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It started out innocently enough...
A few of our Long Island classmates decided enough time had passed to warrant another impromptu get together at Grimadi's Pizzeria in Garden City. (John LaLima's son, Dean, is a co-owner.) Tom (Martini) and I (Peggy Mauro) were on the inside loop of their email, so we weren't surprised to be included in the flurry. Marilyn Albert: "Why don't you guys just hop on a plane and surprise us." Yeah, right. Larry Liquiri added: "Let's set up instant messaging, so we can all speak with you two that night." I responded with, "If we win the Lotto, we'll see you at Grimaldi's. If we don't, we'll see you online." Apparently, Tom has a dark side. He turned to me and said, "Let's do it." What? "Let's hop on a plane and surprise them." Are you mad?! "Probably, but I haven't been home in 38 years." Ergo, we decided to go home for the most-expensive pizza we'll ever eat. The plot thickened; we brought Lois Levine (Cherry Hill, NJ) and Carol Kopp (Macungie, PA) into our circle of trust. No way they'd show up or give us away. Wrong! They decided to show up as well. Lois arrived early and sat at the bar for a cuppa joe to settle her nerves after a loooong drive. Carol showed up fifteen minutes later and sat next to her. They spoke for a bit before Carol recognized Lois. Each kept our secret. Since Carol was a surprise as well, she hid out with us in the restaurant while the others gathered in the back bar. Tom and I arrived a bit later and walked right passed Lois and Carol. We noticed them right away, but acted as if we hadn't. I wore dark glasses because most had seen me recently, but no one had seen Tom for decades. What a hoot! 
At the
appropriate time, we gave the manager (Dean LaLima) a card addressed to
his father. It was an
invitation to our engagement party. We waited until John was totally perplexed before we revealed ourselves. 
Lois Levine, Rachelle Carra, Marilyn Albert, Karen Lampert, and Susan Bloomberg 
Larry Liquori, John LaLima, David Birnbaum, Carol Kopp, and Marilyn Albert 
Karen Lampert, Lois Levine, and Susan Bloomberg 
Jerry and Pam Friedlander 
Dave and Peggy discussing possibilities for another class reunion. 
Back Row: Tom Martini, Marilyn Albert, Karen Lampert, Jerry Friedlander, Lois Levine (hiding), Dave Birnbaum, John LaLima, Larry Liquori, and Dennis Stiler (Rachelle Carra's husband). Front Row: Pam Friedlander, Peggy Mauro, Rachelle Carra, Susan Bloomberg, and Carol Kopp. 
We enjoyed our big surprise and the most-expensive pizza we'll ever buy. (Michigan pizzas suck bilge!) Our adventure continued...
"Love is lovelier the second time around, or so goes the old
song lyric.We made a couple of side trips. In addition to Eddie's Pizza, where we bought tee shirts, we visited The Hill and other classmates. 
Where our story began. 
We surprised the hell out of Harry Fleischer, Williston Park! 
Ray Licata, Holbrook Only
in New York could a tall-skinny and a short-dumpy, old couple set up a
camera to reenact their first kiss without being noticed by a single soul.
Here in Cadillac, MI a patrol unit would have been dispatched to
a suspicious situation!
Update...
We returned home to a postcard from Katherine Crean, Port Washington. She attached a clipping from Newsday. For an upcoming story, we're looking for couples who were an item back in high school or college, went separate ways and married other people or stayed single...until years later they met again and found the flames of love rekindled. How have you been able to revisit your past, picking up a romance that ended decades ago?" We
contacted Newsday with our Herricks High School story, and we will be included
in their article. We're told it should appear in Newsday approximately the
fourth week of August. Since every fairytale has to have a happy ending,
we've picked a date for our wedding...April 12, 2008.
Here's Peggy having
a martini with a Martini before she becomes a Martini.
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...To be continued.