Life with Wanda

Tailgating?? Are you serious?

For Christmas, Wanda and “the professor” came to spend the holiday with the hubby and me. It was the professor’s first time in LA and Wanda’s first visit in 10 years, so we wanted to make the trip special for them. That week we played the role of the ultimate tour guide, taking them from Hollywood to the beach and everything in between. Each day we planned a full itinerary, which included things like taking them out to dinner, shopping on Rodeo Drive, touring the Hollywood Bowl and spending the day getting pampered at the spa.

One day, while driving along the famed Sunset Boulevard (aka the Sunset Strip), Wanda asked us to stop at a store so she could grab a cigar. (Yes, Wanda, not the professor smokes cigars… Shhh, I do too! *wink*). The first place we came across was some random liquor store steps away from LA’s cultural icon – the Chateau Marmont. Wanda and the professor hop out of the car and head into the store. After a few moments they return with a bag or two and ask us to pop the trunk – which we do.

Three, four, five minutes go by and they still haven’t gotten back in the car. From our vantage point in the car it was hard to see what they were doing since the trunk was open and they were standing directly behind the car. Another moment or two passes and we realize that Wanda has lit up a cigar and was taking a smoke break… okay, no worries. But we later realized that they weren’t just smoking but they had actually bought a fifth of liquor and were sipping it out of paper cups IN THE PARKING LOT! Really?!? Okay, let me get this straight… these two are standing outside of my parked car, with the trunk open, smoking a cigar, having a red cup “sip”, in the parking lot of a liquor store, in the middle of the Sunset Strip?!? WOW! Who are these people? Who does that?

While I tried my best to be cool about it, I wasn’t… I was mortified. Who tailgates on the Sunset Strip? We weren’t at some football game where… uh, hello… people… ahem, “tailgate”. This is Los Angeles… no one “tailgates”… on Sunset Blvd no less? Isn’t it illegal to drink alcohol out of an open container in public? But the worst part wasn’t the embarrassment of watching my parents play out a real-life parody of the Beverly Hill Billies… what really got me was the look on the hubby’s face and that disapproving shake of his head. Lost for words, all he could mutter was “wow… are they serious right now?”

Yes, honey they are. Welcome to my world… welcome to the family.

Sidebar: To fully understand Wanda, you also have to know her husband… “the professor”. The professor is also an interesting character. He’s one of those intellectual types who tells corny jokes and then laughs harder than everyone else. He’s an amazing chef and one of the kindest people I have ever met. Bottom line, the Professor’s a bit corky but he’s a sweetheart.

The professor and Wanda have been married for about 10 years and could not be more suited for each other. I’m not sure what it is or why it works, but it does. The longer they are married, the more I become convinced that they are cut from the same cloth. The professor’s a good guy and I am happy he’s married to my mother.

July 26, 2009 - Posted by The daughter | Dealing with parents, family, Mothers and Daughters | embarassment, family, liquor, parents, relationships, tailgating