Dinner for John

It turned out to be a great evening at Italian Gourmet.  Well, there was one snafu:  By 5:00, everybody had turned up except for Rachel.  I called her and she hemmed and hawed and dithered around in her usual nonsensical way, then said family had come in unexpectedly.  From whence, asked I.  North Carolina, said she, the idiot.  Funny, I never had anybody just "drop in" from hundreds of miles away.  After that, she said she had forgotten about the party. What?  She had received e-mails and reminders from several people, not only your truly.  Rachel has always resented John and I'm positive she simply wasn't going to come honor him.  Several people remarked on the fact that she had insisted I present the gifts to him; they believe she was determined not to come.
But the hell with her.  There were eleven of us in a private room, the food was good and the company better, and we had a ball.  So sorry to see John go, and we don't know yet who will take over the group, but somebody will step up to the plate, I'm sure.
Now today--heh, heh--I'm supposed to meet with others in Rachel's Ad Hoc Players group at Bernice's house in Margate.  Ostensibly, this is about The Ugly Duckling reading, but we're not doing that until September, so why meet now?  I feel like just not showing up, then saying I forgot, but that's bush league.  I'll call Rachel and find out what the purpose of this meeting is, then decide if I'll go or not. 
LATER:  I was just on the point of Skyping P. in Tokyo, to wish him happy birthday, when he called me.  He got the gift I had sent and showed me a darling little hat N. had just made.  Happy birthday to my firstborn!