No. 228 – Ready, Able

Performer: Grizzly Bear

Songwriters: Ed Droste, Daniel Rossen, Chris Taylor, Christopher Bear

Original Release: Veckatimest

Year: 2009

Definitive Version: The Late Show with David Letterman, 2009.

I knew I was going to have to go strong for Laurie’s 50th birthday in 2010, not because she was expecting anything spectacular but because she should GET something spectacular. I had huge plans for Debbie’s 50th birthday, but we didn’t last long enough for me to bring them to fruition.

Of course, I would take Laurie out for dinner, and the ONLY possible choice was Charlie Trotter’s. I’d known about Trotter’s since the mid-Nineties thanks to The Grump, but I’d never been, nor had Laurie. I made the reservation in October 2009 for the big night the next January.

Next on my to-do list was a romantic overnight locale. Again, the choice was obvious: The Peninsula. For those of you not in the know, The Peninsula is THE hotel in Chicago. Laurie and I had been to the bar—and had been unable to get in many times due to crowding—but never stayed overnight. I reserved a room and figured that between the dinner and hotel, I was already a grand in the hole.

What else? Well, undoubtedly I had to rent a limo. Laurie never had been in one, and, again, neither had I—even back during my prom days. I gave the company the itinerary and strict instructions: Don’t have the driver call when he arrives and confirm only the address with me if in doubt and not say where we were going. I wanted the surprise factor at the outset and when we arrived at each destination.

Then came the crème de la crème. I had to give Laurie an awesome present, and I must admit I stole the idea I had in mind for Debbie all those years ago. Debbie wanted a string of Mikimoto pearls, and although I didn’t know whether Laurie would feel the same way, I knew such a gift wouldn’t go over badly.

So I did some online store locating. There wasn’t anything out by Deerfield where I could shop under the radar, so I had to go down to Jeweler’s Row in the Loop. In December, I told Laurie I had to go downtown for some “Christmas shopping.” That allowed me to arrive home late after work without further questioning.

Before they even would let me go upstairs to the store, I had to check in at the front desk and fill out a detailed visitor’s form with the security guard. The form might even have asked for my work history and whether I had had any prior surgical procedures. I must have passed, because the guard showed me to the elevator.

The store, Marshall Pierce & Co., was on the sixth floor of what looked like an office building on the inside. Everyone in the store wore a suit—except me. I had my Friday work clothes on, which meant Levi’s. At least my winter coat concealed the aloha shirt I wore underneath … mostly. Given that my hair had been grown out and pulled into a ponytail since summer, I was surprised that they buzzed me in after they got a glimpse of me through the door. I liked even more the fact that I was coming to buy—not shop—and would be able to purchase without hesitation the thing I’d come to buy.

The sales clerk showed me several strings, explaining the differences between pearls when it came to color and roundness. I wasn’t aware that pearls were like diamonds in the sense that there were so many characteristics of quality. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Like with diamonds, the more perfect the pearl, the higher the price.

Laurie likes antique looking jewelry, so I knew I didn’t want to go too perfect. Besides, those have to be cleaned more frequently. We chose a string that had nice color but a less than perfect shape. I guessed at the proper length, and, like that, the transaction was complete. I slipped the paper bag into my bookbag and felt self-conscious on the L the whole ride home, as though everyone riding knew I had an expensive string of pearls on me.

The big celebration was set for the week after Laurie’s birthday, because Laurie was cast in a play that was scheduled to open on her actual birthday, of all things. Weekends were spoken for after that for the next two months, and, of course, you can’t celebrate the big day BEFORE the big day. We decided to target the following Wednesday.

I attended opening night, and the play—a Brecht farce called The Wedding—was a rousing success. Afterward, the cast brought out a cake from Dinkel’s bakery (awesome) for Laurie’s birthday, and then the whole cast, crew and a few hangers-on, including yours truly, went to a nearby bar to celebrate the opening.

I knew the night was going to be a long one and that Laurie wanted to party with her fellow cast members, so I split soon after buying Laurie her first drink of the night. Apparently a few of the female cast members noticed my early departure and therefore lack of buying drinks on Laurie’s birthday and took me to task for it. Laurie said she defended me, but her female friends were saying I had better do something big on her birthday outing to make up for it.

Well, I guess Laurie will have to be the judge as to whether I delivered … heh heh.

(To be continued)