lunch with lisa and mike (lyn)

Lisa is beautiful. She is about 5’8”, thin, and toned.  Every time I see her, her hair is a different color, different length, and totally different style.  She is the only person I know who can wear her hair in any color.  She’s ravishing as a redhead, sexy as a blond, gorgeous as a brunette, and stunning as a sandy blond, which she is today.

Lisa is Alexander's aunt, Eric's sister, and my friend.  Although she lives in LA, she has a very close relationship with Alexander.  He adores her.  She is in town for the weekend with her boyfriend of almost a year.  We meet for brunch at the downtown hotel where she is staying, a glamorous boutique hotel called The Maritime.

Lisa is one of these people who is inherently cool.  She knows all the in places in New York, even though she’s been living in LA for over twenty years.  She sends Alexander cards that are so spot-on they must be put in a box and saved.  And she always looks like everyone would like to look.

Today she has her hair in a ponytail and has perfectly shaped bangs.  She’s wearing a chic white blouse that is tight in all the right places.  And her small gold dangling earrings, that used to be her grandmother’s, are beautiful.  Even her iPhone case is more unusual and hipper than most.  Her boyfriend, Mike, is California-cool, and very nice.  I immediately feel as if I’ve known him for years.

This year’s spring was basically two months of rain.  But this week the rain finally stops and summer arrives.  No more jackets.  Sunny skies.  Mid-80's.  We eat outside.  

The food is amazing, and I eat like I’ve never heard of weight watchers.  Coffee with half and half.  Warm banana bread with creamy butter on top.  French toast covered in berries and powered sugar with mascarpone, and an order of bacon for the table.   

We eat.  We talk.  We laugh.  And in a flash, it's time to say good-bye again.  I wish that Lisa lived closer.