At the Christmas party every year at Project Read, they always have prizes to give away. This year I won a brunch for two at the Hilton. I was debating whether to trade it with somebody for another gift because I couldn’t think of anybody to take with me. But stupid me, I could take my favorite person, Heather Knight, my tutor.
     So I gave the gift certificate to her to make the reservations for Sunday, April 22. Then she picked me up at my house and we drove over to the Hilton on Nob Hill. The restaurant, Cityscape, is located on the 46th floor. We rode on the scariest elevator ride – it was swinging side-to-side like a pendulum. We were riding with a man and woman who also were scared. We were even more shocked when the door opened and a crowd yelled, “Surprise!” But, unfortunately, the party wasn’t for us. It was the woman’s birthday.
     Then we sat down right by the window, but at that time it was kind of foggy. Then later on, the waiter came up and asked us what we would like to drink. Automatically, I said, “Champagne, please.” I said, “Cheers!” to the wonderful person that gave up some of her free time just to help somebody. I would like to say thanks to those tutors out there, especially my tutor Heather.
     So meanwhile, we joined in with everybody for the brunch. Man, you couldn’t believe what kind of food they had. I wish I had brought three doggy bags with me. The first time around, I just grabbed whatever looked good to me. Then we went on for our second helping and I didn’t even make a dent yet.
     By now, the fog had lifted and we couldn’t believe the view that we could see all around us. What more could I ask for? I got my favorite tutor, good food and champagne. You can’t beat that.
     I looked at her and said, “Are you ready?” She looked back at me and said, “I’m ready for a nap!” But we went ahead because there was so much food still out there. This time, I had them make me a special omelet. I went back to the table and chowed down the whole time. She was looking at me like I was sick or something. I said to her, “Hey man, I’m enjoying this and I’m going back for the forth time!” Later on, I had prime rib. It was so good, it melted in your mouth, not in your hands.
     I think that time I had to sit up straight for a while so I could make room for dessert. I went one way and she went another and we raided each end of the table. We piled our plates with all kinds of tooth-rotting cakes, pies, mousse, pudding, tarts and candies. By now, we had reached the point of no return. We had to leave the pretty sight and drag our poundage back down to ground level. If I win the same prize again this year, I’ll starve myself for three days beforehand.