My birthday isn't until August and there was absolutely no reason to expect that a day starting with a funeral that segued into an already overpacked return-to-work day, could end that well.
But there it sits, organized and ready to go in a way I rarely am.
It isn't just a red briefcase, it is the most gorgeous red leather brief bag to ever exist (pre-empting even the hint of future challenge with elegant lines and a little magnetic cell phone compartment which can be reached from inside and outside the bag).
It is the only birthday present I've ever gotten in January, yet it stands high above 46 years of summer offerings.
This isn't a business accessory, it's a statement. And one I never imagined myself issuing.
There is great debate in these parts about the construction of a third Seneca casino in Western New York. The first two, in Salamanca and Niagara Falls, are booming. The third one, slated for a little more than a mile from my front door, broke ground a few weeks back and drew heavy fire from anti-casino nay-sayers.
My parents are pro-casino -- about as pro-casino as you can get. They've worked hard all their lives. They both struggle with health issues, but the Niagara casino is their personal Disney World -- and let's just say they have a season pass.
I myself more like the idea that after generations of near annililation since Europeans first arrived, Native Americans are getting one up in what often seems to be the only industry booming in these parts.
Having worked for a horse race track, I know that such facilities are a magnet for those with addiction issues, but so are bars, or for that matter fast food joints... the rational to close Mickey D's down to everyone is as weak as it is to "protect" people from legal gambling by blocking casinos, race tracks, etc.
People don't find their "gambling jones" in a casino, they bring it in with them.
We agreed to meet my folks at the casino when I got off work last night. A whole new section has opened with the new hotel and we planned to take a look around. Charlie and I did our standard "let's see how long we can make "x" dollars last" donation and Mom and Dad treated us to a nice dinner in one of the new restaurants.
Afterwards, we stopped in the new boutique and there it sat, gracefully, almost inapproachable in its elegance. The kind of red briefcase Audrey Hepburn might have carried.
I had spotted it earlier and was quickly brought back to earth by the price tag. I set it back on the shelf gently, like a museum piece.
But Mom said we needed to go back and take a look. She took out her Players Card, signed a ledger and it was mine. This my friends, is even better than the Easy Bake Oven in '67.
Now before you post your comment on the evils of gambling or ask what kind of person would make an endorsement of a controversial industry based on one red leather bag, I ask you not to bother.
You haven't seen this bag.
Thanks Mom.





Copyright 2005 Judi Griggs