Nothing Like Friends and Memories

It is your 67th birthday and you are having a good bit of reflection on your life, the thoughts of friends and the  now, all too frequent passing of friends from this life.
So you are mopping around the house and your wife of 44 years wants to know where or if you want to go out to dinner, you just can't make up your mind. A few places are suggested but they are the places she likes. You are having a lot of thoughts on your favorite place, a place with strong memories of friends. The place you are thinking about is half a memory because several years ago a lunch at that place with your two life long friends ended up without you, you were sick and did not want to spread any more germs around. The two other  friends did get together and that was as it should have been because within six weeks, one of them was no longer with us, passing after a two year struggle with cancer.
You have gone back to the restaurant for family birthdays because you want to be with the memories of your friends, your friends forever.
So it was off to Mart Anthony's for dinner with my wife and one of my sons. I planned for a one hour trip from the far burbs into the city, of course traffic was awful and my wife hinted that I was an idiot, but it was my day and I wanted to be with the memories of friends. Well we got there, after one and half hours and of course, my wife had to call and tell them we would be late but since we are old, we eat dinner early and it would be no problem.
We had a nice dinner and reasonable conversation. The restaurant was not too busy being so early. As we were wrapping up our dinner, a woman walked in who looked just like my friend's lady BUT it could not be Liz, as she and Mike were going to split their time between Chicago and California.
Well within 10 minutes, my wife says "hey, there is Mike!" I am thinking what the _____. She knew Mike as well as I, which is another long story. But here on my birthday is my friend since 1st grade!  I had not seen him for about a month, as we had a lunch before he left for California.
We had a great conversation and I somewhat hinted to Liz that I had a special reason for being there. My friend and his lady more than made my day and the memories of that day will be good for a very long time.
I was able to do more than think about Mike and Tommy, I was able to look one of them in the eye and shake his hand.
 I had my birthday wish, it was a little better than the tub of jelly beans I received from the family.