Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Saved by a Beer

We were the outsiders, the newbie, the targets, my wife might say. I saw John walk in with his new bride Sarah, out of the corner of eye, through the closed screen on the sliding door, the front door opening wide to the sun and then immediately blocked by their shadows as they moved inside. I’d only met him briefly at the wedding,

Sarah and John had moved to Canada shortly after they met and the wedding plans were all made via Skype and face time. Sara was a good sort, not at all a bridezilla, and john seemed like a good match for her. I had married Sally six months ago, before Sarah and John’s engagement, and John had been working overseas and had to miss our ceremony.

We’d spent one evening together, us and the girls, about two years ago. John and I seemed to have lots in common, including our adoration of the sisters. There had been a big game on TV that day, so we didn’t have a lot of time to chat. We were both caught up in the girls, and then they moved away and we moved to New York and for both of us this holiday was the first time we’d been with the entire family and each other for more than a few hours.

John got up from the sofa and said Want a beer? The girls, all six of them and their mom were deep into catching up and into the second round of drinks. I smiled and stood up; slipping past Sally and her mom in a flash- I honestly don’t think any of them noticed the absence of the two of us.

I followed him into the kitchen which was fragrant with the smell of a roast and rosemary. John flung open the door of the fridge and pulled out two bottles of Pacifica, this OK? He looked at me with a tilted head Perfect I said. I opened the back door and hollered over my shoulder cigar anyone? He laughed and followed me outside.

Thank you for rescuing me, really, I said. My face was ready to crack.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Bringing Order to the Christmas Chaos

There is a sense of grandeur in Messiah that period performance mavens miss.

We were the outsiders, the newbie, the targets, my wife might say. I saw John walk in with his new bride Sarah, out of the corner of eye, through the closed screen on the sliding door, the front door opening wide to the sun and then immediately blocked by their shadows as they moved inside. I’d only met him briefly at the wedding,

Sarah and John had moved to Canada shortly after they met and the wedding plans were all made via Skype and face time. Sara was a good sort, not at all a bridezilla, and john seemed like a good match for her. I had married Sally six months ago, before Sarah and John’s engagement, and John had been working overseas and had to miss our ceremony.

We’d spent one evening together, us and the girls, about two years ago. John and I seemed to have lots in common, including our adoration of the sisters. There had been a big game on TV that day, so we didn’t have a lot of time to chat. We were both caught up in the girls, and then they moved away and we moved to New York and for both of us this holiday was the first time we’d been with the entire family and each other for more than a few hours.

John got up from the sofa and said Want a beer? The girls, all six of them and their mom were deep into catching up and into the second round of drinks. I smiled and stood up; slipping past Sally and her mom in a flash- I honestly don’t think any of them noticed the absence of the two of us.

I followed him into the kitchen which was fragrant with the smell of a roast and rosemary. John flung open the door of the fridge and pulled out two bottles of Pacifica, this OK? He looked at me with a tilted head Perfect I said. I opened the back door and hollered over my shoulder cigar anyone? He laughed and followed me outside.

Thank you for rescuing me, really, I said. My face was ready to crack.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

THOUGHTS OF MY DAD ON VETERANS DAY

Next Article

The Kindness of Strangers- the beginning

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader