boston breaks

It's as if you had to hurry. Any minute, the storms would hit the city. I mean, we had a night's break, so that my daughter and I could run down to the South Station area, to eat dinner at the magnificent O Ya...










But after, we prepared for the worst. We contemplated leaving town, watching triple features in local theaters -- anything to stay out of the impending storms.

I should note that just past midnight, Ed arrived on a bus from New York. The trial halted for the week-end and we suggested he come up north and take his mind off of litigation. He came up north alright, but I can't say we took a break from discussing the details of the proceedings. In fact, halfway through the night I tuned out and dozed off, but even then, I would still pick up telltale snippets: could you repeat the question... on voir dire... on cross exam.... and then she said -- just one more thing...


Saturday morning. Everyone slept in. Nothing tunes out the noise of your beastly enemies as well as a whole morning given over to sleep.


Later, much much later, the three of us set out for a walk. The rain seems to have emptied much of Cambridge, and certainly the chairs colorfully scattered across the Harvard campus were empty...






But we were spared. Though the sky remained threatening, it was an empty threat. Our umbrellas stayed tucked in our bags.

We paused for a very very late breakfast (can 3:30 be properly regarded as the breakfast hour?) at the Friendly Toast, near MIT...




After, we decided to take a chance. Ignoring the dark clouds, we hiked downtown. All the way across the river...





toward the lively Back Bay area, and eventually to the Public Gardens.






Ed was clearly unwinding. Only on the subway ride back to Cambridge did I notice how tired he looked. The face cannot hide the strain of a a tough week.





Late at night, the storms finally came, breaking the silence of the skies. We made our way to a local place (French? Cuban?), Chez Henri, where the atmosphere is boisterous and cheerful, drowning out the pounding rain outside.





We ended the day with a pear tatin. And ice cream. Defiantly, spiritedly. Matching the temperament of these late October days.