Yesterday evening, Paul and I picked up Alverda at her daughter's on the westside. Unlike our usual birthday dinners with Donna and Pam, who both happened to be unwell, we three were going to have a birthday dinner together at Ristorante Italiano.
On the eve of becoming 88 years old today, Alverda, with the help of a walker and cane, was sharp mentally about her nemesis in Santa Cruz, her forthcoming book on Davenport (part of Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing), and her cruise plans with her niece, after the book. Apparently she was extremely proud of her high achieving daughters, grandsons and a soon to be born great granddaughter.
We have known Alverda Orlando since May 1996, when I started to substitute for Santa Clara County Library. I was moving from Berkeley to Santa Cruz while Alverda had just retired from Santa Cruz Public Library. Together with two other women, we four started our three-day training workshop. One morning in the parking lot of the Cupertino Library, Paul asked if afterwards, Alverda could give me a lift to Santa Cruz and she said "Yes," which started our unusual commuting and friendship.
During the two decades' time Alverda has been like a grandmother to Nick, and a family friend and mentor to both Paul and me. Together, we have undergone many good times and setbacks, but in the end we are sitting together, enjoying our meat sauce ravioli and spaghetti and meatballs, and ice cream.
