some point I left the VIP area, to see what other interesting things might be happening. Believe it or not, I ran directly into Prince William, who had changed out of his wedding costume, and was running around, I think chasing a nephew, wearing a pirate like bandana and flared pants. Catherine was no where to be seen, but I did get someone to take a picture of me with William, but now I can’t find it.

Better look for David, I thought. He was no where to be found, but I did run into a group of British folks who were hungry, and suggested we find a place to eat. It was not easy to get out of the Palace, what with all the security, so we wandered through the gardens and finally made our way to the street. People were shouting, “look right, look right” and I tried to remember to do that. It’s a confusing place to wonder about, because the cars are all going in the wrong direction, but not without challenge and a great deal of laughter.

When we finally made it on to the street, I realized that I had to be back in NY for a meeting, so I excused myself and walked directly to the airport. It seemed like only seconds before I was home and in bed. The TV was still on and they were replaying parts of the Wedding and the Kiss. David had left a note saying that he hoped I had a good visit and he would see me over the weekend. He was not disturbed by my disappearance, so I decided not even to mention the wedding. We would talk about it when he got home.

This will, of course, make some of you jealous. But get beyond that. Not everyone (except me, obviously), can be in two places at once. Anyway, I did have a wonderful visit, and enjoyed my casual encounter with the Prince and the whole event was remarkable. I hope when Harry settles down he will put me on the guest list, but there is no telling what will happen. I’m simply glad I went. We’re just sayin... Iris

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