Okay, for all of you who are a bit confused about the title, you probably don’t watch Saturday Night Live much. It’s a reference to a series of skits where Adam Sandler and Dana Carvey play “pepper boys” at an Italian restaurant. Really funny. But if you missed out, I’ve included one of the skits at the end of this entry. Anyway, not watching it won’t detracted from your reading about the most amazing evening in months. Brace yourself.
Last night, blog member, Robert Burke and I went out to dinner with my friend, Marjie. She and her ex have been friends of the family for almost 30 (gulp) years. Damn I’m old! She also lost her eldest son, Tommy, perhaps a year or two before Erik’s death. Drunk driving, angry, lost control, truck flipped, instant death. Tommy was a “live for the moment” guy who had more friends than you could shake a stick at. Oh, and his eyes…wow. Huge, beautiful, and soulful, with a set of lashes that you could wrap around your body to prevent hypothermia if you got lost in the Rockies. My entire family attended his funeral. I remember Erik got the giggles during the quietest parts. Awkward, but from what I understand, not uncommon.
Anyway, backstory aside, all three of us were sipping on frozen margaritas at Lupe Tortillas sharing Erik and Tommy stories, and Robert was busy relaying information from them both as they hovered around our table. I’m sure Erik wanted a taste of tequila. Then, without warning, the pepper mill tumbled off the table onto the floor. We didn’t think much of it, because the waiter was nearby. Maybe his white apron brushed against it? Robert picked it up and set it on the table again, this time far from the edge. Moments later, the pepper mill flew off the table again. Robert began to laugh. I’m sure the sight of Marjie’s and my mouths agape along with our saucer-sized eyes fueled his laughter. He said Tommy and Erik each had a finger on the pepper mill and were pushing it toward the table’s edge together. Ghostly teamwork from a pair of consummate pranksters.
After a few gasps and giggles, we admonished the boys in jest and continued our conversation. Our dinner came and was summarily devoured. Another round of margaritas. Whoosh, off flew the plastic stand that holds the leaflet of the day’s specials. We all saw it slide off the table onto the floor. It was at least four to five inches from the edge, so we couldn’t blame gravity alone. It wasn’t the margaritas, either, because we had barely started to sip our second one. Nope, Robert confirmed it was the “spirit finger” duo at work. Gotta love ‘em. So yeah, now I like-a da pepper so very good.
SNL – Fresh a pepper- Most Hilarious scene EVER!
Enjoy this video clip taken just before we left for the restaurant. We were trying to get Arley to engage in play with Erik, but she was in too much of a wild and distracted mood. Starring in the movie: Arleen, of course, Robert, my hubbie, Rune, and glimpses of my kids, Lukas and Michelle. Annika was at the neighbor’s house, probably trying to avoid traumatic parental embarrassment. An hour or two before the video was taken, I had returned from the dentist. Just had my broken front tooth veneered. No more Howdy Doody look, Yay!
