Measuring Time Through Friendships- A New York Story

Sweet Friendships

Robert was my partner for my baby care class in early 1999 before Miro was born. I was as big as a house  with less than six weeks of pregnancy left. And I was very newly single.

I had no idea what I was in for, but at that point, there was no turning back. So, never having held a baby before in my life before Miro, I enrolled myself in baby-care classes.

We sat in  class together, laughing, putting diapers backwards on a stained baby doll, engaging in talc powder fights and tossing the rubber baby back and forth. The other couples thought we were destined to be horrible parents, and shhhhhh-ed us so they could focus on the very serious matters at hand.

But laughing and playing has always been my style. 

I had known Robert for years before and we were good friends.  I was so grateful to have him there with me.  When I first met Robert, he was the boyfriend of one of my co-workers and dear friend Marty.  I formed incredibly close friendships with both Marty and Robert and after Miro was born they became Miro’s “Uncles”. Robert, Marty and the other “Uncle” Michael, were all at Miro’s birth and loved and supported us both as adoring friends do.

Growing up, Miro’s “Uncles” were a big part of his life, each having a special bond and a special way of interacting with him. Uncle Robert was the uncle who always brought coins for Miro and put them into his giant piggy bank. Unbeknownst to me, Uncle Robert also taught Miro that all the money he was putting into his piggy bank should be spent on “hookers and drugs”.

Yes, I said  hookers and drugs.

I learned this one day at Trader Joe’s when Miro was around three years old. The cashier had just given me my change back and Miro said he wanted it so he could save for hookers and drugs! 

I don’t think I ever laughed so hard in my life, and immediately I knew that was the work of Uncle Robert.

After we  left the Life Rocks Conference in New Hampshire, we drove to New York to spend a couple of days with Uncle Robert who was now living there. Neither Miro nor I had seen him in close to six years and we were both so excited to spend time with him.

And that day was also a very special day for us. It was the day of  Miro’s 14th birthday.

We traveled through New Hampshire, Massachusetts to New York with a wonderful single mom we met at the conference. Miro and I, Shara and her two beautiful daughters were so happy to arrive in New York, welcomed with smiles and hugs. Robert and his roommates had prepared a wonderful meal in honor of Miro’s birthday.

And there was a cake too. It was a skull zombie cake,  a red velvet chocolate skull laying on a bed of brains, the most incredible sculpture unlike any other cake I had seen in my life.

The wonderful Uncle Robert made it especially for Miro.

Food was consumed, the cake was adored and we laughed many laughs, hardly noticing the years had passed.

But they have.

And some friendships transcend time. We love you “Uncle Robert”. We always will.