Greg called me at one and said he could meet me at Giorgio's in 20 minutes. I got there first and ordered a large pie - with grilled vegetables - and a Coke with lemon. Greg arrived around 1:30.
"My first Coke of 2010," I said, lifting my glass.
"I score them at birthday parties," Greg said. "Pierre's had three in the last three weeks."
Serge came over to greet us. "I just got back from Maui," he said. "My second time. Next time I'm gonna stay."
After he left, Greg asked: "How'd you like Avatar?" It had been a while since we'd seen each other.
"Loved it," I said. "The future of film."
"Do you think you'll ever see it?" he asked, now seriously.
"No."
The pizza arrived, and we served ourselves slices. "There's a lot of cheese," Greg said.
"Well, we used to order it light on the cheese."
"Right," said Greg. "I don't have the money now to pay for cheese that I'm not getting."
I told him about the new green market in Fort Lauderdale. We both wondered what had happened to the farmer's market that was supposed to open in Hollywood. Greg suspected foul play.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"Two o'clock," I said.
"I gotta go pick up Pierre from school."
"And I need to get back to my Venice article."
Oh for the days of employment and leisurely lunches.
