Case in point: Last night, we went to dinner with some of Chris's out-of-town friends. These included:
- His first "attending". This is the doctor he first studied under as a resident. I guess they became pretty good friends. He'd eat all her leftover lunch at the hospital. They went to Machu Picchu together. This is where he got high altitude sickness the first time... he's really prone to that. Remembering this incident last night, she said, "I knew something was wrong when he didn't want my leftovers."
- Her husband and their toddler-aged kid. Apparently the father is half Filipino, half white. The mother (above) is Indian. This is obviously a very good mix because the child is absolutely beautiful. They were really a sweet little family.
- The husband's brother, wife, and their two sweet kids.
- Chris's good friend from med school, who stays a good friend now. He visits fairly regularly, mostly because, although he lives up north, he and his partner have a place in Palm Beach. He calls himself a "snowflake" -- "I'm not a snowbird since I don't stay for the whole season; I just drift in weekends here and there..."
So obviously, Chris's friends know our marital status, but the husband's brother and wife did not. While the sweet wife and I were talking, she asked me if I had kids. I'm like, "Um, we're not married." That seemed like the most appropriate response.
A while later, the husband's brother asks, in front of everyone, "So, how long have you two been married?" Chris and I looked at each other. "We're not married." Ahem. I'm like, we're not wearing rings! Then Chris, after a few seconds, said, smiling, "Someday." :) And toward that end, I pointed out to Chris how absolutely gorgeous his friend's ring is.
The kids were really cute. I didn't talk to the little-little one since he was pretty much an appendage of his parents the whole time, but the other two... I had meaningful conversations with each. The eight-year-old girl discussed manatees and sharks and jellyfish on the beach. She had me sign her Hello Kitty friendship book. The four-year-old and I talked about his school. I asked him what the favorite things he did there were. Snacktime and playground, he told me. It's good to know what you like, I said. Heh. :)
Before we left, they each gave me a hug. I wasn't expecting it, but the little girl had just woken up and looked all confused, but very much like she wanted a hug. It was super, super cute. So then I got down on my knees and little boy gave me a big hug. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy. :)
¶ 3:13 PM
