Birthday

It was my 32 birthday. My first, in ten years that I would be away from home. A Saturday in February. As a rule, I hate February.

Jenn, Amy and I headed to Milan for a day in the city. It started off a little cloudy with rain threatening. With dramatic flair, Jenn waved her hand and said with confidence, “The sun will shine!”

I begged them, as if I was demanding a birthday treat, “Could we just roam the city taking pictures like tourists?”

“Absolutely!” they said appeasing me.

We hopped off the 24 and we were soon snapping photos in the Piazza del Duomo like crazy. So, I suppose, it was not all that surprising that a street seller came and approached us. I am not sure of his intention, but before we knew it a huge handful of birdseed was raining over us. With birdseed , you can only imagine the pigeons that followed. The rats of the sky descending and we scattered, as each of us felt we were extras in a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. Once properly to safety, Amy and I started laughing hysterically, as we watched Jenn take a different approach to revenge. She was flustered and has a phobia of birds. So she remedied the situation by yelling at the seller and lifting her arm and her middle finger in a gesture I am sure they saw from the top of the Duomo. I laughed and took a picture of Jenn and Amy, as Amy put her hand to her nose, a sign of her amusement and the clear danger of the contents of her nose coming out in one big fit of laughter.



Jenn still furious and ready to “discuss” the matter more fully, needed to be escorted to the other side of the piazza, where we found Caroline, smoking peacefully on the steps of the Duomo. Our giggling continued as we headed to eat lunch at Luini’s. Of course stopping to again, act like tourists as I tried to exact my version of revenge on a lone pigeon, which I joyously chased, while Jenn snapped pictures.

We waited in line for Panzerotti’s, which are a fried dough pizza pocket that people wait in line for. Panzerotti from Luini’s is one of the only things that is acceptable to eat on the streets of Milan. Ahhhh, panzerotti’s and pigeons who could ask for a better birthday afternoon?