The Sparkling Red (3/365)

My house is like my apartment(s). Sorry.

Sunday, October 15, 7:48pm

This is a sparkling red wine, Riunite Lambrusco. You can get it from the grocery store. (Vons, specifically.) It has a screw top. And I love it.

A few weeks ago, I went to a funeral. I didn't know the man, it was the father of a girl I used to know. My mother left the obituary on the table for me to see.

I justified going by reassuring myself that I was kind of as a representative of the old crowd that knew the family. I went to elementary school with this girl, I went to dinner with her and her boyfriend before a 10th grade homecoming dance. Most of my friends were closer to her than I was, but they're scattered. (And working.) She's a bubbly, witty gal, and although we weren't ever close, I felt the need to pay my respects.

The clincher was that another friend (who is much closer) was going. And besides, it was like 2 miles from my house. Guilt got the better of me, and I ended up going to the reception too. Sorry about the freeloading, family of the departed.

The reception was really nice though. It was subdued, but casual. It was at a local Italian place that I haven't been to in almost 20 years. They played his favorite songs, and there were pictures on the walls of him through the years. I helped set up. We accidentally put a lint roller on display, because we didn't know any better. (Hey, there was a beaver golf club cover and a farting George Bush doll in the collection.)

The food was good, too. Humble, simple stuff. Salad, spaghetti, pizza. And the family wine, Lambrusco. I was skeptical at first, but I enjoyed it. And it was sweet and sparkling. I'm a sucker for those. I will be honest, I felt uncomfortable being there, but appreciated the send-off the guy got. Intimate and relaxed. It was nice seeing the daughter again. She still sparkles like she did in high school.

A few nights ago, I snuck a bottle of Lambrusco into the shopping cart, and my dad laughed at me. "You can make a sparkling red with 7-up," he said, but he recognized the name (apparently it's been around for 25 years, who knew). I now drink a glass of wine after dinner (like my father), mostly because I enjoy the stuff. We'll see what happens when I finish the bottle.

I like it when stuff has a story.