Key West Lemonade – 5:00 Fridays

Mac Daddy shares a birthday with our dear friend Shan. We used to raise the roof and celebrate together every year. That was before we had mortgages and student loans and unwieldy nose hair and thighs that touch and children. Basically, that was before we had a whole lot of responsibility. And for the record, I’m willing to bet that Shan’s thighs don’t touch. She also doesn’t have nose hair, but I’m sure her husband does. See, we get old and hairy in the wrong places while the hair in the right places falls out or worse, turns grey. Down there. I know it’s coming. It is, right? I mean, I don’t know anyone older to ask such an intimate question but I do see old ladies in the locker room at the gym. And you should know that I only spell “grey” with an “e” when I am feeling particularly boorish and need a little boost to sound smart. It’s totally working, right? No? Well, pretend I’m writing it with a British accent.

So where was I? Ah, at the intersection of friendship and the greying of the pubes. It’s a fine place to be, all things considered.

Here’s the thing about having birthdays — it sure beats the alternative. I’d rather you belt out Happy Birthday in the middle of some crummy apostrophe restaurant than solemnly sing On Eagle’s Wings to celebrate my life among hard church pews. Know what I mean? I would argue that aging is more than it’s cracked up to be. With age comes wisdom. It’s cliche, but cliches stick around for a reason. This is why it’s always funny when I tell people I’m the only Indian in the world who’s bad at math and science.

Mac Daddy does happen to be good at math. And he’s from Wisconsin. Shan is not so good at math, but she’s damn creative. Mac Daddy and Shan happen to be two of my favorite people. If I could just get Shan to move to my zip code I’d be one exuberant woman. It’s kismet that they share a birthday. Shan’s husband and Deal also share a birthday. This means our lives will be inextricably linked forever and always. You see, Shan and Chris were the only guests at our wedding in Key West 10 years ago. By design. Mac Daddy and I exchanged our own vows in the gardens of the Audobon House with Shan at my side and Chris at his. We cried. We snickered. We toasted. We boiled our bums off in the hot Florida sun.

We used to vacation in Key West together for several years running. Then we got we got mortgages and student loans and nose hair and thighs that touch and children. But we’ll always have Key West.

Key West Lemonade

2 oz Tru organic vodka

2 oz sweet and sour mix

Splash of  7Up (Sprite works too.)

Splash of cranberry juice

Lime slices

In a tall glass filled with ice, mix vodka and sweet and sour mix. Add 7-up and cranberry juice. Garnish with a slice of slice. Slurp up a slice of heaven.

Happy Birthday to Mac Daddy and Shan! I love you.