What's ironic is that this friend is a wine drinker, not a beer drinker. This is just one of the things that makes her great, though -- she's flexible with her friends, putting fun and convenient location ahead of her own personal comfort level.
The result? A perfect combination of a few people, some of whom haven't connected since junior high school.
Even better, we chat like we've never been apart. Our conversations are animated, and our words weave over each other like kite strings on a windy day. We laugh hard and we laugh loudly, and we're all trying to pay for drinks at the same time. We're crowded in close at a small table like teenagers at school lunch, and we giggle ridiculously when any of us stand up, causing the benches to upend and dump the stragglers nearly into the aisles.
It would be nice to do this more often ... the gathering together part; not the dumping people off the bench seats part (okay, maybe that part, too). Next time, though, let's consider the hostess who is the glue to this motley crew and find a nearby winery or someplace that serves her favorite wine.
Besides, if we keep being rowdy at the same place over and over again, we might pull a junior high move and get ourselves permanently suspended from the joint.
